President Donald Trump is calling for confessed Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger to publicly explain the motive behind the 2022 slayings of four college students before he is sentenced.
Kohberger, 30, admitted earlier this month to the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, but has not provided any explanation for the attack.
On Monday, Trump posted a statement on Truth Social expressing his disapproval of Kohberger’s plea bargain and demanding accountability.
He urged the judge overseeing the case to require Kohberger to give a full account of why he committed the murders before the sentencing hearing scheduled for this week.
“Bryan Kohberger, who was responsible, in Idaho, for the deaths of four wonderful young souls, has made a plea bargain deal in order to avoid the Death Penalty,” Trump wrote.
“These were vicious murders, with so many questions left unanswered.”
“While Life Imprisonment is tough, it’s certainly better than receiving the Death Penalty but, before Sentencing, I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders,” he added.
“There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING,” Trump continued.
“People were shocked that he was able to plea bargain, but the Judge should make him explain what happened. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The president’s statement came days after Kohberger formally pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, avoiding a capital trial.
Prosecutors agreed to drop the death penalty in exchange for a sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, Resist the Mainstream previously reported.
Kohberger also waived all rights to appeal.
The plea agreement, accepted just weeks before Kohberger’s trial was set to begin, concluded nearly two years of legal wrangling and investigations following the high-profile killings.
Court records and prosecutors outlined Kohberger’s actions the night of November 13, 2022.
Around 4 a.m., Kohberger broke into the student rental home located at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho.
He went upstairs to the third floor, where he fatally stabbed Madison Mogen and her best friend Kaylee Goncalves.
He then encountered Xana Kernodle on the second floor, who had just received a DoorDash delivery.
Kohberger attacked and killed her, then murdered her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, who was asleep in the room.
Prosecutors stated that Kohberger exited the home through a sliding glass door on the second floor, passing surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen, who had woken up and briefly opened her bedroom door.
The investigation revealed that Kohberger had planned the killings in advance.
He purchased a Ka-Bar knife and sheath online in March 2022.
In June of that year, he moved from his parents’ home in Pennsylvania to Pullman, Washington, where he enrolled in a PhD program in criminal justice at Washington State University.
Cell phone records showed that Kohberger’s device pinged near the victims’ residence multiple times between July and November 2022, suggesting that he may have surveilled the home or its occupants.
Kohberger was arrested six weeks after the killings, in December 2022, at his family’s home in Pennsylvania. DNA evidence, cell phone tracking and surveillance footage led law enforcement to identify him as the primary suspect.
He was extradited back to Idaho to face charges and initially pleaded not guilty.
For over 18 months, he maintained his innocence while preparing for trial. However, in early July 2025, he accepted a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
The sudden change in plea has drawn criticism, particularly from the victims’ families.
Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee, opposed the plea agreement and protested outside the Ada County Courthouse in Boise on July 2 during the plea change hearing.
He and other family members said they were still searching for answers and struggling to understand why the murders occurred.
Judge Steven Hippler, who is presiding over the case, lifted a wide-ranging gag order that had previously limited the release of information, but he did not immediately unseal all court records.
Despite the plea, the motive for the attack remains officially unknown.
Authorities have not uncovered any direct link between Kohberger and the victims.
Kohberger has not publicly provided a reason for the killings, and no explanation was given during the change of plea hearing.
The surviving families continue to seek justice and clarity.
The Goncalves family, in particular, has been vocal about their frustration, emphasizing that they deserve to know the “why” behind the tragedy.
