Victims’ Families Confront Bryan Kohberger at Sentencing

July 23, 2025 — The families and friends of the four University of Idaho students murdered in 2022 gave emotional testimony during Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing. Kohberger, wearing an orange jumpsuit, remained silent as each victim’s representative addressed the court. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without parole.

Survivors Share the Emotional Toll

Bethany Funke, one of the surviving roommates, shared her statement through a friend. She recalled her panicked 911 call and the guilt that followed.

“I couldn’t get out the words,” she said. “I still tell them every night I will keep living for them.”

Funke said she wakes up several times every night and lives with constant anxiety.

Meanwhile, Dylan Mortensen, the second surviving roommate, spoke tearfully. She said Kohberger took away her ability to trust the world around her.

“I should’ve been figuring out who I was,” she said. “Instead, I had to learn how to survive the unimaginable.”

She now suffers regular panic attacks. Her body relives the trauma, heart pounding and mind racing. Mortensen told Kohberger directly:

“You’re something less than human, a body without empathy or remorse.”

Families Demand Closure and Justice

Kohberger was a criminology student at Washington State University when he murdered Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen. All four were stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.

Madison Mogen’s stepfather, Scott Laramie, supported the plea deal. He said:

“Evil does not deserve our time and attention. We are done being victims. We will take back our lives.”

Ben Mogen, Madison’s father, followed. Through tears, he read the last Father’s Day card she gave him. He described her as his greatest source of pride—the person who saved him during his darkest moments.

“When I didn’t want to live anymore, she kept me here,” he said.

Kohberger chose not to speak during the hearing. The courtroom, filled with grief and resolve, marked the end of one chapter and the beginning of healing for many.

Source: The Huff Post