BREAKING NEWS: BRYAN KOHBERGER PLEA DEAL
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- Crime Alert, hourly update. Breaking crime news now.

I'm Jennifer Gould. In a stunning development that sent shockwaves across the nation, Brian Koberger, the man accused of savagely stabbing four University of Idaho students in November of 2022, has accepted a plea deal that spares him from the death penalty. The agreement ensures the former criminology Ph.D. student will spend the rest of his life behind bars without any

any possibility of parole. Koberger, 30, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in the brutal deaths of Madison Mogan, 21, Kaylee Gonsalves, 21, Zanna Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.

The four students were found with fatal stab wounds in their off-campus Moscow, Idaho rental home during the early morning hours of November 13, 2022. Investigators believe they were attacked between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., likely while sleeping, with no signs of sexual assault reported by the coroner. This dramatic plea deal comes just weeks before Koberger's highly anticipated trial was set to begin on August 4th

with opening statements set for August 18th. The timing is particularly significant given recent setbacks for the defense. Judge Stephen Hippler recently dealt a critical blow to Koberger's legal team, rejecting their alternate perpetrator theory, which attempted to implicate four other individuals.

The judge dismissed the theory as, quote, wild speculation, end quote, emphasizing the complete lack of evidence connecting those individuals to the gruesome crime scene. Hippler also denied a defense request to delay the trial, despite claims of slow discovery and intense public scrutiny threatening a fair trial. Prosecutors have meticulously built a compelling case against Koberger. Their evidence includes crucial DNA linking him directly

to the crime scene, as well as chilling surveillance footage that captured a car matching his white Hyundai Elantra near the victim's home around the very time of the murders. A DoorDash driver who made a delivery to Kurnodal's residence just hours before the horrific killings was prepared to testify, claiming she saw Koberger nearby. Furthermore, surveillance data allegedly placed Koberger's phone near the crime scene multiple times,

in the weeks leading up to the murders. The case has drawn immense national and international media attention since Koberger's arrest at his parents' Pennsylvania home on December 30, 2022, over a month after the killings.

His defense, led by Ann Taylor, has faced numerous hurdles, including failed attempts to suppress the damning DNA evidence. This sudden plea deal marks a pivotal and shocking turn in one of Idaho's most high-profile and disturbing murder cases, providing a definitive end to the courtroom battle, but leaving lingering questions for some as to the motive. A court hearing for a change of plea

will be held on Wednesday. For the latest crime and justice news, follow the Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app. With this Crime Alert, I'm Jennifer Gould.

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