BOISE, Idaho — More than two years after the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students shocked the rural community of Moscow, Idaho, the former criminal justice doctoral student charged in the murders is expected in court today to plead guilty in a deal to avoid the death penalty.

Bryan Kohberger agreed to the plea deal in the past few days, just weeks before his trial was to begin, after his attorneys tried but failed to have execution stricken as a possible punishment. The deal drew mixed reactions from the victims’ families, ranging from support to outrage that Kohberger would live.

“Bryan Kohberger facing a life in prison means he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world,” Aubrie Goncalves, the sister of victim Kaylee Goncalves, wrote in a Facebook post. “Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever.”

The small farming community of Moscow had not had a homicide in about five years when Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen were found dead at a rental home near campus on Nov. 13, 2022.

— The Associated Press