President Donald Trump would have “forced” Bryan Kohberger to “publicly explain” why he killed four Idaho college students — after the cold-blooded killer declined to share his motive during his sentencing hearing.
After sharing a message from the White House to the families of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, who were brutally stabbed to death inside an Idaho home in 2022, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that if it were up to Trump, more would be done to deliver justice.
“If it were up to the President, he would have forced this monster to publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls,” Leavitt said, despite there being no obligation for Kohberger to share a motive for the crime.
The horrifying November 2022 killings of the four University of Idaho students shocked the college town of Moscow and captivated national audiences due to the sheer violence with no clear motive.
Kohberger maintained his innocence for over two years until July 2, when he abruptly took a plea deal. With the deal, he pleaded guilty to all four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, and became no longer eligible for the death penalty.
“While Life Imprisonment is tough, it’s certainly better than receiving the Death Penalty but, before Sentencing, I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the plea deal. “There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING.”
The plea deal also included no obligation for Kohberger to share his motive, apologize or express remorse.
While defendants can use their statement during a sentencing hearing to express remorse, or explain their actions before their sentencing, the U.S. Constitution’s 5th Amendment guarantees the right to remain silent during sentencing hearings, meaning they can choose not to speak at all.
Judge Steven Hippler on Wednesday handed Kohberger four consecutive life sentences, and an additional 10 years for burglary, without the possibility of parole. Kohberger remained quiet during the hearing, held in Boise, Idaho, speaking only to “respectfully decline” the opportunity to address the court and divulge why he committed the horrific murders.
“Parents who took children to college in a truck filled with moving boxes had to bring them home in hearses lined with coffins,” an emotional Hippler said.
The judge acknowledged the families’ desire to learn why Kohberger committed the murders, but said the public may never learn the reasoning.
“By continuing to focus on why, we continue to give Mr. Kohberger relevance, we give him agency. We give him power,” Hippler said. “The need to know what is inherently not understandable makes us dependent upon the defendant to provide us with a reason, and that gives him the spotlight, the attention and the power he appears to crave.”
During the emotional, nearly three-hour-long hearing, the parents, grandparents, siblings and two surviving roommates of the four slain students confronted Kohberger as he sat, largely uninterested, wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs.
Even the Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson was moved to tears by the case as he recommended Kohberger spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Kohberger’s defense attorneys announced last week that they would not be releasing any statements for the sentencing.
After he changed his plea to guilty, both sides agreed to a proposed sentencing of four consecutive life sentences without parole, in addition to 10 years for the burglary charge. Kohberger waived his right to appeal any issues in the case.
