Guilty plea expected over US student murders

A 30-year-old man who is due to stand trial for the fatal stabbings of four roommates in a small Idaho college town will plead guilty as part of a deal with state prosecutors to avoid the death penalty, according to US media.

Latah County prosecutor's office refused to confirm to the BBC that a plea deal had been reached with Bryan Kohberger.

But relatives of one victim, Kaylee Goncalves, apparently confirmed the agreement on Facebook. "It's true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho," the post said. "They have failed us."

Ms Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen were knifed in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, days before Thanksgiving in 2022.

Mr Kohberger, who was a graduate criminology student at nearby Washington State University, is currently due to stand trial in August.

Also on Monday, a judge in the defendant's home state of Pennsylvania ruled that three people who knew him must travel to Idaho to testify for the defence.

Local media reported that a hearing for the plea deal was set for Wednesday. The BBC has contacted the defendant's legal team for comment.

Mr Kohberger is expected to plead guilty on all four murder charges and waive his rights to any future appeals, local media reported.

If accepted by a judge, the deal would reportedly see the defendant sentenced to life without the possibility of parole and prosecutors would not seek capital punishment.

"We cannot fathom the toll that this case has taken on your family," Moscow Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson told families in a letter, according to the Idaho Statesman newspaper, which said it had seen a copy.

"This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family.

"This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction appeals."

The defendant was arrested at his Pennsylvania family home weeks following the stabbings, after investigators said they found DNA evidence on a "leather knife sheath" at the crime scene. He was indicted by a grand jury in May 2023.

Court documents revealed police recovered a knife, a Glock pistol, black gloves, a black hat and a black face mask during a search of Mr Kohberger's family home.

His defence team questioned the accuracy of the DNA evidence and succeeded in its bid to move the trial location, after arguing their client would not receive a fair hearing from local jurors.

But they had failed to remove the death penalty as a sentencing option, after citing an autism diagnosis for Mr Kohberger.

Idaho is one of 27 US states that allows for capital punishment, but there have been no executions since 2012, according to a database by the Death Penalty Information Center.