A criminology student, sentenced to life imprisonment after killing four colleagues in the US. The reason is not known yet
Bryan Kohberger. student sentenced to prison on life in the US. Credit Line: Kyle Green / AP / Profimedia
An American student in criminology who killed four colleagues in 2022 without ever revealing the reasons was convicted of life imprisonment without a conditional release, AFP reports.
After two and a half years of silence, Bryan Kohberger, 30 years old, pleaded guilty for the quadruple crime committed in November 2022, in the town of Moscow, in Idaho, northwest US. This decision allowed him to avoid the death penalty.
The case that shocked America
The case shocked America: the bodies of Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, 21, and Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, 20 years old and in a relationship, were discovered in a house. They were all stabbed in sleep.
The investigation stagnated for two months before the police arrest Kohberger on December 30, 2022, thousands of kilometers from the crime, at the residence of his parents in Pennsylvania.
At the time of crimes, he was studying at the Washington State University, wanting to obtain a doctorate in criminology. Its DNA was compared to a knife recovered from the crime site. A video recording also showed a car similar to SA that was traveling through the victims' district at the time of crimes.
But, apart from these elements, the investigation has never been able to establish a reason and he has always remained silent. This behavior obviously exasperated Judge Steven Hipler, who described on Wednesday as a “coward” in search of attention.
“The more we try to find an explanation for the inexplicable, the more we try to extract a reason, the more we offer it power and control,” said the judge.
“It is time for him to be sentenced to infamy and isolation of perpetual incarceration,” he insisted, asking that this case should not be transformed into a book or documentary. “I honestly hope that no one will be offering to give him the notoriety he wants,” he concluded.
The agreement to recognize the guilt was strongly challenged by some of the families of the victims, especially that of Kaylee Goncalves. The relatives of the young woman demanded the penalty with death and advocated for a law adopted in Idaho in the spring, which stipulates that persons sentenced to death to be killed by shooting.
