Tensions were high outside an Idaho courthouse as dozens of people lined up 13 hours before Bryan Kohberger is to be sentenced for the murders of four students.
An argument broke out after people were accused of cutting in line as they tried to secure a seat for the 9am hearing in Boise.
Kohberger, 30, is expected to be sentenced to four life sentences without parole after he pleaded guilty to the 2022 murders of Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves.
Spectators and reporters began lining up outside the Ada County Courthouse at around 10pm Tuesday.
Officials informed those present that they were not allowed to form a line until 4am, so spectators moved their line across the street from the courthouse.
By 3am, at least 50 people were already lined up, some with camping chairs, as they waited to be let inside. There seemed to be a mix of media and crime sleuths in the line.
Wednesday’s sentencing hearing will conclude the case that grasped the nation’s attention for years.
But, many, including president Donald Trump, have said the plea deal should require Kohberger to explain why he committed the murders.
Bryan Kohberger, 30, is expected to be sentenced to four life sentences without parole after he pleaded guilty to the 2022 murders of four students
People began lining up outside the the Ada County Courthouse at around 10pm Tuesday as they hoped to get a seat for the 9am sentencing in Boise
An argument broke out in the line outside the Idaho courthouse as people were accused of cutting in line ahead of the sentencing hearing
The sentencing will give the families of the victims the opportunity to describe the anguish they’ve felt since their loved ones were killed in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022.
Kohberger was a graduate student of Washington State University when he broke into a nearby rental home through a kitchen sliding door and killed the four friends, who appeared to have no connection with him.
Police initially had no suspects, and the killings terrified the normally quiet community in the small, western Idaho city of Moscow. Some students at both universities left mid-semester, taking the rest of their classes online because they felt unsafe.
But investigators had a few critical clues. A knife sheath left near Mogen’s body had a single source of male DNA on the button snap, and surveillance videos showed a white Hyundai Elantra near the rental home around the time of the murders.
Police used genetic genealogy to identify Kohberger as a possible suspect, and accessed cellphone data to pinpoint his movements the night of the killings. Online shopping records showed Kohberger had purchased a military-style knife months earlier, along with a sheath like the one at the home.
Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania about six weeks after the killings. He initially stood silent when asked to enter a plea, so a judge entered a ‘not guilty’ plea on his behalf.
Both the investigation and the court case drew widespread attention. Discussion groups proliferated online, with members eagerly sharing their theories and questions about the case.
There seemed to be a mix of media and crime sleuths in the line outside the courthouse
Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders of 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, her 21-year-old best friend Madison Mogen and 20-year-old couple Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin
Many, including president Donald Trump , have said the plea deal should require Kohberger to explain why he committed the murders
The lines persisted on Wednesday morning ahead of the sentencing at 9am
Some self-styled armchair detectives pointed fingers at innocent people simply because they knew the victims or lived in the same town. Misinformation spread, piling additional distress on the already-traumatized community.
As the criminal case unfolded, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson announced that he would seek the death penalty if Kohberger was convicted.
The court-defense team, led by attorney Anne Taylor, challenged the validity of the DNA evidence, unsuccessfully pushed to get theories about possible ‘alternate perpetrators’ admitted in court, and repeatedly asked the judge to take the death penalty off of the table.
But those efforts largely failed, and the evidence against Kohberger was strong. With an August trial looming, Kohberger reached a plea deal.
Prosecutors agreed to drop their efforts to get a death sentence in exchange for Kohberger’s guilty plea to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
Both sides agreed to a proposed sentence of four consecutive life sentences without parole, plus an additional 10 years for the burglary charge. Kohberger also waived his right to appeal any issues in the case.
