Idaho D.A.’s 29-Year Plea Deal Echoes in Kohberger Murder Case
Fantastic, a district attorney doubling down on plea bargains like they’re collectibles. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson—yes, the same guy—once again swapped a death-penalty showdown for a quieter courtroom concession, and I’m stuck rolling my eyes at the predictability. Back on July 3, 1996, Thompson cut a deal with Wenkai Li, a former University of Idaho student who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after admitting to the stabbing deaths of two Chinese nationals in Moscow, Idaho. Capital punishment was on the table, but Thompson agreed to remove it, securing a conviction and dodging the expense and spectacle of a full trial, according to TMZ and local court records.
Fast-forward nearly 29 years, and Thompson’s back at it with the Bryan Kohberger case. Kohberger, accused of brutally killing four University of Idaho students—Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves—was staring down potential death sentences for multiple first-degree murder counts. Yet, just like Li, Kohberger scored a capital-punishment free ticket in exchange for guilty pleas. TMZ again flagged the eerie parallels, and you better believe families of the victims are outraged, calling out Thompson in scorching letters to the court, saying this plea bargain “betrays the truth” and robs them of justice.
Don’t look at me like I’m surprised. I told you so. Thompson’s rationale back in ’96 was the same as now—avoid trial risks, cut costs, and guarantee a conviction. Seems like his playbook never got old, just recycled. Public records show Thompson candidly admitted that plea agreements spare taxpayers the uncertainty of jury verdicts. But when lives—and grief-stricken relatives—are on the line, courtesy and convenience shouldn’t be the driving force, right?
So here we are, watching another high-profile Idaho murder probe lose its capital-punishment heft, with the same D.A. leading the charge. Is this efficient lawyering or cold pragmatism at its worst? Victims’ families want courtroom drama; Thompson wants certainty. Neither side is budging, and the salt in the wound is that we’ve seen this rerun before. Sources from TMZ’s investigation and Latah County court filings underscore just how similar these deals are, two decades apart.
Did anyone expect a different outcome? No? Thought so. And that, dear reader, is why we can’t have nice things. Moving on.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, Latah County Court Records
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
