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Moscow, Idaho

B ryan Kohberger keeps his eyes forward, fixed on district judge John Judge, who is taking over the case after the indictment.

He answers “Yes,” over and over, when the judge asks him if he understands the charges and the penalty for each one.

If found guilty, Kohberger faces either life imprisonment or the death penalty for each of the four first-degree murder charges.

“Ms. Taylor,” the judge says, “is Mr. Kohberger prepared to plead to these charges?”

She rises and answers, “Your Honor, we will be standing silent.”

The judge pauses. “Because Mr. Kohberger is standing silent,” he says, “I’m going to enter not-guilty pleas on each charge.”

If John Judge is surprised, he doesn’t show it, but standing silent is not something that happens often. Many suspects don’t even know there is an option besides pleading either guilty or not guilty. Even local attorney Mike Pattinson wasn’t aware of this option.

But Anne Taylor is a very practiced criminal lawyer. And Bryan Kohberger knows more about criminal law than your average suspect.

There are two reasons, media commentators say, that someone who has said he understands the charges and issues would stand silent.

The first is if there are ongoing negotiations around a plea deal. Few people believe that that is the case here. Everything seems to indicate that Kohberger wants his moment of fame.

The second has to do with public perception. In high-profile trials, defendants might want to avoid sparking further public outrage by saying “Not guilty.”

It’s a nuance that likely occurs only to someone who thinks and cares about the PR ramifications of the court proceedings.

Bryan Kohberger, it is reported, cares greatly about the PR ramifications of his case. He watches TV coverage of it as much as he can in his jail cell.

Steve Goncalves complains publicly and often about Kohberger’s privileges.

“We’ve got to get this guy. I don’t want him ever, ever getting vegan meals, his own TV, his own phone, video conferencing his mother,” he said.

“I got family members that are military, they come home all messed up in the head. All they get is the VA.… And this is the way we treat our murderers? Our mass murderers that kill people? Vegan meals, TV, room and board?”

It’s absolutely outrageous, Steve thinks. But so much about the legal process is.

Most people have no idea how frustrating it is to be in his shoes. Most people don’t think about how little agency a murder victim’s parents have.

But on his family’s Facebook page, he’s starting to hear from other victims’ parents who say they wish they’d been more proactive and involved in their children’s cases. He’s getting messages of support from families all around the world.

It’s hard to juggle his day job doing IT at the hospital and all this, but curating the page brings the Goncalves family together. It gives Kristi purpose on her down days.

The encouragement spurs him on.