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In this case I don't see how an insanity defence would help him even if that was an option. He is not diagnosed with any mental illness. And by all accounts he is mentally alert and knows what he is doing. He is an idiot, but he is not mentally incompetent.
I really don't see any possible defence for him. If anyone is expecting to see a big trial with him trying to prove his innocence, I think they will be disappointed.
I expect he will plead guilty to avoid the death penalty and he will get four consecutive life sentences plus an additional 10 years for burglary. Which will save the cost of a trial and spare witnesses having to testify.
I don't think there will be any plea bargain to avoid the DP. Too much notoriety in this state and if found guilty of even one of the killings, the premeditation aspect will mean the prosecution will go for the DP. IMHO, he is guilty, guilty, guilty
With 4 people dead, I doubt the state will bargain very much. The state may accept a plea deal of life with no parole, just to spare the families some grief, but I'm sure they will take the families' thoughts more seriously than all others.
So if one of the families wants a death sentence and nothing less, I can see the state going for it, especially if their evidence is sound and solid.
There have been some other mass murderers in Idaho's recent past. One was executed and the other died from cancer while awaiting execution.
That's the way it goes here; heinous murders are rarely commuted to a lighter sentence, but it has happened a few times when the evidence was sketchy.
I don't think there will be any plea bargain to avoid the DP. Too much notoriety in this state and if found guilty of even one of the killings, the premeditation aspect will mean the prosecution will go for the DP. IMHO, he is guilty, guilty, guilty
Three reasons that is unlikely to happen.
1. Idaho doesn’t currently have any resources to carry out an execution. So a death sentence would in effect be a life sentence anyway. A death sentence would just be a waste of time and taxpayer money.
2. Having to testify would traumatize the witnesses/victims more than they already have been, and their testimony might be less than useful due to the trauma they have already suffered.
3. Kohburger has absolutely no possible defense for his crimes. The best he can possibly hope for is to spend the rest of his life in prison. So it’s in the best interest of both the prosecution and the defense to work out a plea deal.
With 4 people dead, I doubt the state will bargain very much. The state may accept a plea deal of life with no parole, just to spare the families some grief, but I'm sure they will take the families' thoughts more seriously than all others.
So if one of the families wants a death sentence and nothing less, I can see the state going for it, especially if their evidence is sound and solid.
There have been some other mass murderers in Idaho's recent past. One was executed and the other died from cancer while awaiting execution.
That's the way it goes here; heinous murders are rarely commuted to a lighter sentence, but it has happened a few times when the evidence was sketchy.
I don’t foresee that happening. I doubt that the prosecution would traumatize other victims/witnesses to appease one family.
The last person executed in Idaho was over 10 years ago. A lot has changed since then.
The Daybed/Vallow trial will be coming in April.
That trial will give us some clues as what we could expect will happen with this case.
I don't believe there will be much witness trauma in the trial; there is only one eyewitness, and she's already given her testimony once now. I doubt it would be harder for her the second time, but that's just my opinion.
The normal course of a death sentence is they all take about 20 years before there's an execution. That's plenty of time to change the execution method, which is sure to be changed anyway as it has become so problematic.
The Daybed/Vallow trial will be coming in April.
That trial will give us some clues as what we could expect will happen with this case.
I don't believe there will be much witness trauma in the trial; there is only one eyewitness, and she's already given her testimony once now. I doubt it would be harder for her the second time, but that's just my opinion.
The normal course of a death sentence is they all take about 20 years before there's an execution. That's plenty of time to change the execution method, which is sure to be changed anyway as it has become so problematic.
She has not given testimony. Nobody has given testimony or will give testimony until the trial starts. Also from what little we have heard about her, her credibility sounds incredibly horrible. This is a woman who couldn't even call 911 to report a major crime. Yet, you expect her to provide credible testimony to convict him? That is just not likely to happen. Fortunately with a plea deal, she won't have to testify, except maybe at his sentencing.
I was very saddened to learn Kaylee Concalves died from the worst kind of bad luck possible.
Kaylee had completed her degree work early, probably by living in that house over the summer semester and attending college then, while continuing to work at the Greek restaurant downtown. By November, she had already cleaned out her room, packed it all up, and moved back into her parent's house 100 miles away.
According to her family, Kaylee went back down to Moscow to show off her newly-purchased Land Rover to her BFF, Maddy Mogen. And since the weekend was the U of I's last home game of the season, probably to go have a last big party with her sorority sisters and her former house-mates before she left Idaho for Texas.
From what I've gathered, Kaylee was aware she was being stalked by the end of the spring semester.
I think it could have played a part in her decisioasn to finish her degree as quickly as possible, as moving back to her home, where she had the protection of 3 brothers and her father, along with the distance from Moscow, would make her feel more secure.
But knowing her house would have 4 other girls and 1 big athletic strong guy there over the weekend probably made her feel like the last big weekend in Moscow would still be safe enough. I think she took her dog with her, just to have some added safety. The dog is very friendly, but all dogs bark alarms.
Concalves was alert throughout her last day and evening. She was the one who called her sorority at the Grub mobile to get someone to give her and Maddy a ride home.
A lot has been said about Kohberg's mistakes. I believe he increased his prowling past the house as the cell phone pings indicated after he realized Concalves had left Moscow and he had missed his opportunity.
Knowing the Big Weekend was coming up, Kohberg must have spotted the new Land Rover, but might not have actually seen Concalves.
Kaylee left it at the house and didn't drive it around in Moscow- it's a small campus in a small town, and is easy to get around in on foot or on a bike, while finding a good place to park is always difficult.
I think Kohberg cruised past, saw the license plate, knew it was from Coeur d'Alene by the plate code, and very carefully went back to Pullman to get his murder gear. Then returned to Moscow as carefully, and may have waited until the entire town quieted before he entered the house.
By then, he must have been extremely worked up and ready to go. He knew which bedroom was Maddy's, so he went straight there and found both of the girls, just as he expected.
I have no doubt Kaylee was his intended victim. I'm pretty sure she served him more than once at the Greek. But while she didn't pay him any attention, Concalves had more shine than her best friend/little sister Maddy.
And then he went downstairs and attacked Chapin first, as he was Kohberg's biggest threat. He never expected Xena to put up so much of a fight, and she was his biggest struggle.
And then, still as high as a kite on his adrenaline, but physically exhausted, he walked right past the shocked girl who saw him. He may have not even noticed her, as by then, all he wanted was to get as much distance as possible away from there without attracting attention.
There has been some speculation that these murders were not his first, but I tend to think they were.
The only thing Kohberg didn't know was how hard it is physically to stab someone to death. But it was also something Kohberg wanted the most to learn about.
A stray detail in the news also caught my attention; I've long thought Nancy Grace was lousy at predicting killer's motives and actions.
Grace is up in Moscow, apparently intent on finding the missing knife. She said she thought the knife may be in the Snake River.
The Snake River doesn't run through Moscow or anywhere close to the town. The only stream that lies close to campus is Paradise Creek, and it's not a large creek. If Nancy was more careful, she surely would have known that.
If the knife is ever found, and I doubt it will be, it won't be found in Paradise Creek. Disposing of the murder weapon is one thing Kohberg surely would have studied a lot, and on a Big Weekend at a college campus, there are going to be dumpsters all over the place overflowing with garbage of all kinds.
So if the knife is ever found, I expect it lies somewhere in the Moscow/Pullman city dump. Plenty of places in Pullman have dumpsters. (I'm taking a guess on the combined city dump.)
I was very saddened to learn Kaylee Concalves died from the worst kind of bad luck possible.
Kaylee had completed her degree work early, probably by living in that house over the summer semester and attending college then, while continuing to work at the Greek restaurant downtown. By November, she had already cleaned out her room, packed it all up, and moved back into her parent's house 100 miles away.
According to her family, Kaylee went back down to Moscow to show off her newly-purchased Land Rover to her BFF, Maddy Mogen. And since the weekend was the U of I's last home game of the season, probably to go have a last big party with her sorority sisters and her former house-mates before she left Idaho for Texas.
From what I've gathered, Kaylee was aware she was being stalked by the end of the spring semester.
I think it could have played a part in her decisioasn to finish her degree as quickly as possible, as moving back to her home, where she had the protection of 3 brothers and her father, along with the distance from Moscow, would make her feel more secure.
But knowing her house would have 4 other girls and 1 big athletic strong guy there over the weekend probably made her feel like the last big weekend in Moscow would still be safe enough. I think she took her dog with her, just to have some added safety. The dog is very friendly, but all dogs bark alarms.
Concalves was alert throughout her last day and evening. She was the one who called her sorority at the Grub mobile to get someone to give her and Maddy a ride home.
A lot has been said about Kohberg's mistakes. I believe he increased his prowling past the house as the cell phone pings indicated after he realized Concalves had left Moscow and he had missed his opportunity.
Knowing the Big Weekend was coming up, Kohberg must have spotted the new Land Rover, but might not have actually seen Concalves.
Kaylee left it at the house and didn't drive it around in Moscow- it's a small campus in a small town, and is easy to get around in on foot or on a bike, while finding a good place to park is always difficult.
I think Kohberg cruised past, saw the license plate, knew it was from Coeur d'Alene by the plate code, and very carefully went back to Pullman to get his murder gear. Then returned to Moscow as carefully, and may have waited until the entire town quieted before he entered the house.
By then, he must have been extremely worked up and ready to go. He knew which bedroom was Maddy's, so he went straight there and found both of the girls, just as he expected.
I have no doubt Kaylee was his intended victim. I'm pretty sure she served him more than once at the Greek. But while she didn't pay him any attention, Concalves had more shine than her best friend/little sister Maddy.
And then he went downstairs and attacked Chapin first, as he was Kohberg's biggest threat. He never expected Xena to put up so much of a fight, and she was his biggest struggle.
And then, still as high as a kite on his adrenaline, but physically exhausted, he walked right past the shocked girl who saw him. He may have not even noticed her, as by then, all he wanted was to get as much distance as possible away from there without attracting attention.
There has been some speculation that these murders were not his first, but I tend to think they were.
The only thing Kohberg didn't know was how hard it is physically to stab someone to death. But it was also something Kohberg wanted the most to learn about.
A stray detail in the news also caught my attention; I've long thought Nancy Grace was lousy at predicting killer's motives and actions.
Grace is up in Moscow, apparently intent on finding the missing knife. She said she thought the knife may be in the Snake River.
The Snake River doesn't run through Moscow or anywhere close to the town. The only stream that lies close to campus is Paradise Creek, and it's not a large creek. If Nancy was more careful, she surely would have known that.
If the knife is ever found, and I doubt it will be, it won't be found in Paradise Creek. Disposing of the murder weapon is one thing Kohberg surely would have studied a lot, and on a Big Weekend at a college campus, there are going to be dumpsters all over the place overflowing with garbage of all kinds.
So if the knife is ever found, I expect it lies somewhere in the Moscow/Pullman city dump. Plenty of places in Pullman have dumpsters. (I'm taking a guess on the combined city dump.)
Nice theory, Banjo, but... The timing only works if you are assuming Goncalves was being cyber stalked. Kohberg wasn't in the area until August.
Pullman and Moscow have separate dumps, FWIW. Probably due to that darn state line.
Nice theory, Banjo, but... The timing only works if you are assuming Goncalves was being cyber stalked. Kohberg wasn't in the area until August.
Pullman and Moscow have separate dumps, FWIW. Probably due to that darn state line.
Thanks, Keim...
Yes- everything predicates on the stalking. Granted, it is a big assumption. But one thing I've learned about stalkers is they only go after a girl they've seen and believe they've come to know.
I'm not sure Concalves stayed in Moscow for the summer semester, but logically, if she had finished her courses early it's a pretty good presumption she did stay. And if she did, she must have continued working, because she sure wanted that Land Rover a lot.
So even by August, there's a pretty good possibility Kohberg saw her at Mikey's Greek, which by all accounts is a popular hangout for the college kids.
A very good place for a stranger to meet some of the locals. Kohberg liked to do that.
I'm not real sure Kohberg arrived in Pullman with the desire to kill someone. It's possible, for sure, though; and choosing Pullman may have come from that desire, but until he was actually there, I tend to think his lethal desire was generalized and wasn't fully solidified into obsessive intent yet.
Kohberg possibly didn't cyber-stalker Concalves before then, but it's likely he did after he saw her. And possibly talked to her a little after she came to take his order, which was just enough to make it personal for him. But not for her- I'm pretty sure he was just another customer to her, and she didn't remember him by the time she went back to Moscow. Kohberg could be charming, if a little awkward.
That makes more sense to me, but who knows? Cyber-stalking is a real thing, and Concalves was a big cyber presence in Moscow, where she worked constantly to keep all her social connections going.
if he did cyber-stalk her, I tend to think it was more generalized than just one girl. But once he saw her face to face, he fixated on her and she intensified everything he did from then on.
One big unknown is why Kohberg chose Pullman as his place to get a doctorate in Criminal Psychology. From what I gather, his decision to go there was pretty sudden. It's quite far away from Pennsylvania, and there must be closer colleges where he could have applied.
One thing's for sure: Kohberg left a big digital record behind him. By the time he comes to trial I think we will all know a lot of answers to the questions that surround him.
He's a very good candidate for becoming an FBI Behavioral Unit's classic case studies as to what makes a serial killer tick.
And an equally good case study on how to catch them. It was very interesting that even in little Moscow, so far away from apparent resources, the local police turned first to family DNA and the FBI to help capture him.
That goes to show how disciplined the cops are in Moscow too. They are small-city cops, but they sure used big-city police discipline in two ways; they intentionally kept the public (and Kohberg) in the dark, looking for all the world like they were fumbling around.
But the cops never broke. Possibly because they realized it was going to take time to track Koberg down with enough evidence to arrest him in Pennsylvania.
Kohberg was very, very vigilant and observant. Obsessively so, long before he arrived in Pullman. But once he had made it all the way back across the country, he was still surprised when he was busted.
That getaway of his was a major accomplishment. Most killers can't ever make it that far without arousing some suspicion along the way. Kohberg was very careful when he packed up in Pullman. That he left suddenly at a semester's end is not at all unusual. It's normal to see a parent show up to help a student move out. And Kohberg did or said nothing to the folks in Pullman that could put any attention on him.
For sure, Kohberg knew about the FBI's abilities- he studied them. What he overlooked were the local police in Monroe County. One the FBI requests local help, the local police force always takes the request seriously.
By the time the Kohberg father and son arrived at their home in the Pocanos, the Moscow police knew they had found the right guy. So they all took a lot of public humiliation until he was busted and safely all locked up.
That speaks very well to their professionalism.
I now wonder how good his attorney will be. She'll have to be damned good to even get a life sentence as a plea deal if there aren't any holes in the arrest warrant evidence. I don't think there are any big ones at all.
We'll see. I'll never try to second-guess any jury.
For sure, Cloudydayz is wrong in thinking Idaho is unlikely to execute him.
Idaho takes her own sweet time executing a convicted killer, but my state makes a point of executing the most heinous killers, and I've seen 2 multiple murderers executed for similar murders in my adult life; one was from here in my home town. Another lasted 10 more years on death row than him, but he was executed too.
Neither was convicted by a person's testimony in court. Their actions and the time line convicted them both, supported by rather weak physical evidence. In both instances, there were no witnesses at all to their crimes.
Last edited by banjomike; 01-15-2023 at 11:25 PM..
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ID uses the death penalty
