GUILTY PLEA DEAL ACCEPTED - 4 Univ of Idaho Students Murdered, Bryan Kohberger Arrested, Moscow, Nov 2022 #111

[Fleur-de-lis]

His reaction is understandable considering that he feels no one in that courtroom cares about his or his family’s feelings in this matter. It would be like speaking to a brick wall of a disgustingly smug murderer and a court that is concerned more with dollars and being done than true justice. IMO

I worry that the murderers enjoy seeing the grief and devastation of the impact statements.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

The prosecutor didn’t have to accept the defense’s offer. He made a command decision, hastily, over the objections of at least half the families involved. Saying that it was in the families’ best interests is self serving because that was expressly against 2 of the 4 dead kids’ families wishes. It is presumptive to say you, that is the prosecutor or anyone else for that matter, knows best.

You are correct. A prosecutor can reject a deal. Either side can reject the deal.

It's the prosecutor's job to represent the state of Idaho. The decision to accept a plea is not just about the families. It's about what is in the interest of the state. In this case, that means making sure Bryan Kohberger never walks among ordinary people again.

A prosecutor would be a moron to reject 4 consecutive sentences of LWOP with no chance of appeal and throw the dice on getting a conviction and the death penalty. AT's whole effort in the last weeks was to develop a case for the penalty phase post-trial to keep BK off death row.

A trial is to determine whether an accused person is guilty. A guilty plea accomplishes that goal for society. It's not all about the families. It's about the citizens of Idaho.

 

[LMDlong]

I followed this same line of thinking and wondered if you could purchase the sheath alone, or if you could purchase such knives from other places.

You can purchase a sheath alone on Amazon, and the K-Bar knife and sheath can be purchased from other places using cash or face to face without a credit card or online paper trail.

So- he made a mistake.

I think he shopped for a replacement knife and sheath- because he tossed the knife. I think he wanted a replacement because this weapon of choice had worked well for him and he had other plans for a second knife. To me BK has all the markings of a serial killer.
I watched the Dateline show- I was sickened by his interactions with a young woman who lived in his apartment complex. Not healthy at all

IMO

I too was on that line of thinking , but now I think he was planning and shopping for a new knife and sheath for his next victims . JMO

 

[pittsburghgirl]

It appears that the majority of parents wanted the deal--Ethan's, Maddie's and Xana's mom. Kaylee's parents and Xana's dad were against. So 5-3.

The surviving roommates are also victims of the burglary and should have been consulted so we don't know where they fell.

Regardless, there were appeals issues of concern you don't normally have. I'm glad we don't have to worry about it being overturned.
JMO

I would note that the surviving roommates also have parents and we never hear from or about them. It's likely that they are greatly relieved their kids don't have to testify. They've been dragged through hell on the internet enough already.

 

[wildblue]

Two families would have been unhappy with that. What about them?

We don’t actually know the numbers in each family and from family to family. I think the rush to accept the deal was a grave disservice. The prosecution team could have taken more time to discuss everything in depth with each and every family member and the two survivors and get a full assessment of what the families wanted. The prosecutor didn’t and sent an email with an attachment basically stating it was a done deal. That’s so disrespectful and devastating to those who wanted to voice their opinions.

 

[wildblue]

If a future Supreme Court ruled anything about this case was unconstitutional it would be a good thing they hadn't put him to death already.
JMO

Not for the families of those the murderer slaughtered…

 

[pittsburghgirl]

Appellate courts can and have frequently made rulings overturning jury verdicts which has led to cases having to be retried.

It's much, much more difficult for appellate courts to overturn plea deals, and in this case, that point is actually moot, because BK is not even allowed to file an appeal per the agreement.

I can't wrap my head around why someone standing up in court and pleading guilty isn't the gold standard for justice. The guy confessed and pleaded guilty. The discussion about whether he did it or not is ended. That's way higher than the standard for a jury "beyond a reasonable doubt." Where there's no trial, there's no chance for errors on appeal. And even if he's sentenced to death, there would be endless appeals based on mitigating factors like autism.

 

[Magic8Ball]

We don’t actually know the numbers in each family and from family to family. I think the rush to accept the deal was a grave disservice. The prosecution team could have taken more time to discuss everything in depth with each and every family member and the two survivors and get a full assessment of what the families wanted. The prosecutor didn’t and sent an email with an attachment basically stating it was a done deal. That’s so disrespectful and devastating to those who wanted to voice their opinions.

The Bryan Kohberger plea deal without the victims’ families' consultation is normal, says Northeastern expert

Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students, is expected to take a plea deal in the case.

news.northeastern.edu

Snipped from article:


“It is normal and appropriate to inform the families of the victims about a plea deal, but not to need their permission or consent,” says Fox, a research professor of criminology, law and public policy at Northeastern.

“The prosecution represents the state, the people of the state of Idaho. They don’t actually represent the families of the victims. Consider if the case were to go to trial and after a conviction, the jury deliberated on the appropriate sentence. Obviously jurors would not need to get the consent of the victims were they to decide and recommend life in prison as opposed to death. Similarly, the prosecution does not require the consent of the victims’ families,” he says.

 

[PeregrineFalcon]

I see many positives to the plea deal. No years and years of appeals. The 2 roommates who survived won't be under as much scrutiny for their inaction & won't have to defend their actions (or rather lack there of) on the stand. The families never have to see this again. Lock him up, throw away the key, done.

 

[wildblue]

Idaho and New York could NOT be more different

It may change in the future and a different Supreme Court could change things on a national level.

 

[LAborn]

It may change in the future and a different Supreme Court could change things on a national level.

You're never going to have NY agree with Idaho. Live and let live, dude.

 

[wildblue]

The Bryan Kohberger plea deal without the victims’ families' consultation is normal, says Northeastern expert

Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students, is expected to take a plea deal in the case.

news.northeastern.edu

Snipped from article:


“It is normal and appropriate to inform the families of the victims about a plea deal, but not to need their permission or consent,” says Fox, a research professor of criminology, law and public policy at Northeastern.

“The prosecution represents the state, the people of the state of Idaho. They don’t actually represent the families of the victims. Consider if the case were to go to trial and after a conviction, the jury deliberated on the appropriate sentence. Obviously jurors would not need to get the consent of the victims were they to decide and recommend life in prison as opposed to death. Similarly, the prosecution does not require the consent of the victims’ families,” he says.

This may be true but is doesn’t make it right. The victims’ families deserve a voice as it was their loved ones who were brutally taken from them. Again, it’s presumptuous for prosecutors to say what’s in the families’ best interest and if they aren’t considering the families then they are making the choice based on cost and their own beliefs.

 

[seasideForest]

This reminds me. I think it was very important, and a requirement that the state inform the public that there was no sexual assault. So important, that Thompson repeated it twice.

Kohberger is a killer, not a rapist. Somehow that’s better in his eyes.

RSBM
Also @Megnut who you are responding to

Thomson did state that there was no sexual assault, no physical evidence at all of it, and undoubtedly it was important to say that publicly, to help to stop rumours etc.

otoh and imo "no sexual assault" does not mean there was not a sexual component to the murders of one or more of Maddie, Kaylee, Xana. Quite a few posters have mentioned the knife in this connection and IME more and more people are seeing sexual abuse e.g. of children as having a wider definition than sexualised physical assault, even though that's not yet included in the UN definition of sexual abuse. In some official definitions (UN, WHO), As a survivor of childhood SA, I can say that IME there's a felt sense of being sexualised even 'just' through looks or even hearing sexualised words/sentences directed at you. It wouldn't stand up in a court of law but that still doesn't mean there can't be an element of truth to it, for the person who endured it - victim, survivor whatever you want to call this person.

For me, it would be very important for you @MassGuy to emphasise that

Kohberger is a killer, not a rapist.

is just your opinion. It's not something we can definitely know, IMO.

MOO

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

There is IMO another interesting aspect to BK having now pled to the crimes. Despite all the supposed careful study, education, forensic curiosity, knowledge, and perceived ability to elude and not be identified…… including the question whether or not the sheath was cleansed forensically and accidentally left at the scene…… and that ‘thumbs-up selfie’ taken shortly thereafter, etc. - this individual has now stood in court and admitted that yes, he did it and was responsible. MOO

 

[wildblue]

I see many positives to the plea deal. No years and years of appeals. The 2 roommates who survived won't be under as much scrutiny for their inaction & won't have to defend their actions (or rather lack there of) on the stand. The families never have to see this again. Lock him up, throw away the key, done.

Well, that’s your opinion and what you would want in the families’ place. I hope you never are in their place. Many of the people who are actually living through this nightmare see no positives, will see his face after he writes a book or appears in an interview and know that he’s doing things that were taken from their loved ones, e.g., reading, watching movies, writing, eating, exercising, etc. it’s not done for the family members and they are the ones that matter.

 

[xjd11]

I also think we need to think of DM and BF here, both traumatised. How would they ever be expected to go forwards to their lives with 20 years of this hanging over them? 20 years of every hearing restarting awful accusations towards them? I know the families lost children, but there were 6 victims in that house, not 4. So maybe the majority consensus actually was to take the plea?

you are quite right. now that I think about it, it's probably better for those two that the do not have to testify and relive that awful experience in court, or on video etc.

 

[seasideForest]

Envisioning the death of someone who brutally carved up and murdered your daughter isn’t odd, distasteful or strange IMO, but a common reaction to the anger and grief of that type of loss.

Envisioning it in your own head or writing about it in your journal or similar wouldn't be odd, distasteful etc, it's the public expression of what SG is envisioning along with inciting others to carry out the death that is the problem.

IMO

 

[Arkay]

Off-topic but well-meaning

Hope everyone had a happy Fourth of July! We were on the Coney Island boardwalk.

Sorry (not sorry) to our British friends as we celebrate our independence from you!

 

[MeadowMuffin]

According to this court doc, BK shopped at Albertsons the same day of the murders (November 13, 2022) for only seven minutes before checking out at the self checkout:

View attachment 599803

BK apparently did his regularly shopping (for food or women, who’s to say) at the 24-hour WinCo in Moscow. The closest Albertson’s to Pullman, WA is the one in Lewiston, Idaho, a 42-minute drive from BK’s apartment in Pullman. There are no Albertson’s near BK’s hometown in Pennsylvania.

According to the same court doc, BK tried to shop at Costco first, but he left immediately, probably because he didn’t have a membership card. He then drove past a Walmart store before moving on to Albertson’s.

All this is to say that I think BK wanted to buy something to eat instead of something to destroy evidence with, and I doubt BK was super-familiar with the Albertson’s grocery store layout.

He likely grabbed a piece of fruit and some nuts in the produce department near the store entrance, a drink from the nearby refrigerated section, then checked out.

View attachment 599829
Produce section of the Albertson’s in Clarkston, WA (Source)

So, then, why on earth would BK drive 46 minutes south from his Pullman apartment to Clarkston to buy lunch at a grocery store (where he could use the self-checkout to avoid drawing attention to himself)?

Well, the address of the Albertson’s in Clarkston is 400 Bridge Street. Unsurprisingly, this street turns into a bridge over the part of the Snake River that flows north and forms part of the boundary between Washington and Idaho.

Bridge Street (highlighted in yellow) joins Clarkston with Lewiston, ID, which during the plea hearing Bill Thompson called the port city of Idaho since it’s positioned at the confluence of the Snake River and Idaho’s Clearwater River:

View attachment 599821
Source: Apple Maps

As first hypothesized on Jan 7, 2023 by @Elliemay, and discussed on WS quite a bit afterwards by @10ofRods, @iamshadow21, @DisplacedDivaofthe6C, and others, I think BK may have been scouting for places to dump his knife in the Snake River. He needed daylight for that.

Now, if the Azget Industries video shared earlier by @MassGuy (and by another WS before an approved media source referenced it) is correct about BK burying his kill kit in a pre-dug hole off Sand Road just over the state line in Washington immediately after the murders while his phone was still turned off, then here’s the path BK may have driven from 1122 King Road to the pre-dug hole (note that the route takes so long because it is the walking path generated by Google maps to the burial site, following drivable roads—otherwise, Google generates a shorter route that includes a highway, which the State thinks BK avoided since his car was not captured on camera there):

View attachment 599835
Source: Google Maps.

The red pin in the map above marks the location of the possible pre-dug hole, which you can see here (note the road pullout and stand of trees):

View attachment 599840
Source: Google Maps

Later that same day, according to the Probable Cause Affidavit, BK’s phone utilized cellular resources that cover Johnson, WA (the PCA incorrectly states that the city is in ID, which doesn’t exist) from 5:32 pm to 5:36 pm:
View attachment 599804
Note that it was dark by 4:50 pm that day, and that Johnson is a short drive south of Pullman:

View attachment 599843
Source: Apple Maps

According to the PCA, BK’s phone then stopped reporting to the network from around 5:36 pm to 8:30 pm.

Interestingly, it is another short drive from Johnson to the possible burial site of BK’s kill kit:

View attachment 599830
Source: Google Maps

So it’s possible that BK temporarily stashed his kill kit in a pre-dug hole in the early morning darkness (immediately after the murders while his phone was turned off), then, after darkness returned late the same afternoon, BK turned his phone off once again, retrieved his kill kit, drove back to the Clarkston-Lewiston area and threw his kill kit into the Snake or Clearwater River. He had three bridges to pick from:

View attachment 599818
Source: Apple Maps

Now, if we think that BK safely buried his kill kit in that pre-dug hole in Washington, why speculate that he later unburied it and threw it in a river? Well, Bill Thompson did discuss the Snake and Clearwater Rivers during the plea hearing, and he also said they never found the murder weapon. I’m pretty confident LE used metal detectors and cadaver dogs to check out the potential burial site discussed in the video and shown in this post, and any other plausible burial sites, but came up empty.

(Speculation)

 

[MeadowMuffin]

Wonderful work! I'm so impressed.