Trump weighs in on upcoming Kohberger sentencing; wants judge to force killer to give motive

President Donald Trump wants an Idaho judge to force convicted killer Bryan Kohberger to “explain why” he committed the four home-invasion murders of four University of Idaho students.

“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,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Monday. “There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING. 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!”

Kohberger pleaded guilty earlier this month to four counts of first -degree murder in the deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, who were found stabbed to death in an off-campus Moscow home in November 2022. Kohberger, the 30-year-old former Washington State University criminology student, struck a plea deal with prosecutors that spared his life but will require him to spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. He waived any right to appeal.

Despite the public’s intense interest in the case, the Ada County judge presiding over the case cannot force Kohberger to give a motive.

Kohberger is allowed to make a statement during his scheduled Wednesday sentencing, but judges can’t compel a defendant to speak.

Even before Trump’s post, Ada County Judge Steven Hippler said during the plea hearing that the court was receiving phone calls to try and influence Hippler’s decision-making in the case.

It was disrupting staff and is also “highly inappropriate,” he said at the time.

For a judge to accept a guilty plea, the defendant must admit to the crimes on their own volition and with the proper understanding of what they are admitting to. At the time of Kohberger’s plea, he confirmed it was voluntary, in his best interest and that he was thinking clearly without the impairment of drugs and alcohol.

Kohberger will face the victims’ families on Wednesday in a Boise courtroom, where they are expected to make statements before the court about their loved ones. Two of the four victims’ families opposed the plea agreement, with the Goncalves family being the most outspoken .

The family said in a previous social media post that prosecutors “betrayed” the family and “robbed us of our day in court,” calling on Hippler to “make it right.”