A man who murdered four University of Idaho students in November 2022 has been sentenced to life in prison – as the mother of one of his victims expressed her disappointment that he won’t be executed.

Bryan Kohberger, a 30-year-old former criminal justice student, initially denied the killings but later pleaded guilty as part of a deal that meant he would avoid the death penalty.

Kohberger sneaked into the rented home in Moscow, Idaho, which is not far from the university campus, through a kitchen sliding door and murdered Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.

Kohberger has never revealed his motive and it is not clear why he spared two roommates who were in the home.

Post-mortem examinations showed the four who died were stabbed multiple times and were likely asleep when they were attacked – with some sustaining defensive wounds.

Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania weeks after the killings following a nationwide search.

Judge Steven Hippler sentenced Kohberger to four life sentences without parole for four counts of first-degree murder today.

A ‘delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser’

Family members of the victims gave statements in court today ahead of the sentencing – with the murderer’s mother Maryann Kohberger in attendance for the hearing.

Ms Kohberger quietly wept at times as the other parents described their grief.

Ms Goncalves’ mother Kristi Goncalves said she was disappointed that Kohberger won’t be executed by firing squad but revelled in how he would suffer in prison.

“You will always be remembered as a loser, an absolute failure,” she said.

“Hell will be waiting,” she added.

Alivea Goncalves, the victim’s sister, drew applause after belittling Kohberger, who remained expressionless as she insulted him.

“You didn’t win, you just exposed yourself as the coward you are,” she said. “You’re a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser.”

Steve Goncalves, the victim’s father, spoke to Kohberger directly and said: “Today we are here to finish what you started.”

Kohberger nodded subtly in response.

Mr Goncalves added: “You tried to break our community apart, you tried to plant fear, you tried to divide us. You failed.”

In a statement read on her behalf by her lawyer, Ms Mogen’s mother Karen Laramie said: “Any one of us would have given our own life to have been outshone by hers.”

Ms Mogens’ mother declined to address Kohberger directly, as he remained expressionless, but closed her statement by saying the family might never forgive him or “ask for mercy” for what he did.

“His acts are too heinous,” her statement read.

Bethany Funke, who survived the attack, said about her roommates in a statement to the court: “I hated and still hate that they are gone, but for some reason, I am still here and I got to live. I still think about this every day. Why me? Why did I get to live, and not them?”

She described one of the victims, Ms Kernodle, as “one in a million. She was the life of the party”.

Much of her statement was devoted to remembering her four close friends who died – recounting the nights they spent binge-watching reality television, making dinner together, going to parties at their university and the love that they had for each other.

Her testimony reduced many at the hearing to tears.

Dylan Mortensen, the second surviving roommate, said in court that she has panic attacks that force her to relive the trauma of what she experienced.

She said: “I was too terrified to close my eyes, terrified that if I blinked, someone might be there. I made escape plans everywhere I went… “He may have shattered parts of me but I’m still putting myself back together piece by piece,”

Kohberger’s head bobbed slightly as she spoke.

The already infamous ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration detention centre in Florida has been compared to a “dog cage” amid concerns over conditions there.

Once destined to be the world’s largest airport, the facility has instead become a symbol of the White House’s determination to deport migrants from America which it says do not have a right to be in the country.

One detainee described feeling “in a state of torture” while a family member of another said “not even sunlight gets in”.

Supporters of President Donald Trump’s harsh stance on immigration have praised the new detention centre, in particular how natural obstacles in the surrounding Everglades such as alligators make escape difficult.

But for critics, it’s a dehumanising place that will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to run each year.

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“It’s like a dog cage,” says detainee Rafael Collado, speaking to reporters on Tuesday over the phone from inside the facility.

In the comments, reported by Sky News’ US sister outlet NBC News, he said that a combination of floodwater from recent storms, limited access to showers and poor sanitation have caused him to get fungus on his feet.

He said detainees are stripped naked every time they are moved to a different cell and there was not a set schedule for him to take his blood pressure medication.

At this point, he said he was being told by a guard to hang up and ended the call.

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Meanwhile, Mexico is seeking the repatriation of 14 nationals that are being held at the centre.

Mexican father Martin Gonzalez told local radio station W that his sons, Carlos and Alejandro, were now held in the detention centre.

“It’s really bad. The facility is completely closed, not even sunlight gets in,” Mr Gonzalez said. “The lights are on 24-7, so they don’t even know if it’s day or night.”

Another detainee, Juan Palma, spoke to NBC Miami from inside Alligator Alcatraz on Monday.

“I feel like my life is in danger,” Mr Palma, who is Cuban, said.

He described feeling “in a state of torture,” being swarmed by mosquitoes during his sleep and unable to tell night from day because the facility’s fluorescent lights are always on.

US government denies accusations

US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, denied all allegations of inhumane conditions at Alligator Alcatraz and at immigration detention centres across the nation.

She told NBC: “All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.

“Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority.”

The US and Japan have agreed a trade deal days ahead of the latest tariff deadline set by Donald Trump.

Under the terms of the agreement, rather than all Japanese goods being hit with a 24% tax on entry to the US, they will instead be subject to a 15% tariff.

Significantly, and unlike the US-UK deal, there is no cap on the number of Japanese cars subject to the agreed lower tariff. The levy on cars and car parts has been brought down from 25% to 15%, making it the first country to secure a reduction in the blanket 25% rate on vehicles.

Cars make up more than a quarter of all Japan’s exports to the US.

Japanese steel and aluminium are still subject to a 25% tariff.

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It’s just over a week until the 1 August pause on tariffs is due to end, itself a six-week extension to the 9 July 90-day freeze US President Trump announced in April.

It’s seen a win for all parties as Japan is a major trading partner of the world’s largest economy.

To make the deal happen, Japan agreed to a $550bn (£406bn) investment package of loans and guarantees from Japanese government-affiliated institutions in key sectors like pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.

Japan will also increase purchases of US agricultural products such as rice.

Market reaction

Markets welcomed the news.

In the US, the value of a dollar ticked up, and in Japan, the benchmark stock exchange, the Nikkei, gained sizably, and closed up more than 3.5%.

The index is comprised of many major carmakers, including Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Toyota, and Mitsubishi, which all rallied following the news.

Other Asian stock indexes closed up, including Korea’s Kospi, which rose nearly 0.44%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, which increased more than 1.6%, and Thailand’s SET index, which was up more than 2.3%.