PLEA DEAL REACHED - 4 Univ of Idaho Students Murdered, Bryan Kohberger Arrested, Moscow, Nov 2022 #109

[NuttMegg]

The death penalty is merely an illusion in the criminal justice system,” the Goncalves family said in a lengthy statement. “When available, it serves as a bargaining tool for the State, and when rarely applied, it’s never enforced due to a highly inefficient appellate process.”

“The notion that someone can plead guilty to a crime and still face years of appellate delays reveals a systemic failure,” they continued. “The Latah County Prosecutor’s Office’s treatment of our family during this process is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

Victim’s Family ‘Beyond Furious’ After Accused Killer Bryan Kohberger Strikes Plea Deal

The family of Kaylee Goncalves slammed prosecutors after learning accused killer Bryan Kohberger is expected to take a plea deal sparing him the death penalty.

www.mediaite.com

 

[Breezyflavor]

Judge Hippler could reject the plea deal, but he won't, IMO.
It's State of Idaho v. Kohberger, not "Families of Victims v. Kohberger."

Another option is the judge could attach his own list of stipulations and requirements in order to approve the plea deal, e.g., require BK to give a full, detailed account of the murders at allocution,, what his motives were, where he disposed of the knife, etc. would at least give the families and the public at large some answers.

Or he could simply accept the plea deal as agreed to by both the prosecution and the defense.

The ball is in his court. Literally.

Whatever Judge Hiippler decides, I'm going to accept as the right decision, based on his handling of the case so far. He knows Idaho law and their court system. We don't.

that is EXACTLY what I was wondering. thank you!!

 

[Sachi]

The system survives OF and FOR itself. His sentence agreement is done in the interest of the state with a a good sell to those that buy.
Also, because a victims family is not in favor of the death penalty does not make them more kind than a family that is pro use of the death penalty - one is a rot in prison until you die situation , the other is rot until you “ might” die by firing squad - possibly sooner than LWOP or not and possibly appeal a bunch. Some people believe that LWOP is the ultimate punishment but punishing would mean the criminal feels and shows to our judgement and satisfaction -remorse. We “ maythink” that is what will happen, we hope for remorse but I don’t believe that a person without a conscience can grow one and be remorseful- Moo

 

[Magic8Ball]

The death penalty is merely an illusion in the criminal justice system,” the Goncalves family said in a lengthy statement. “When available, it serves as a bargaining tool for the State, and when rarely applied, it’s never enforced due to a highly inefficient appellate process.”

“The notion that someone can plead guilty to a crime and still face years of appellate delays reveals a systemic failure,” they continued. “The Latah County Prosecutor’s Office’s treatment of our family during this process is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

Victim’s Family ‘Beyond Furious’ After Accused Killer Bryan Kohberger Strikes Plea Deal

The family of Kaylee Goncalves slammed prosecutors after learning accused killer Bryan Kohberger is expected to take a plea deal sparing him the death penalty.

www.mediaite.com

I do not expect we will hear every victim's family echo the G family's sentiments here.

I expect we'll get a more measured statement from at least one of the other victim's family expressing appreciation for the work of LE and the prosecution.

Which is not to minimize the thoughts/feelings of the G family; however, they aren't the only family who suffered a profound, devastating loss.

The prosecution team has not been sitting on their hands for the past two and a half years. They've logged thousands upon thousands of hours working on this case.

The fact that families don't ultimately agree with the prosecution's decision to agree to a plea deal doesn't mean the families have been mistreated.

There is no such thing as perfect justice this side of heaven.

JMO.

 

[stormymama]

Now that the initial shock has worn off, I'm glad he's taking a plea.
He's not copping to lesser charges.
The only thing off the table is the death penalty.
He will never see the light of day outside prison.
No appeals.
No innocence projects.
The families don't have add to their suffering with trial, appeals, etc.
BF and DM won't have to testify.
Taxpayer money saved.

Once again I'm wishing SG would stop talking to the media. I understand his frustration. I would be fine handing him a baseball bat and letting him alone in a room with BK, but this is good. Some guilty people don't even get convicted.
moo

edited to add a line

 

[NuttMegg]

I do not expect we will hear every victim's family echo the G family's sentiments here.

I expect we'll get a more measured statement from at least one of the other victim's family expressing appreciation for the work of LE and the prosecution.

Which is not to minimize the thoughts/feelings of the G family; however, they aren't the only family who suffered a profound, devastating loss.

The prosecution team has not been sitting on their hands for the past two and a half years. They've logged thousands upon thousands of hours working on this case.

The fact that families don't ultimately agree with the prosecution's decision to agree to a plea deal doesn't mean the families have been mistreated.

There is no such thing as perfect justice this side of heaven.

JMO.

Imo it seems clear the families weren't consulted in any depth. At least in the Watts case the DA and asst DA traveled across the country to consult with the victims' family, re plea deal.

 

[AngTxGal]

Judge can accept or reject the plea deal.
It's at his discretion.
And yes, if plea gets rejected, BK can withdraw his guilty plea and go to trial.

I don't think Judge H. will reject it, though.
I do think he'll add his own requirements to the deal, and then we'll see if BK still wants to plead out or withdraw from the plea agreement.

Tomorrow will be interesting.

So exactly how can the judge be confident of a fair trial if the press has released that the defendant was going to take a plea offer of guilty for 4 murder 1 charges?

It seems the issue then is that this is public?
I don’t know- do we typically get info regarding a plea deal before a defendant goes before the judge?

IMO

 

[Jw192]

The Prosecution offered a deal, that is how Kohberger was able to accept, to many the offer alone seems like an injustice.

Now we all know that a deal implies he gets something in exchange.
Kohberger gets the death penalty removed as an option
Kohberger changes his pleas to guilty, life sentences, no possibility of parole, no appeals

Does his tell them where the knife is?
Does he have to explain what he did and why?
Does he have to hear victim impact statements?
Is he able to write a book and become famous? Or can they sue for all proceeds of any adventure go to the families?

So does this case wrap it up for victims? I’m not sure all of the families could be appeased as their needs for justice would be different.
For some victim families this may be enough
For other victim families this isn’t enough- they may want the death penalty
For other victims- some were witnesses, they were in that house, they would have to testify in court. No trial may allow them to more easily move forward?
For still others- they may want to face him in court and testify against him.

It would be tough to decide what to do here as the families likely could not agree. Would it be ok to pursue the death penalty for some victim families when others are against it. I don’t think so. And some have been quiet and stayed private while others have been outspoken.

It is all a bit confusing, many of us were hoping for a trial, but the victims and families often do not come first- they are often lost in the drama.

IMO

I'm sure that it's been reported that the defense asked for the deal? I haven't time to look right now but it's been posted in here

 

[AngTxGal]

Now that the initial shock has worn off, I'm glad he's taking a plea.
He's not copping to lesser charges.
The only thing off the table is the death penalty.
He will never see the light of day outside prison.
No appeals.
No innocence projects.
The families don't have add to their suffering with trial, appeals, etc.
BF and DM won't have to testify.
Taxpayer money saved.

Once again I'm wishing SG would stop talking to the media. I understand his frustration. I would be fine handing him a baseball bat and letting him alone in a room with BK, but this is good. Some guilty people don't even get convicted.
moo

edited to add a line

It sure seems like the press is sharing a lot of details of this Plea Deal if the judge could reject it.
So it isn’t a done deal until he has appeared before the judge.

IMO

 

[Magic8Ball]

Now that the initial shock has worn off, I'm glad he's taking a plea.
He's not copping to lesser charges.
The only thing off the table is the death penalty.
He will never see the light of day outside prison.
No appeals.
No innocence projects.
The families don't have add to their suffering with trial, appeals, etc.
BF and DM won't have to testify.
Taxpayer money saved.

Once again I'm wishing SG would stop talking to the media. I understand his frustration. I would be fine handing him a baseball bat and letting him alone in a room with BK, but this is good. Some guilty people don't even get convicted.
moo

edited to add a line

BBM:

These two points specifically are why I think the plea deal is a positive outcome.

No appeals means no chance, zero, nada, none whatsoever, of BK drawing one single breath of sweet freedom ever again.

And it stifles the voices of all those Cluster B personality types who latch onto every slam-dunk case protesting the murderer's innocence despite the mountain of factual evidence proving their guilt.

JMO.

 

[heartandsoul]

There is no such thing as perfect justice this side of heaven.

What a profound saying, thank you.

I don’t think even firing the hypothetical bullet himself would be justice for SG, and why should it be? He loves his daughter fiercely, nothing will ever be acceptable for him.

I wish he, and all the families, the upmost peace and love.

 

[Seattle1]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1939862694015676782

 

[tlcya]

I am shocked. I feel for those victim family members who were blindsided by the deal but I do think this is a positive outcome. Justice looks different for everyone.

 

[oceanverde]

I hope in time the families that are not happy with this deal will see it for the positive thing it is.

 

[Justice101]

Best thing that happened in this case was that Dateline episode and other things that came out in the last month or so. Like the Door Dash driver. KB’s case was sinking fast. The pressure ramped up big time.
I wonder what the Kohberger Innocence Insisters have say now. Knowing he is guilty of killing four young people.

Those supporters are totally hopeless. They will still say he was railroaded into this plea agreement.

They never change their minds.

 

[Justice101]

I agree with others here. Some of the victim's families will be spared endless appeals. Some want the death penalty.

This is probably as good of an outcome as could be expected. Death penalty drags out forever

 

[Gemmie]

I don’t think he cares about his parents. If he did he wouldn’t have committed 4 murders just for fun.

IMO BK doesn't care about anyone but himself. That's been evident in both his actions and his own words. He didn't have respect nor empathy for the 4 lives he took or he wouldn't have taken them. And he didn't even respect his family prior to the murders IMO.

I had posted this earlier upthread. They are BK's own words, bolding my own:

Kohberger wrote in May 2011 that he has "depression, no interest in activity, constant thoughts of suicide, crazy thoughts, delusions of grandeur, anxiety, poor self image, poor social skills, NO EMOTION." The post concluded: "When I get home, I am mean to my family. This started when VS did. I felt no emotion and along with the depersonalization, I can say and do whatever I want with little remorse."

Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger wrote about 'delusions of grandeur' in online forum

Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger allegedly posted in an online forum years ago that he had "crazy thoughts" and "delusions of grandeur."

abc7.com

 

[Chloegirl]

Does anybody know what Sheriff's Return (Criminal) in the documents list means? Could this be evidence, for example like the knife? Is this the sign of cooperation, or did he provide evidence? A little baffling. JMOO

 

[PunishThenForgive]

Does anybody know what Sheriff's Return (Criminal) in the documents list means? Could this be evidence, for example like the knife? Is this the sign of cooperation, or did he provide evidence? A little baffling. JMOO

I asked about this yesterday when I saw it posted on the Case Summary page (before it was sealed).



Here’s @gremlin444’s response:

So, in general that means that the sheriff served a party or parties with legal documents (such as a summons or a complaint). The return is the sheriff is then filing with the court his written acknowledgement that he successfully served those documents.

 

[Dotta]

"Kaylee's father Steve Goncalves said Monday
he fears Kohberger will spend the rest of the agreed-on life sentence
capitalizing on his notoriety by writing a book,
or communicating with the outside world about what he did.

'We have a killer who wants a show,
and they just gave him one',
he said.

Goncalves' family attorney Shanon Gray told NBC News
that they realized the prospect of Kohberger actually being executed within the family's lifetime was slim
if he had been sentenced to death.

But Gray said
the Goncalves' had been comforted
by the far harsher routine Kohberger would have faced on death row.

'You're basically on lockdown for 23 hours',
she explained,
with inmates given one hour outdoor to exercise each day."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1940037815586214031