Four people died in a single event in Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of November 13, 2022. Three other people survived. Bryan Kohberger was charged with the deaths, and on July 2, 2025 he pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. On July 23, 2025 he was sentenced to four consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, one for each murder, and to 10 years for the burglary.
Kohberger was arrested about six weeks after the deaths and was charged in Latah County, the county that includes Moscow. A grand jury returned an indictment in May 2023, and the charges were four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. At the arraignment on May 22, 2023 in Moscow his lawyer told the court that he was standing silent, and the judge entered pleas of not guilty on his behalf.
The prosecution sought the death penalty. Concern about pretrial publicity and public statements by local officials led to the proceedings being moved to Boise, in Ada County, where a trial had been set for August 2025.
On July 2, 2025, in a hearing in Boise before the Ada County district judge who presided over the case, Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. The plea agreement had been requested by the defense, according to a letter from the Latah County Prosecutor's Office, and it had been kept confidential until shortly before the hearing. Under its terms, prosecutors would not seek the death penalty, Kohberger gave up his right to appeal, and the court was not bound by the sentencing recommendations of either side.
On July 23, 2025, in Boise, the judge sentenced Kohberger to four consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, one for each of the four murders. For the burglary he received 10 years. He was ordered to pay $50,000 on each charge, and a $5,000 civil penalty to the family of each of the four victims. At the hearing the judge told him that he could still file a notice of appeal, although doing so might breach the agreement.
In July 2026 Kohberger filed a petition for post-conviction relief in the Idaho courts, asking to withdraw his guilty pleas and be tried. The petition argued that he had received ineffective assistance of counsel and that the pleas were not voluntary. Prosecutors asked the court to dismiss it in filings dated August 25, 2026. The district judge then set a schedule that included a status conference on June 3, 2027 and an evidentiary hearing on June 17, 2027. If the court denies the petition, the convictions and life sentences stand. If it allows the pleas to be withdrawn, the case could return to trial.
Kohberger's convictions rest on his own guilty pleas, and no trial took place. The claims in his 2026 petition are pending before the district court.
November 13, 2022: Four people die in Moscow, Idaho.
December 2022: Kohberger is arrested, about six weeks later.
May 2023: A grand jury in Latah County indicts him on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
May 22, 2023: Arraignment in Moscow; not guilty pleas are entered on his behalf.
July 2, 2025: He pleads guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in Boise.
July 23, 2025: He is sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole and 10 years for burglary.
July 2026: He files a petition for post-conviction relief seeking to withdraw the pleas.
August 25, 2026: Prosecutors ask the court to dismiss the petition.
June 3, 2027: Status conference set.
June 17, 2027: Evidentiary hearing set.