With a series of “yes” replies to a judge, a man accused of killing four Idaho college students pleaded guilty in exchange for life in prison and no death penalty. But left untold so far: What motivated Bryan Kohberger to commit the middle-of-the-night knife attacks and why those victims?

Though Kohberger’s plea was likely to spell out how he carried out the killing, it remains unclear whether he will ever explain why he did it.