Family slams 'foolish' decision to demolish house of horrors where students died
Grieving family members of the murder victims at the University of Idaho have blasted a move by college authorities to demolish the house where the four students were killed.
The off-campus house was where cops found the bodies of Kaylee Goncalves, her best friend Madison Mogen, both 22, Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, both 21. The three women were living in the house and Gonclaves' parents want the building to remain intact because it may still hold evidence.
The students were found on November 13 last year and had been slaughtered with a military-grade knife after what has been described as a shadowy figure broke in to the house in Moscow, Idaho, early in the morning. Cops eventually arrested Bryan Kohberger, 28, a criminology student at nearby Washington State University in connection with the massacre.
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Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students (AP)Prosecutors say they found DNA on a knife sheath recovered from the scene which is a near-perfect match to Kohberger, who has pleaded not guilty to the four murders and he could face the death penalty if found guilty. But on Thursday college authorities said they aim to knock down the house on December 28, a move that has sparked a backlash from the victims' families.
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The Goncalves family's attorney, Shanon Gray, said in a statement: "Isn't it better to have the King Road house and not need it than need the house and not have it? That has been our question to the prosecution and the University of Idaho for the entire time the demo has been an issue."
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The attorney added that the decision should not be up for discussion as the home is a critical piece of evidence in "one of the most horrific crimes in the history of Idaho". The university has been fighting to tear down the home since the killings took place. But the Goncalves family feel that their fight to keep it standing was vindicated when FBI investigators revisited the home on October 31 and November 1.
Officers from the agency gathered information to create 3D models of the crime scene and Gray said: "It is obvious from the two recent visits to the house, by both the prosecution and the defense, that there is still evidentiary value in having the King Road house still standing. There may be additional discovery by either party that prompts one side or the other to go back to the scene of the crime."
However, University of Idaho President Scott Green described the home as a "grim reminder of the heinous act that took place there", adding: "While we appreciate the emotional connection some family members of the victims may have to this house, it is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue."
The Goncalves family responded to the decision to take down the house by saying: "Nobody is listening and everyone tells you how sorry they are for the decision but the families' opinion isn't a priority. Victims' families have a voice and should be heard and listened to."
Kohberger's trial has been delayed indefinitely after prosecutors requested more time to go through the evidence they have.
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