MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Bryan Kohberger, the man who admitted to killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, has been sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. Northwest Public Broadcasting's Lauren Paterson was in the courtroom.
LAUREN PATERSON, BYLINE: Kohberger was arrested six weeks after the killings that shocked the small university town of Moscow. After 2 1/2 years of investigation and court proceedings, he earlier this month pleaded guilty to murdering the students in a deal that allowed him to avoid the death penalty. Kohberger has never said why he killed Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. At his sentencing hearing yesterday, family and friends of his victims were invited to give statements.
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EMILY ALANDT: (Reading) That was the worst day of my life (crying), and I know it always will be.
PATERSON: Emily Alandt read a statement on behalf of Bethany Funke, one of the victim's surviving roommates.
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ALANDT: (Reading) I have not slept through a single night since this happened. I constantly wake up in panics terrified someone is breaking in or someone is here to hurt me.
PATERSON: Through Alandt, Funke recounted death threats she experienced after the killings happened, and she was blamed for not calling 911 sooner. Many of the friends and family members who spoke in court struggled to speak through tears. Others were angry. Kaylee Goncalves' father, Steve, spoke directly to Kohberger.
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STEVE GONCALVES: You tried to break our community apart. You tried to plant fear. You tried to divide us. You failed. Instead, your actions have united everyone in their disgust for you.
PATERSON: Alivea Goncalves, Kaylee's older sister, mocked Kohberger - a criminology graduate student at the time of the killings - for getting caught despite his studies.
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ALIVEA GONCALVES: You act like no one could ever understand your mind, but the truth is, you're basic. You're a textbook case of insecurity disguised as control.
PATERSON: In his closing statements, Judge Steven Hippler talked about how losing a child is the greatest tragedy a person can experience.
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STEVEN HIPPLER: Parents who took their children to college in a truck filled with moving boxes had to bring them home in hearses lined with coffins.
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PATERSON: Kohberger was mostly silent and showed no emotion during the hearing, smiling once at his mom. He declined to make a statement. Along with the life terms, he faces another 10 years on a burglary charge. The judge also ordered a $50,000 fine and a $5,000 civil penalty for each victim.
For NPR News, I'm Lauren Paterson in Boise. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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