Bryan Kohberger pleads guilty to murdering four Idaho college students

Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty in court Wednesday to murdering four Idaho college students and to burglary felony.

Kohberger had been accused of fatally stabbing four college students in 2022 and had agreed Monday to plead guilty to all four murders and waive his right to appeal in exchange for the death penalty being dropped.

U.S. District Court Judge Steven Hippler asked Kohberger on Wednesday, "Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?"

"Yes," Kohberger replied, NBC News reported.

According to the plea agreement, Kohberger would be sentenced to 10 years for the burglary charge and a fixed life sentence on the four counts of homicide. All five sentences would run consecutive to one another. Kohberger could face a fine of up to $50,000 and a fine of up to $5,000 to each victim of the crime in the form of a civil judgment in addition to any restitution to the victims.

Hippler said that he is not bound to the plea agreement.

Kohberger was indicted by a federal grand jury in the case in 2023, for the alleged November 2022 murders of the four University of Idaho students. He was charged with first-degree murder for the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

The deal came a month before the former criminology PhD student's trial was set to begin. Jury selection was expected to start on Aug. 4 and opening arguments were scheduled for Aug 18.