Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students in July 2025, receiving four consecutive life sentences without parole, but the motive remains unknown as he has not publicly explained his actions.
Two Weapons Claim
A recently unsealed court filing highlights forensic criminologist Dr. Brent Tarvey’s analysis of Kaylee Goncalves’s autopsy, noting she suffered wounds from two different weapons and multiple lethal force types, suggesting at least two attackers to the defense. Prosecutors countered that one person—like Kohberger—could wield multiple weapons, rejecting the multiple-killer theory without disputing the dual-weapon finding.
Case Context
Kohberger confessed in court after a plea deal avoided the death penalty, with evidence including a knife sheath bearing his DNA left at the scene near Madison Mogen’s body. Autopsies showed Goncalves with at least 38 stab wounds, though exact weapon details beyond the primary fixed-blade knife (never recovered) are unconfirmed publicly. Goncalves’s parents first mentioned a second weapon post-plea, marking Tarvey’s report as the first expert statement on it.
