Idaho Murders Prosecutor On How He Shielded Surviving Housemate At Bryan Kohberger Sentencing

At nan sentencing, she did not usage Kohberger's sanction successful nan unfortunate effect statement, but called him a "hollow vessel, thing little than human, a assemblage without empathy, without remorse."

Thompson told NBC News that of nan galore unanswered questions surrounding nan lawsuit stay a mystery, including why Kohberger near nan execution segment without harming either Mortensen aliases different housemate, Bethany Funke, whose unfortunate effect connection was publication successful tribunal by a friend.

"I'm judge location are theories," Thompson said. "Dylan had an angel watching complete her."

In nan aftermath of nan sentencing, nan Moscow Police Department released much than 300 documents from its investigative files, detailing really rule enforcement officials collected grounds against Kohberger, 30, successful nan murders of seniors Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, some 21; inferior Xana Kernodle, 20; and Kernodle's boyfriend, freshman Ethan Chapin, 20.

Prosecutors said they had DNA, cellphone use, online shopping history and surveillance video among nan grounds tying him to nan crime scene, though thing indicating that he knew his victims.

Kohberger, a erstwhile doctoral student successful criminal justness astatine adjacent Washington State University, pleaded blameworthy to nan quadruple execution and waived his correct to entreaty successful a woody that spared him a proceedings adjacent period and nan decease penalty.

Instead, a judge connected Wednesday sentenced him to 4 consecutive life sentences without parole positive a 10-year condemnation for burglary.

Prosecutor Bill Thompson.NBC News

Thompson, who had antecedently planned to discontinue but stayed connected to spot nan lawsuit through, has faced disapproval from immoderate of nan victims' families who wanted Kohberger to spell to proceedings and besides judge immoderate statement should person included nan suspect providing a motive for nan crime.

However, nan charismatic told NBC News that it wasn't his squad that brought up nan thought of a deal, but alternatively defense lawyers who approached him successful June, pinch only weeks earlier assemblage action was slated to begin.

"Up to that point, nan defense had maintained consistently that they believed their customer was factually guiltless of nan charges, truthful location was thing to discuss," Thompson said. "We were simply preparing for trial."

Kohberger's lead attorney, Anne Taylor, did not instantly respond to a petition for remark Friday. Her agency antecedently stated that it would not beryllium speaking pursuing nan sentencing, arsenic a sweeping gag bid that had agelong prevented rule enforcement and lawyers from making nationalist statements astir nan lawsuit had been earlier vacated.

Steve Goncalves, nan begetter of Kaylee, told reporters aft nan sentencing that nan authorities had made "a woody pinch nan devil" astir Kohberger.