Brian Coberger pleaded guilty to the murder of four University of Idaho students
The plea deal ensures that Coberger avoids the possibility of a trial and death sentence for the murder of four University of Idaho students.
More than two years after the killings of four University of Idaho students shocked the country, the Brian Coberger case will end without trial.
That’s because Coberger, the man charged in the case, pleaded guilty to murder as part of a deal to avoid the death penalty. On July 2, the judge approved the judicial agreement. This prevented Coberger from facing a ju trial, without the opportunity to resort to Madison Morgen’s murder, and sentenced four consecutive life sentences. Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; Ethan Chapin, 20.
The case has been formally closed, but the trauma continues to live out for the families of the victims who have been divided into response to a legal agreement. For some, it caused anger. For others, it marked the beginning of a “path of hope and healing.”
Mental health experts say the range of responses is expected and effective – and that it is important not to give judgement to families, no matter how you feel about the plea deal. After all, these people have endured immeasurable trauma and sadness. Experts say their reactions show different ways people react to horrifying situations.
“We have no right to judge people who have lost their families through murder,” says psychotherapist Stephanie Salkis. “People react to trauma in a variety of ways. There may be families who want to go to court, there may be families who don’t. … The losses are still the same.”
Why did Brian Coberger’s plea agreement split the victim’s family?
The families of the four victims are divided into reactions to Kohberger’s legal agreement.
Steve Goncalves of Kaylee’Dad told NewsNation’s “Banfield” that he wanted a ju umpire to determine Kohberger’s fate.
He also told News Nation that he wanted the judge to reject the judicial agreement.
Others felt different.
Outside the court, Leander James, an attorney for Morgen’s parents, said “we support the legal agreement 100%.”
“We’re embarking on a new path now,” he told reporters. “We embark on a path of hope and healing.”
Philip Lewis, a therapist who helps treat anxiety, anger and addiction, says trauma has a different effect on people. They say that the way people choose to deal with trauma is often different from person to person.
“How grief is experienced, processed and expressed is unique to each individual, unlike fingerprints,” he says. “The victims are particularly young, the cases are violent and sudden, and then, in addition to criminal trials, the process of grieving under these circumstances can be more complicated.”
Overall, no matter what situation they fall into, people tend to long for justice and dislike injustice. Something that violates that sense of justice can cause deep pain.
“When you’ve already lost someone you love and this terrible thing happens, you feel helpless,” says psychotherapist Marni Fairman. “I’m looking for an opportunity to feel that there was at least punishment and justice.”
There is no guarantee that court will bring healing
On the other hand, it is important to remember that not all families wanted to see Coberger in court. Rehashing the details of the ju-decided murder does not provide a closure, but only further harm the victim’s family.
Needless to say, the likely ongoing media spectacle puts families at risk more trauma and plagues more trauma.
It works for some of the families who want to not experience it.
“Some people may just want to finish it,” Lewis says. “They may be sad personally and want to do what they can to deal with their grief. These types of cases will never go away. No one will resolve this type of loss.”
It is important for people who are saddened to express their emotions in a way that they feel meaningfully hearing their emotions. The family of Kohberger victims may not be able to get this experience in court, but they still can find other ways to have it.
“You can’t tell someone who has lost a child to move on,” Lewis says. “There’s nothing you can say. You have to just be there for them, listen to them and let them know that you’re listening.”
Above all, these people deserve to be treated with compassion, says Sarkis.
“Unless someone has gone through it, it’s very difficult to understand the depth,” she says. “That’s a relatively few level of sadness that people have experienced before.”
Contribution: Johnine Santucci
