Bryan Kohberger Sentenced in Idaho Murders—Victims’ Families Speak Out with Unfiltered Pain
The sentencing of Bryan Kohberger, the man who brutally took the lives of four University of Idaho students in November 2022, marks a grim yet pivotal moment for the victims' families. As the courtroom filled with raw emotion, impact statements from grieving parents, siblings, and surviving roommates revealed the immeasurable trauma caused by his actions.
Kohberger, who pleaded guilty earlier this month, avoided the death penalty but received life in prison without parole. His expression throughout the hearing remained vacant, emotionless—even as the families poured their pain into the courtroom.
Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee, stared directly at Kohberger and told him the world was united in its disgust. “You picked the wrong family,” he said. “We’re laughing at you on the way to the pen.” His wife, Kristi Goncalves, expressed the crushing grief she continues to carry. “Birthdays are now memorials,” she said, adding with striking bluntness that prison life would strip Kohberger of any identity or relevance: “You are the property of Idaho now.”
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Alivea Goncalves, Kaylee’s sister, addressed Kohberger fiercely, calling him delusional and insignificant: “You're not profound. You're pathetic.” She asked haunting questions like, “What were Kaylee’s last words?”—questions that will likely go unanswered.
Madison Mogen’s family shared similar heartbreak. Her stepfather, Scott Laramie, remembered Madison as a beacon of kindness and intellect. Fighting through tears, he said, “We will not waste our words. Evil does not deserve our time and attention.”
The surviving roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, delivered powerful statements. Dylan described persistent panic attacks and living in fear. “Sometimes I drop to the floor with my heart racing. My body relives everything,” she said. Bethany, speaking through a friend, confessed to sleepless nights and paralyzing survivor’s guilt: “Why me?” she asked. “I haven’t slept a single night since it happened.”
The family of Ethan Chapin—Xana Kernodle’s boyfriend and one of the four victims—also shared their closure. Jim and Stacy Chapin said they were at peace with the plea deal. "It’s over," Jim said. “He’s off the streets. He can’t hurt any more kids.”
The courtroom was a space of both agony and resilience. Though Kohberger never gave a motive, the families made clear they no longer needed one. The sentencing was not just a legal end—it was an emotional release. For many, it was the moment they could finally begin to move forward, even if healing remains a lifelong process.
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