Bryan Kohberger plea deal was best outcome: Lawyer

(NewsNation) — Former Idaho Attorney General David Leroy says he understands why some family members of Bryan Kohberger’s victims are upset that his quadruple murder trial was abruptly short-circuited by a plea deal, but he considers it the best possible outcome.

Under a plea deal a judge approved Wednesday, Kohberger admitted to killing four University of Idaho students — Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin — in 2022. The 30-year-old avoids the death penalty but will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Families of the victims are split about whether the resolution is just, but Leroy notes a potential jury conviction and capital sentence for Kohberger could have been appealed for years.

 “This particular settlement is not only agreeable to half of the victim families, but it’s also defensible and explicable in the community’s best interest,” Leroy, a criminal defense attorney, told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Wednesday.

He said it's understandable that two of the families hoped Kohberger might pay the ultimate price but added, “On balance, this is the best result, even for those families, though they may not currently know it.”

Kohberger is set to be sentenced July 23. Asked whether the judge could force Kohberger to offer reasons why he committed the murders, Leroy said that will be up to the defendant. He said the judge on Wednesday referenced a “written statement of his version of the facts” that Kohberger signed.

“At some point, that will become public,” Leroy said.

A purported written statement by Kohberger could not immediately be confirmed. A court-imposed gag order is currently in place, following leaks of information in the high-profile case.