Just moments after families of four slain college students poured out their grief in an Idaho courtroom, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stepped to the podium and issued a statement about the case, but it was so jarring that CNN abruptly cut the feed.
“If it were up to the president, he would have forced this monster to publicly explain why he chose to steal these innocent souls,” Leavitt said, referring to Brian Kohberger, the man who had just been sentenced to four consecutive life terms without parole for stabbing the students to death in 2022 at the University of Idaho.
CNN anchor Jim Sciutto quickly challenged the legality of such a claim, asking legal analyst Joey Jackson if any court could compel such a confession. “So, Jim, there’s not,” Jackson said. “At a sentencing, you have no obligation to speak and cannot be compelled to.”
Jackson said the “allocution” process, in which a defendant formally states their plea and responds to questions to demonstrate they understand the charges and are mentally fit, is the only time Kohberger was required to speak up. Beyond that, the defendant couldn’t be forced to say anything, Jackson explained.
The Fifth Amendment protects defendants from being forced to incriminate themselves, meaning they can’t be compelled to explain their crimes at any stage of the legal process—including sentencing. This right has been upheld in key Supreme Court cases like Miranda v. Arizona and Mitchell v. United States, confirming that even after a guilty plea, a defendant has no obligation to speak.
Kohberger did just that—sitting stone-faced in court, while declining to offer any explanation for the horrific Nov. 13, 2022, murders of Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Ethan Chapin. The four were found stabbed to death in their off-campus rental home on King Road in the rural college town of Moscow, Idaho. Two other roommates were home at the time but spared.
Despite a sweeping investigation, no motive has ever been established.
“We have never, to this day, found a single connection between him and the four victims or the two surviving roommates,” Idaho State Police Lieutenant Darren Gilbertson told reporters.
Investigators used surveillance footage, cellphone data, and DNA evidence collected from a knife sheath found at the scene—and matched to a Q-tip pulled from garbage at Kohberger’s parents’ home in Pennsylvania. He was arrested six weeks after the crime.
A graduate student at nearby Washington State University, Kohberger studied criminology and used his background in forensic science to allegedly try to cover his tracks, including deep cleaning his vehicle. His Amazon history showed a purchase of a military-style knife and sheath, though the knife was never recovered.
To avoid a potential death sentence, Kohberger entered a guilty plea earlier this month in exchange for four life terms and the waiving of his right to appeal. He was transferred to Boise for trial after concerns were raised about finding impartial jurors in Moscow. Prosecutors and the defense had jointly recommended life without parole.
The sentencing hearing was marked by powerful testimony from the victims’ families. Kohberger said nothing throughout, offering no words of remorse, just a cold, blank stare. The judge lamented that he could not compel Kohberger to speak: “There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING,” President Donald Trump later echoed on Truth Social.
But critics slammed Leavitt’s comments as another deflection—part of a broader strategy to shift attention away from the administration’s decision to shutter the federal investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who was close friends with Trump for more than a decade.
Trump had previously vowed to release Epstein-related files during his campaign, but has since drawn criticism for not following through. The situation escalated further on Wednesday after The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was notified in May by Attorney General Pam Bondi that he was among hundreds of individuals named in Justice Department documents connected to the Epstein case. The White House dismissed the report as “fake news.”
More pressure also mounted last week after the Journal revealed Trump had once sent Epstein a birthday note with a lewd drawing, while Trump denied the existence of the letter and sued the outlet for defamation the next day.
Since then, Trump has turned to familiar tactics, unleashing attacks on former President Barack Obama—accusing him of treason and later urging Republicans to use “Obama cheated in the election” as a talking point to deflect from difficult questions about his one-time bromance with Epstein.
He also used social media to flood the zone with unrelated topics—from boasting about poll numbers to demanding the Washington Commanders reclaim the “Redskins” name, even threatening to block a new stadium deal if they didn’t comply.
Despite what Leavitt claimed, no president—past or present—could have legally forced Kohberger to explain his crimes.
Many online applauded CNN for not allowing Leavitt to continue the false narrative.
“About time the media gets bold!” one X user wrote. “Cutting her off is a start. Explaining WHY is what journalists MUST do!” another said.
Great Job A.L. Lee & the Team @ Atlanta Black Star Source link for sharing this story.
