At the sentencing, she did not use Kohberger’s name in the victim impact statement, but called him a “hollow vessel, something less than human, a body without empathy, without remorse.”
Thompson told NBC News that of the many unanswered questions surrounding the case remain a mystery, including why Kohberger left the murder scene without harming either Mortensen or another housemate, Bethany Funke, whose victim impact statement was read in court by a friend.
“I’m sure there are theories,” Thompson said. “Dylan had an angel watching over her.”
In the wake of the sentencing, the Moscow Police Department released more than 300 documents from its investigative files, detailing how law enforcement officials collected evidence against Kohberger, now 30, in the murders of seniors Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, both 21; junior Xana Kernodle, 20; and Kernodle’s boyfriend, freshman Ethan Chapin, 20.
Prosecutors said they had DNA, cellphone use, online shopping history and surveillance video among the evidence tying Kohberger to the crime scene, although nothing indicating that he knew his victims.
Kohberger, a former doctoral student in criminal justice at nearby Washington State University, pleaded guilty to the quadruple murders and waived his right to appeal in a deal that spared him a trial next month and the death penalty.
Instead, a judge Wednesday sentenced him to four consecutive life sentences without parole, plus a 10-year sentence for burglary.
Thompson, who had previously planned to retire but stayed on to see the case through, has faced criticism from some of the victims’ families who wanted Kohberger to go to trial, and also believe any agreement should have included the defendant providing a motive for the crime.
However, the prosecutor told NBC News that it wasn’t his team that brought up the idea of a deal, but rather defense lawyers who approached him in June, with only weeks before jury selection was slated to begin.
“Up to that point, the defense had maintained consistently that they believed their client was factually innocent of the charges, so there was nothing to discuss,” Thompson said. “We were simply preparing for trial.”
Kohberger’s lead attorney, Anne Taylor, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Her office previously stated that it would not be speaking following the sentencing, as a sweeping gag order that had long prevented law enforcement and lawyers from making public statements about the case had been earlier vacated.
Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, told reporters after the sentencing that the state had made “a deal with the devil” about Kohberger.