(NewsNation) — NewsNation has learned a plea deal has been offered to Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, and he has accepted.
Sources confirm the prosecution has proposed dropping the death penalty in exchange for Kohberger pleading guilty to committing the murders and to a burglary charge.
NewsNation has learned Kohberger must also agree to spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole and must waive his right to appeal.
A court hearing for a change of plea will be Wednesday.
Kaylee Goncalves family reacts to Kohberger plea deal
In a statement on social media, the family of one of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves, said, “It’s true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected. We appreciate all your love and support. #heartbroken #kayleejade4ever”
Bryan Kohberger faces 4 murder charges connected to the killings
Kohberger, 30, a former graduate student in criminal justice at Washington State University, faces murder charges for the deaths of Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Ethan Chapin, who were killed at an off-campus house near the University of Idaho on Nov. 13, 2022. He had pleaded not guilty.
The students were found with fatal stab wounds in an off-campus rental home in the early morning hours.
Investigators believe the four students, thought to be sleeping at the time, were fatally stabbed between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. According to the coroner, there was no sign of sexual assault.
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Kaylee Goncalves -
This July 2022 photo provided by Jazzmin Kernodle shows University of Idaho students Xana Kernodle, right, and Ethan Chapin on a boat on Priest Lake, in Idaho. Both students were among four found stabbed to death in an off-campus rental home on Nov. 13. (Jazzmin Kernodle via AP) -
(@kayleegoncalves Instagram) -
In this photo provided by Stacy Chapin, Ethan Chapin surfs on Priest Lake in northern Idaho in this family snapshot from July 2022. Chapin was one of four University of Idaho students found stabbed to death in a home near the Moscow, Idaho campus on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. Police are still searching for a suspect in the case. (Stacy Chapin via AP) -
Bryan Kohberger, left, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, looks toward his attorney, public defender Anne Taylor, right, during a hearing in Latah County District Court, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool) -
Police released video of a traffic stop involving a man charged in connection with a quadruple murder in Idaho. (Hancock County Sheriff) -
FILE – Boise State University students, along with people who knew the four University of Idaho students who were found killed in Moscow, Idaho, days earlier, pay their respects at a vigil held in front of a statue on the Boise State campus, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, in Boise, Idaho. The arrest of Bryan Christopher Kohberger in the Nov. 13, 2022 fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students has brought relief to the small college town of Moscow, Idaho.(Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman via AP, File)
A little over a month after the killings, Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania on Dec. 30 and extradited to Idaho.
Court records showed that investigators identified Kohberger as the suspect through a combination of DNA evidence at the scene, cellphone records and the suspect’s white Hyundai Elantra.
The trial was scheduled to begin in August, with opening arguments expected Aug. 18.
