Image source, Kyle Green/Pool via REUTERS

The courtroom has cleared out after an emotional day. Bryan Kohberger, who stabbed four Idaho college students to death in 2022, has been jailed for life without parole.

• Kohberger was handed four life sentences, one for each student he killed, plus 10 years for burglary. The judge also ordered he pay the family of each victim $55,000 (£40,500)
• Kohberger was mostly expressionless and refused to speak in court. When the judge gave him the opportunity, he said "I respectfully decline"
• Who we did hear from were the loves ones of the deceased. Parents, siblings, grandparents and friends addressed Kohberger directly in their statements. "Nobody cares about you," one of the fathers said. "In this moment, we will forget you"
• The judge, who was seen wiping away tears during the family statements, called the defendant the "worst of the worst" before handing down his sentencing
• Investigators say there is still no apparent motive for his brutal crimes

We're finishing our live coverage, but you can read our article about the day here:

• Bryan Kohberger gets four life sentences for murdering Idaho college students

Madeline Halpert
US reporter

Image source, REUTERS/Mark Makela

Behind the scenes, as online sleuths tried to crack the Idaho case, official investigators were combing through thousands of tips from the public, cell phone records and video surveillance.

Several pieces of evidence helped them eventually piece together the puzzle.

A white Hyundai Elantra car filmed near the scene of the crime matched Kohberger's vehicle.

Cell phone records put the 30-year-old near the Moscow off-campus home at the time of the murders, and suggested he drove by the house repeatedly before - as well as hours after - the crime.

Perhaps the most important piece of evidence came from a key item Kohberger left behind - a knife sheath with DNA that matched a sample taken from trash at Kohberger's family home in Pennsylvania, where officials would finally track him down during his holiday break.

Bryan Kohberger has received four life sentences for the murders of four students in a killing spree in their Idaho college home in 2022.

Family members of the victims gave emotional testimony during the court hearing - with the judge commending their bravery and saying he was in "awe" of their courage.

• During the victim impact statements, Madison Mogen's stepfather told the court his daughter was taken senselessly and brutally - adding that no words could capture the devastation of the family's loss
• Kaylee Goncalves' father Steve told Kohberger everyone was united in "disgust" for him - criticising the plea deal that was made as a "deal with the devil"
• Also addressing Kohberger, Xana Kernodle's sister tells him "this moment isn't about you", underlining it was instead about "justice" for the four who were killed
• Kohberger himself declined the opportunity to address the court - a decision which prompted a cry of "coward" from those watching from the public gallery
• Summing up, Judge Steven Hippler echoed the term "coward" saying Kohberger "senselessly slaughtered" the four victims
• He told Kohberger that he would remain in jail until he dies as he handed him four life sentences in addition to civil penalties for each victim

The news conference has ended with a final question about Kohberger's education. He studied criminology, which has become a point of interest for many.

Asked more about this, investigators say his course involved looking at crime scenes, but the killer's academic work did not provide evidence of planning the murders.

Speaking now about Kohberger's background, an investigator says that, while many details about his youth are sealed by the court, his education led him down a path focused on "forensics, crime scenes, that sort of thing".

Prosecutor Bill Thompson adds that there was "no evidence" of either any criminal history, history of violence or a predisposition to commit these crimes.

Addressing any concerns there might be that he was a "serial killer in waiting", Thompson says "we are not aware of any behaviours like that".

Asked about Kohberger's arrest in Pennsylvania after a six week manhunt, investigators say when they first interviewed him it was on a "surface level".

But after officers tried to speak to him in more detail, they say Kohberger shut down and refused to talk.

They say he was calm, relaxed, and emotionless - very similar to his demeanour in court today.

Asked now whether the defendant followed any of the victims on social media - investigators explain that have looked for a link but not found one.

They say they used "every resource possible" and worked that "tirelessly".

"We have never to this day found a single connection" between Kohberger and any of the four victims or two surviving roommates, they say.

Bill Thompson is asked about potential motives of the killer.

He recalls earlier statements made by Judge Hippler during sentencing that Kohberger cannot be compelled to say why he did it.

Thompson says even if Kohberger did say something, he doesn't think anything that comes out of his mouth would even be the truth.

When asked if they have a motive, investigators simply shake their heads. "We don't," one says.

District Attorney Bill Thompson says his voice was quivering in the courtroom.

He adds that it was an emotional day, and maybe his filters aren't as good as they used to be, and that even the judge was affected.

"There's no easy way to remain stiff lipped and dry eyed through this kind of tragedy," he said.

Image source, MOSCOW POLICE DEPARTMENT

Asked now whether it's possible a second weapon was used in the attack, an investigator says "all the evidence" shows that a Ka-Bar knife was used.

Police believe he used that to commit all the murders, he adds.

Questions are now being fielded to authorities - the first centres on whether police will release more information.

Chief of Moscow Police Department Anthony Dahlinger says: "The immense amount of information in this investigation is going to take a lot of time to prepare.

"It sounds like our website will be going live this afternoon."

Dahlinger says his office will release his police department's records in the investigation, to be "as transparent as we possibly can".

Investigators then take a question as to whether there was a reason as to why this particular house was chosen.

"For whatever reason, Kohberger chose that residence," the investigator says - adding they do not know why.

Image source, MOSCOW POLICE DEPARTMENT

Salt Lake City FBI agent Brett Grover is now speaking, offering his condolences to the families of the victims and sharing a bit about the investigation.

"The culmination of this case was a long time coming and we hope the victims' families and friends have some sense of peace in knowing that Bryan Kohberger is being held responsible and accountable for his heinous actions," he said.

He said the FBI dedicated significant resources to forensic analysis on this case, specifically when it came to genetics and DNA.

Col Bill Gardner on behalf of Idaho State Police is now speaking, noting that families have "carried a burden no one should have to bear".

He highlights the involvement of Pennsylvania State Police, who helped to arrest Kohberger.

Idaho Governor Brad Little also helped by "providing funding to ensure the job was done right", Col Gardner adds.

"In this horrific case I am proud of the work that was done," Col Gardner says as he passes the podium over to the FBI's Brett Grover.

We're now hearing from the chief of police at Moscow police department Anthony Dahlinger, who is addressing the media.

He starts by acknowledging the sentencing doesn't mean the grief of friends and families will end.

The losses are "permanent", he says, and the pain "remains".

He expresses gratitude for their "strength" and "resilience".

He adds that the investigation was one of the most complex and high profile in the state's history and pays tribute to an "extraordinary" level of collaboration between teams.

He also credits those who worked on the case for their level of professionalism, while saying the community's role was "invaluable".

Image source, Reuters

We're now hearing some comments from family members of the victims outside court.

Kaylee Goncalves' brother, Steven, starts by criticising the plea deal and the system more widely.

"Despite the magnitude and brutality of the crime, the prosecution chose to accept a plea deal behind closed doors."

He says the family learnt the case had been finalised via a deal from the prosecution team "not in person, not with warning, not with respect".

He adds that the sentence "fails to reflect the severity of the act", saying the families have been "left out" and "unheard".

"Our family was never given a fair chance at justice," he says.

He finishes by saying he will never stop being Kaylee's brother.

• As a reminder, Bryan Kohberger agreed to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Madeline Halpert
US Reporter

It's a question that has consumed this case since Kohberger was arrested over six weeks after four Idaho college students were murdered in the night in November 2022. Why would the criminology doctorate student drive to another campus a state over to stab four students to whom he had no known connections?

With Kohberger's decision not to speak in court today, family members and friends of the victims may never know. Many reportedly muttered "coward" in court after Kohberger said he "respectfully declined" to give a statement, the only words he spoke in court.

During the hearing, one relative appealed directly to him for answers. Kim Kernodle, the aunt of Xana, told Kohberger that she had worked to forgive him.

"Any time you want to talk, I'm here for you," she said. "I have questions."

Family and friends of the victims may get more details now that a gag order has been lifted in the case, meaning the judge will at some point unseal documents and those who worked on the case are allowed to speak to the public.

But admitting he had questions himself, Judge Steven Hippler acknowledged many would likely be left unsatisfied.

He said it no longer made sense to be "dependent on the defendant" to give them a reason for his crimes.

"By continuing to focus on why, we continue to give Mr Kohberger relevance," he said.

Image source, Reuters

In Washington, President Donald Trump's Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reads out a statement from the White House addressed to the families of the victims.

"We are so sorry for the grief and pain you have experienced at the hands of such a vicious and evil killer," she says. "Our nation grieves with you."

"If it were up to the president, he would have forced this monster to publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls," she adds.

Before handing down the sentence, Judge Steven Hippler, addressed the mysteries that still surrounded the murders, and the motive.

He said we know for certain who committed "these acts of evil", but what we don't know and what we "may never know is why".

He said he shares this desire to want to know why - but to continue focusing on it is to give Kohberger "relevance".

The need to know why, he said, makes people "dependant on the defendant to provide us a reason", giving him the attention he craves.

"How can anyone ever be assured that what he speaks is the truth?" he asked the court.

The judge said he hopes no media will stoop low enough to giving Kohberger the spotlight, but says criminologists should study him out of the spotlight.

He finished by saying it was time to end Kohberger's "15 minutes of fame".

Judge Steven Hippler says Kohberger will be remanded into the custody of the Idaho State Department of Corrections "where he will remain until he dies".

The judge concludes by thanking the victims of the families for their stories which he says have strengthened and encouraged him.

He then adjourns the court.

While the judge handed down his sentence, Kohberger remained seated with his eyes trained on the bench.

His arms were in his lap and he showed no visible emotion as he was given life sentences for each of the four murders.

Court has now adjourned. Stay with us as we bring you reaction to the sentence.