Bryan Kohberger's Signed Confession Revealed Following Guilty Plea to Idaho Murders

Bryan Kohberger admitted to the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students in a signed confession — but offered no explanation for the brutal home invasion that shattered a college town 11 days before Thanksgiving.

The former criminology student, 30, signed a written factual basis document, which states that he is willing to “hereby admit responsibility” for the deaths of his four victims, who were all brutally stabbed to death on Nov. 13, 2022.

He also admits that the “killing and murder” of his victims was “willful, unlawful, deliberate, with premeditation and with malice afterthought” in the factual basis — a copy of which was obtained by PEOPLE and can be seen below.

This was the first time Kohberger took responsibility for the murders, which he verbally confessed to in court the next day after signing both the factual basis and plea agreement.

On July 2, Kohberger appeared in a Boise courtroom where he confessed to killing those four students: Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.

He stood in front of the court and told the judge he was entering a guilty plea because he was guilty before confessing to the murder of each of his four victims.

In addition to the four murder counts, Kohberger also pleaded guilty to a burglary charge.

The plea deal outlined by prosecutors recommends that Kohberger serve four consecutive life sentences for the murder charges and an additional 10 years for the burglary charge.

In exchange for all that, prosecutors agreed they would not recommend Kohberger be sentenced to death for his crimes.

The deal also states that Kohberger will be unable to appeal, and because he is serving “fixed” life sentences, he would never be eligible for parole.

Now, it is up to the judge to accept the deal, which he is not required to do by law.

Had Kohberger not entered a guilty plea on July 2, the case would have proceeded to trial as scheduled on August 18 and the death penalty would once again be an option, if the jury convicted the defendant on any of the four murder charges.

Kohberger’s lawyer Anne Taylor approached prosecutors about the possible plea deal last week. He then signed the deal on June 30, but not yet the confession.

Kohberger had to cross out June in the signature portion of his written factual basis and write in “July” when he signed the document last week, meaning he signed the plea agreement before his deal was announced but not his confession.

Kohberger is now in Ada County Jail awaiting his July 23 sentencing hearing, after which he will undergo two weeks of evaluations and assessments to determine where he will be placed in the Idaho prison system.