Voices for Voices®

Justice Denied: The Idaho Murders Plea Deal Controversy | Ep 269

• Founder of Voices for Voices®, Justin Alan Hayes • Season 4 • Episode 269

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Justice Denied: The Idaho Murders Plea Deal Controversy | Ep 269

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The Idaho quadruple homicide case takes a controversial turn as murder suspect Bryan Kohberger accepts a plea deal without meaningful consultation with victims' families. Families express feeling blindsided and betrayed by prosecutors who failed to include them in discussions about removing the death penalty from consideration.

• Four University of Idaho students—Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin—were murdered in November 2022
• Families learned about the plea deal through email with minimal advance notice
• Attorney for the Goncalves family states "the death penalty is merely an illusion in the criminal justice system"
• Victims' families were vehemently opposed to the plea arrangement
• The case highlights broader issues with how victims and their families are treated within the justice system
• Prosecutors should prioritize victims' voices rather than expedient case resolution
• More action is needed to support survivors of violent crimes and their families

If you can support our work advocating for victims, please donate to our 501(c)(3) non-profit charity at VoicesForVoices.org or find us on Venmo at @Voices4Voices. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible.

Chapter Markers

0:00 Show Introduction and Support Request

7:40 The Idaho Quadruple Homicide Case Background

14:40 The Shocking Plea Deal Development

19:20 Families' Reactions and Feeling Blindsided

24:40 How Victims Are Failed by System

32:00 Call to Action for Better Victim Support

#IdahoMurders #JusticeDenied #PleaDealControversy #TrueCrimeStory #CriminalJusticeReform #UnsolvedMysteries #LegalSystemDebate #CrimeDocumentary #VictimAdvocacy #ColdCaseFiles #MurderTrialInsights #ForensicEvidenceAnalysis #PublicReactionToJustice #IdahoCrimeNews #CourtroomDrama #TikTok #Instagram #VoicesforVoices #VoicesforVoicesPodcast #JustinAlanHayes #JustinHayes #help3billion

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Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Hi everyone. Welcome again to another episode of the Voices for Voices TV show and podcast. I'm your host. Founder of Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes, are powerful, invigorating, inspiring and share voices of individuals just like you. Thank you for being with us and sharing this moment with us. If you can do us a big favor, give us a big thumbs up like share, follow, subscribe All those things are free to do and we would greatly appreciate if you would be able to help us out. That way, you're able to monetarily help us out. We are a 501c3 non-profit charity. Voices for voices is, and so your donation is 100 tax deductible and you can do that by heading over to voicesforvoices. org or you can go to Venmo and find us at voices4voices. Thank you so much. Thank you for being with us. We have a great show.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

I did talk about some well, I guess a large current event that there's been some movement on. We've been tracking and following and we were just made aware of some changes to the actual story itself. On November 13th, there were college students that were staying and that they were attending University of Idaho and they were coming home from where they had been earlier that night ordered. One of the students ordered some food and after that there was a quadruple before a quadruple homicide murder before students were tragically murdered. And those are the names are Madison Mogan, she was 21 years old, haley Gonsalves, she was 21 years old, zana Zana Cernodal, she was 20 years old, and Ethan Chapin, he was 20 years old, and so this happened. You know the estimates were around 4 am, that this that these crimes were perpetrated, and so since then there's been a lot of controversy. One is the home where these students were living and staying was demolished, which I'm learning through different sources and individuals that sometimes juries will go on what they call a jury view or a crime scene view, where the jurors will head to where the crime has allegedly occurred crime has allegedly occurred so they can see the scene, tell distances, see different angles.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Were there steps? If there was, where were they at? And where was Madison at? Where was Kaylee? Where was Zaina? Where was Ethan at? Where was Kaylee? Where was Zaina? Where was Ethan? Where were their bedrooms?

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

And so that happened a while back, where the home was demolished, so there was going to be no jury view possible of that resident, and so there's a lot of people that thought that was not maybe the best idea, the best thing to do. There have also been reports where the families of the four University of Idaho students that were tragically taken from us that their families weren't being briefed or given information about how the case is going and how they could help, and so that left a lot of uneasiness with family members because they want to share their perspectives and have an idea of what's happening and when. And I get it, and I get it. I get it For security and to try to keep things close to the vest so they don't get out publicly before a court hearing that's going to discuss. So there is that that happened and has been happening, so that house, the mall family not really being kept in the loop, or if there's any information that they felt or feel that was important, that they weren't given the proper channels and the ways to meet with authorities. And then we get to what broke last night or, depending on where you live, last night or this morning, and the trial. An individual named Brian Koberger was arrested through DNA that was collected at his parents' house in Pennsylvania and then used the genealogy database, and so that happened, and that DNA traced back to a K-bar knife sheath, that there was a fingerprint on the snap of that and that was left near one of the tragically taken students, and so that matched with the DNA, and so Mr Koberger was arrested, was arrested and and then taken, you know, taken taken back to Idaho where he he was to stand trial, and the trial was scheduled to begin next month, in August. So very close, right? We just turned the calendar page yesterday or this morning. Now we're in the month of July, we have Independence Day coming up on Friday, and so August, obviously, is right around the corner.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Mr Brooke Koberger is 30 years old, the victims 21, 21, 20 and 20, age wise, and so this home invasion with authorities unraveled, and their theory was that Mr Kober was the individual who perpetrated these crimes. So where are we at today? He was going to be facing a death penalty, going through with the trial and was found guilty. Then the death penalty was on the table as an option for one of the penalties. Well, the big shocker that's come through is that Mr Kober has agreed to a plea deal, and this is and has caught the families of Madison, kaylee, zaina and Ethan. They were not privy to the conversations about the plea deal. They were against the plea deal. They wanted this to go to trial, they wanted Mr Kober to have that opportunity to face the death penalty and to have that as his sentence. And so, yeah, a plea deal was reached between the Idaho student murder suspect, brian Koberger and the DA the district attorney's office really and it spares his life.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

And you know the families come out in quote from a Fox News contributor and former Washington DC homicide detective who has been following the case. Ted Williams says in quote those families have been victimized by the very prosecutor who should have had their back end quote after this news became public, saying that they had been quote vaguely, end quote approached on Friday about the possibility of a deal, but they were blindsided by the fact that it was actually. It was done Apparently, on Sunday was when all this went down, and then obviously it takes some time to make it public. And Shannon Gray, who is an attorney for the Gonzalez family, says, quote the death penalty is merely an illusion in the criminal justice system. When available, it serves as a bargaining tool for the state or district attorney and when rarely applied, it's never enforced due to a highly inefficient appellate process. End quote, beginning in quote again from attorney Shannon Gray for the Gonzalez family.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Begin, quote the notion that someone can plead guilty to a crime and still face years of appellate appeals to say, well, this was appealing because this was handled incorrectly and so those take quite a long time, did this? According to Attorney Shan Gray, the appellate delays reveal a systemic failure. End quote and then quote we weren't even called about the plea. We received an email with a letter attached and the statement continued that's how Latah County's prosecutor's office treats murder victim families. Adding insult to injury, they're rushing the plea, giving families just one day to coordinate and appear at the courthouse for a plea on July 2nd, just tomorrow. The Gonsalves parents live more than seven hours away from this location in Rathdrum, and the hearing's going to be held on Wednesday, so tomorrow in Boise, idaho, after Koberger, prior to this plea deal, successfully argued for a change of venue and you know members, again another one of the students that was tragically taken from us, zana Cronodal's family. They also had some strong words about the plea deal. Her aunt, kim Cronodal, told TMZ that the relatives were vehemently opposed to the idea, that the relatives were vehemently opposed to the idea, when Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson's office first raised it over the weekend.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

It's a little bit about the crime. All four were stabbed multiple times with a large knife. We talked about this particular knife, a K-bar, so a K-A-B-A-R knife sheath, so where the knife goes in. And the sword had Koberger's DNA and it was near Madison Mogan's body. And Koberger. A little bit about him, his background he was studying for a PhD in criminology at neighboring state Washington State University in Pullman, washington, and that's just about 10 minutes up the road from Moscow, idaho, where the victims were undergraduates at the University of Idaho.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

So this is a development in a very high profile case. A development in a very high profile case. It highlights an area that we, as an organization that we talk about, that we represent, we try to help get their voices out there the victim. So the four victims you know they've tragically passed. We believe they're in heaven, and so every day, the family of all four have to relive the crime, the details, the way social media is, the way different shows are podcasts, maybe some. The way social media is, the way different shows are podcasts, maybe some not nice comments directed towards them. And so these are victims. The four main victims are in heaven, but those aren't the only victims. The family are also victims.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

And to see and hear how one could say they were unfairly treated or were not included in these plebeial discussions. As far as, hey, we're not included in these political discussions, as far as, hey, we're going to talk about it today and then tomorrow a decision is going to be made and, as was mentioned, we're going to find out by an email or a news, a media report or social media. Something has to change Across the board for victims, all victims. This just highlights it because it's a high-profile case and there wasn't the support that one would think would be there for families of victims and victims themselves of losing a loved one tragically, unexpectedly, at the hands of another, allegedly Mr Kober. And then we have across the board, where we talk about human trafficking as another example, we have victims, victims who have endured, one could argue, from inhumane conditions, inhumane treatment, derogatory terms spoken to them, and then, if they are lucky enough, because not all human trafficking victims get away, they do get away. The support that should be there from the community for survivors of human trafficking, of survivors of family members that are tragically taken of other types of sexual abuse that, more more often than not.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

This is my opinion. What it seems like is the people or individuals who do these crimes are involved with these crimes, involved with the human trafficking that are involved with in this, involved with the human trafficking that are involved with, in this case, mr Koberger allegedly being the perpetrator and responsible for the quadruple murder of the University of Idaho, four students in Moscow, idaho. And so for families not to be included in those discussions and to understand, to have that understanding of we're just about ready to present this, or we're just about ready to present this, or we're just about ready to accept it. Mr Kober pleads guilty. He spends the rest of his life behind bars.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Some can argue that it's better because it's less money that the state of Idaho will spend on Mr Koberger versus all the appeals and all that that comes with. You know, somebody, that if they are convicted of, you know and sentenced to to the death penalty, that that doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't happen, not even close to overnight. And so there's that side of things where people, some people, may have comments about that, and again they're allowed to have their comments, their opinions. So are we?

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

I think it's time for us as a nation, the United States of America to not just offer empty words of support. Empty words of support, empty words of helping. It's time for action on people, individuals, humans of the United States of America and, I would hope, across the world, the authorities and people that are maybe in the legal profession. We need to do better. If we look at it the opposite way, let's say an attorney hypothetically has their child tragically taken, you don't think that that attorney is going to do everything, turn over every stone, try for justice. You're darn right, they would. So why don't we do this for other people, the regular people that we don't know their name as much, they're not as high profile or they don't have the the deep pocket that you know the other side has and or oh, I'm connected to them and sorry, I can't help, but let me refer you to somebody, and then that somebody says the same thing, and then it just becomes the hamster on the wheel, just chasing and chasing and chasing and have a heck of a time to find.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Find people that are willing to take a stand to support victims who are unruly treated, who are going to interact with families, like the four students from Idaho that were tragically taken, their families that they're going to be interacting in the. If there's a plea deal on the table and the family says no and they say no and they say no, they say no and they say no, they say no, then the prosecutor, the DA, whoever's prosecuting that case, needs not just to hear them, not just to hear what they say, but to put that into action and say you know what I know this individual, we could be done with this. Today you can sign these papers and abracadabra and then it's taken care of. No, these families deserve more, these victims who have to live each and every day without their loved ones. Loved ones have to be reminded of the crime that this individual was allegedly perpetrated and, given that he admitted that he's guilty, so he wouldn't have to have the option of a death penalty if a jury found him guilty. So he's basically admitting that he's the one responsible. And so the judge, the DA, the attorney, prosecutor can refuse that plea, can refuse that plea and say, after further consideration with families, we've decided to rescind this plea agreement. And I mean, that's their job, that's the prosecutor's job, that's how they get paid. They get paid for the tax money of that state and those four students, while maybe they weren't living and growing up in Idaho. I guarantee the tuition and all that. I guarantee that some of that money went for taxes to the state, to which got returned and is in part paying for these district attorneys, prosecuting attorneys who are are saying he's admitting he's guilty.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

We really don't want to go through the trial. He might be found not guilty and we could have had him, mr Kober, admit to his crimes and he would avoid the death penalty and he would be sentenced for the rest of his life in prison. Without the bill, without parole, the opportunity for Pearl. So we can do something, voices for Voices. That's why we're doing this show actually is to highlight victims, people that have been taken advantage of first in one way or another sexual abuse, human traffic, family member murder, taken from us too soon in a tragic manner. Somebody died at the hands of another in this case, mr Koberger.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

It's time for the movement, it's time to stand up, time to step out of the shadows. It's time for prosecutors to step up to the plate and prosecute these cases and do your job, do your job, do your job, do your job, do your job. And so we're failed. The state of Idaho, the prosecutor on this case has failed the family and has failed the four students that were tragically murdered. And there's other cases where somebody is a high profile individual. They take advantage, they use their power, their influence and then, voila, nobody will take that victim's case. It's time for things to change. It's time it's the year 2025. It's not 1965. The year is 19. The year is not 1965. The year is 2025. In fact, with us being on July 1st, not 1965. The year is 2025. In fact, with us being on July 1st, we're one day closer to the year 2026 than we were yesterday, and so we ask for support of all kinds for all survivors.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Whether it's a high-profile individual who has been suspected of this abuse, these crimes, it shouldn't matter, right? We were told. Nobody's above the law, right? That's what we were told. With President Trump, nobody's above the law, right? That's what we were told. With President Trump, nobody's above the law. And so he had to go through many courtrooms prior to the re-election and whether you like him or not, whether you voted for him or not, it doesn't matter. What matters is this premise of nobody is above the law. So Mr Kober is not above the law. He should be prosecuted as such, as the family, especially being so vehemently against this plea deal, prosecutors should prosecute.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

It's a high profile individual, a celebrity, a former ball player, current ball player, somebody that has deep pockets and you know, tries to get things you know quieted down and again have these plea deals and have things just go away. So it's time, it's past time. Let's do this. We can do this all together. Do you have the ability to help? Help, not just talk. Help, not just sit on the phone or stand on the phone and listen and agree and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. That's what it amounts to.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

If you're not willing to take action, if you're not willing to take action, you should find another profession, because we need people who are going to take action, who are going to do their job, who are going to fight for survivors. You're not just letting the survivors down, you're letting all humanity down. You're causing people to stay in the shadows, to be afraid to come out and talk and share their story, to, uh, put a police report together and and to you know, hypothetically, have those police reports disappear and an investigation not done. And if that's you, if that's anyone at their job, find another profession, please, if you're not willing to stand up for the little person, you're not willing to do your job and help David versus Goliath, if you're not willing to bring the families who have been tragically affected in this quadruple homicide in Idaho, if you're not willing to go the distance, find another profession, please, please, I promise you there's more people, if given the opportunity, will gladly take your place and gladly enforce the law, gladly take information and feedback from families that will gladly represent, at reduced or no cost, for a person that's been abused, doesn't matter how they've been abused. If they've been abused and they're a survivor, stand with them, stand behind them, but then also stand with them. Be their voice Like Voices, for Voices is for so many here in the United States and across the world.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Please step up to the plate, please do your job because, as I mentioned, if you were on the flip side of that and it's your family member or it's you that were abused and not a damn thing is being done, you're going to be expressing yourself any and every opportunity you can till somebody will listen. So if you have somebody that you're talking to who is going through that or has gone through that, you can be their voice. Who is going through that or has gone through that. You can be their voice. You can share verbally and legally what survivors may not be able to. So thank you so much for joining us on this episode. We tackle tough topics. We tackle yeah, we tackle tough topics and we bring the information to you, the people. Thank you, god bless America, god bless the world and God bless America. God bless the world and God bless every human, past, present, future, on earth or in heaven.

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