A 30-year-old man who is due to stand trial for the fatal stabbings of four roommates in a small Idaho college town will plead guilty as part of a deal with state prosecutors to avoid the death penalty, according to US media.
Latah County prosecutor’s office refused to confirm to the BBC that a plea deal had been reached with Bryan Kohberger.
But relatives of one victim, Kaylee Goncalves, apparently confirmed the agreement on Facebook. “It’s true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho,” the post said. “They have failed us.”
Ms Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen were killed in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, days before Thanksgiving in 2022.
Mr Kohberger, who was a graduate criminology student at nearby Washington State University at the time of the murders, was due to stand trial in August.
Also on Monday, a judge in the defendant’s home state of Pennsylvania ruled that three people who knew him must travel to Idaho to testify for the defence.
Mr Kohberger reportedly wrote letters recently to the families of the four murdered University of Idaho students.
Local media reported that a hearing for the plea deal was set for Wednesday.
Mr Kohberger was arrested at his Pennsylvania family home weeks after the stabbings after investigators said they found DNA evidence on a “leather knife sheath” at the crime scene. He was indicted by a grand jury in May 2023.
Court documents revealed police collected a knife, Glock pistol, black gloves, a black hat and a black face mask during a search of Mr Kohberger’s home.
His defence team questioned the accuracy of the DNA evidence and was successful in its bid to move the location of the trial, after arguing that their client would not receive a fair hearing from local jurors.
