Family Of Madison Mogen Responds To Kohberger Guilty Plea Deal In ID Student Murders

Forbes Breaking News

The attorney representing the family of one of Bryan Kohberger's victims, Madison Mogen, reads a statement following his guilty plea deal.

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon.

00:26I'm Leander James from the law firm of James Vernon and Weeks in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

00:36I'm a victim's rights attorney.

00:38For the past two years, I've had the privilege and the honor to provide pro bono representation

00:45in this criminal case for Karen Laramie and Scott Laramie, the loving mother and stepfather

00:53of Maddie Mogan.

00:55I will be reading a statement of gratitude today from the Laramies.

01:00962 days ago, we lost our Maddie, our kind, loving, vivacious, and caring daughter full

01:08of purpose and promise.

01:11We are grateful for the gift of her life, and we have grieved the loss of that life during

01:16each of these 962 days.

01:19We love you, Maddie, and we miss you.

01:24We are grateful for the gift of the young, vivacious, promising lives of Kaylee, Zanna,

01:30and Ethan, and we deeply, deeply mourn their senseless loss.

01:37We remain in solidarity with our families and friends, and we continue to shower them with

01:43our prayers and support.

01:45We are grateful for their prayers, love, and support that they have given us.

01:51They have helped us and sustained us during our darkest times.

01:56We are grateful to the prosecutor, Bill Thompson, and his dedicated and caring team, including

02:03victim coordinators, Kim and Stacy, who have helped to guide us through the sometimes confusing

02:10and disorienting legal process.

02:14Thank you for all your dedicated, diligent, and tireless commitment to justice and the

02:19successful outcome reached today.

02:22We support the plea agreement 100%.

02:27While we know there are some who do not support it, we ask that they respect our belief that

02:32this is the best outcome possible for the victims, their families, and the state of Idaho.

02:38We extend our deep gratitude to the many law enforcement officers and staff who worked tirelessly to

02:43obtain the critical evidence that brought justice today, including the Moscow Police Department,

02:49the FBI, the Idaho State Patrol, and the Leyta County Sheriff's Department.

02:56We are deeply grateful to Judge Hitler and Judge John judged before him.

03:02We thank you for your diligence, thoughtfulness, and judicial guidance.

03:07We appreciate the difficult work you have done to balance the rights of all involved and

03:11to uphold the rule of law.

03:14You have had our prayers and support throughout this case.

03:18We send our love and gratitude to the many family and friends who have supported us, cared

03:22for us, and helped us to heal our open emotional wounds.

03:28To the good people of North Idaho who have showered us with kindness and support, we thank you.

03:38We also mourn today with you the recent tragic and senseless loss of two brave North Idaho firefighters.

03:46We extend our prayers and support to their families.

03:49You are not alone.

03:51We understand your pain.

03:54For all parents who have endured the loss of a child, we know recovery is a long and at

04:00times an almost unbearable journey.

04:03But you are not alone.

04:06And there is hope and there is healing.

04:09We thank those in the press who have respected our privacy and the grieving process and the privacy

04:16and grieving process of the families of Kaylee, Zanna, and Ethan.

04:21To others in the press, we gently encourage you to do the same.

04:26We thank the many people across our nation and beyond who have reached out to us, prayed

04:30for us, and extended their kindness.

04:34You too have helped us on our journey to heal.

04:39We now embark on a new path.

04:42We turn from tragedy and mourning.

04:45We turn from darkness and uncertainty of the legal process to the light of the future.

04:51We have closure.

04:53We embark on a path of hope and healing.

04:57We invite all of those who have mourned with us to join us and we wish you well.

05:04I will now share a few words of my own.

05:08For the past two years, I have been amazed and humbled by Karen and Scott's strength,

05:14endurance and faith.

05:16They have uplifted me and so many.

05:20They founded a non-profit to help others in the name of Maddie.

05:24They have been a beacon of hope amidst a dark and tragic time.

05:29To those young and bright attorneys out there looking for purpose and meaning in your profession,

05:32and I invite you to join the effort of crime victim attorneys to bring victims justice with

05:39compassion, empathy, humility, and understanding.

05:45This case is not the end of violence.

05:48This case is not the end of lawlessness.

05:50We need your help to bring hope and healing to the innocent caught in the crossfire of life.

05:57Thank you all.

06:07Sir, could you just say your name one more time?

06:08Leander James, L-E-A-N-D-E-R, last name be James.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended