Bryan Kohberger has officially been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal killings of four University of Idaho students.
At the time of the November 2022 stabbings in Moscow, Idaho, Kohberger, now 30, was a Ph.D. student at Washington State University. Nearly three years later, on July 2, 2025, he pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. As part of the plea deal, the death penalty was taken off the table. On July 23, Judge Steven Hippler sentenced him to four consecutive life terms.
The hearing was filled with emotion. For the first time, the two surviving roommates—Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke—addressed the court. Mortensen, who saw a masked man walking through the house around 4 a.m. the night of the murders, said she’s been haunted by fear ever since. “I was too terrified to close my eyes, terrified that if I blinked, someone might be there. I made escape plans everywhere I went,” she said.
Funke’s written statement was read aloud. She expressed deep sorrow over not realizing what had happened that night. “If I had known, I would have called 911 right away,” she said. “But I know it wouldn’t have made a difference.”
Did Bryan Kohberger’s Parents Attend His Sentencing?
Only two members of Bryan Kohberger’s family were in court the day he was sentenced—his mother, Maryann, and his older sister, Amanda.
His father, Michael, was not seen at the hearing. He had worked for years as a maintenance technician in Pennsylvania, while his mother, Maryann, was a paraprofessional helping special-needs students. They lived a quiet life in Monroe County before their son was arrested.
His older sister, Amanda, had once tried acting and appeared in a small horror film back in 2011. He also has another sister, Melissa, who had been working as a mental health therapist in New Jersey but reportedly lost her job after the case went public. Amanda is also said to have faced job fallout.
Inside the courtroom, his mom, Maryann, sat through the sentencing looking visibly upset. At one point, she covered her face with her hands. Amanda stayed close by and led her out of the courthouse afterward, trying to shield her from cameras. Both women left quickly once the hearing ended.
Bryan didn’t look at them. He didn’t say anything to his mother or his sister before leaving the courtroom.
Victim Family Reactions in His Final Hearing
Kohberger admitted to killing all four students—Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, and Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20.
During the final hearing, the courtroom was heavy with emotion as the families of Mogen, Goncalves, and Kernodle took the stand to deliver their victim impact statements. Chapin’s family did not attend.
Kaylee’s sister, Alivea Goncalves, didn’t hold back. “I’ll call you exactly what you are,” she said. “Sociopath. Psychopath. Murderer.”
Some family members expressed a hope that Kohberger would face violence in prison. Others, though, took a different tone. Xana Kernodle’s mother, Cara Northington, said she still prayed for Kohberger, but made it clear she wanted no part of him moving forward: “I am washing my hands of you.” Her uncle, Stratton Kernodle, focused on the impact the crime had on the Kohberger family, saying their name had been “tainted.”
Kohberger’s mother, Maryann, sat in the front row during all of this, often wiping away tears as the families spoke.
There was grief, rage, and, from some, even forgiveness.
Kohberger’s Initial Family Statement
Soon after Kohberger’s arrest, his family released a statement through his public defender in January 2023. They offered condolences to the victims’ families and said they would continue supporting Bryan while cooperating with law enforcement.
“First and foremost, we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children,” the statement read. “We have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies in an attempt to seek the truth.”
Since then, the family has stayed quiet in public.
