Families of the victims in the murder trial of Bryan Kohberger are reeling as he prepares to accept a plea deal that would spare him from the death penalty. Kohberger is accused of stabbing to death four University of Idaho students in their off-campus housing. Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20 were all found stabbed to death in their Moscow, ID rental on the morning of November 13, 2022. Kohberger was arrested and charged with their murders on December 30 of that year after cellphone records showed him in the vicinity of the home where the murders occurred and Kohberger was found to follow some of the victims on Instagram. DNA evidence also linked Kohberger to the scene of the crime.

Kohberger’s legal team has tried to spare his life by arguing that the death penalty could not be applied due to Kohberger’s autism diagnosis and challenged the DNA evidence. With his trial set for next month, they resorted to seeking a plea deal with the prosecutors that would allow Kohberger to plea guilty and avoid death. Reactions from the victims’ families, however, are mixed. Madison Mogen’s father, Ben Mogen, said he was relieved. “We can actually put this behind us and not have these future dates and future things that we don’t want to have to be at, that we shouldn’t have to be at, that have to do with this terrible person,” he said. “We get to just think about the rest of our lives and have to try and figure out how to do it without Maddie and the rest of the kids.”

The family of Kaylee Goncalves, however, has slammed the plea deal. “We’ve believed in the process,” Kaylee’s sister, Aubrie, wrote on the family’s Facebook. “We’ve had faith in the system. But at this point, it is impossible not to acknowledge the truth: the system has failed these four innocent victims and their families…They are not just ‘The Idaho Four.’ They were sons, daughters, siblings, and friends—real people with real dreams. They deserve to be remembered for who they were in life, not only for the tragedy of their deaths. But before that can truly happen, they deserve justice. Nothing less.” The page also stated the family had been approached about a plea deal but that it had been “a hard no.” The family has pleaded with Judge Hippler to intervene in the case.

Crime author Jeff Guinn blasted the decision, saying that the deal only benefits Kohberger. “With no trial, he gets to keep certain secrets. The air of mystery and in some ways that gives him the upper hand,” he told The New York Post. This includes any possible motive in a case that has appeared as random as it is horrific. “If he decides he wants to make a public statement, he’s taking control through this deal because he’s still living, breathing and talking. As long he can talk, he’s got some control,” Guinn said. Kaylee Kohberger’s father, Steve, said the state of Idaho had failed them. Kohberger is expected to submit his plea July 2. In exchange for taking the death penalty of the table, Kohberger will sentenced to four consecutive life sentences and the maximum penalty of 10 years for a charge of burglary. He will most likely not be able to appeal.