Chilling reason Bryan Kohberger gains most from Idaho murder trial delays as families speak out on second anniversary
IT has been two years since four University of Idaho students were ruthlessly stabbed to death inside their off-campus home, and anxious family members are still waiting for justice.
Despite being arrested just six weeks after the killings, suspect Bryan Kohberger continues to await trial – and legal experts warn this could give him an edge.
Kohberger, 29, is facing charges in connection with the murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
The students were viciously stabbed to death on November 13, 2022, off the university’s campus in Moscow, Idaho, about six hours north of Boise.
Kohberger, who was a graduate student at nearby Washington State University, allegedly left a combat knife sheath with DNA evidence at the scene, proving he was behind the brutal slayings, prosecutors say.
Surveillance videos and cellphone data also place him near the house of horrors, according to state attorneys, but Kohberger has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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The evasive trial date has dragged on through a change of venue and arguments over whether he could face the death penalty.
The wait has left Kristi and Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s parents, distraught as they reignite their plea for justice two years after the crime heard around the nation.
“It’s been very hard,” Kristi told NBC affiliate KHQ.
“I don’t know if it’s just the accumulation of the trial or if it’s just missing Kaylee or if it’s just being strung through all these disastrous procedures, but it’s been really hard.”
STRATEGIC MOVE
Every day that passes without trial could be another chance for the defense to get an edge on the prosecution, Chief Judge Belvin Perry said in an exclusive conversation with The U.S. Sun.
Judge Perry, who presided over the bombshell Casey Anthony trial in 2008, said that as time drags on, witness testimony for the prosecution could weaken.
Bryan Kohberger judge finally sets trial date for Idaho murders suspect 18 months after he ‘stabbed 4 students to death’
“You’re dealing with the human memory,” Judge Perry said.
“Witnesses’ memories will sometimes fade over time.
“It’s to the defense’s advantage to delay the trial as long as possible, even forever if they could.
“Because the longer a proceeding lingers out there, memories dim, witnesses may die, or evidence will be lost.”
As a judge with experience managing high-profile trials, Perry knows how frustrated the victims’ families feel on this haunting day of reminder.
“One day is too long for families,” he said.
“We and most people involved in the criminal justice system understand that because they want closure.”
However, Judge Perry insisted that prosecutors are trying to put together an iron-shut case that Kohberger won’t be able to appeal after the fact.
“A good prosecution team will make sure that they don’t commit error,” he said.
“The worst thing that could happen is if you commit an error and you get five or six years down the road after conviction and it’s overturned.”
University of Idaho murders timeline
On November 13, 2022, a brutal home invasion claimed the lives of four University of Idaho students.
Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death in their Moscow, Idaho, off-campus home.
A six-week manhunt ensued as cops searched for a suspect.
On December 28, 2022, Bryan Kohberger, 29, was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania – 2,500 miles away from the crime scene.
He was taken into custody and has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder.
Kohberger, a former criminal justice student at Washington State University, has been linked to the crime scene through phone records, his car’s location, and DNA evidence found at the home where the murders took place.
The house was demolished in December 2023 despite backlash from the victims’ families.
Kohberger is being held at Latah County Jail while he awaits trial.
On September 9, 2024, an Idaho judge ruled to move the upcoming murder trial out of Moscow after Kohberger’s lawyer argued that the town was prejudiced against him.
The state Supreme Court will decide the new venue and judge for the trial, which is expected to start in June 2025.
TRIAL LOOMS
Kohberger’s trial is set to begin on August 11, 2025, but for now, the court is debating whether he should face the death penalty.
On Thursday, defense attorneys begged the judge to throw out the option, but relatives of the victims who attended the hearing said that Kohberger “deserves to die.”
Outside the courthouse, Kristi and Steve explained why they believe Kohberger should be put to death if he’s found guilty.
“You’ve got four victims, all in one house – that’s more than enough,” Steve told CBS News.
Kristi said she came to her decision after meeting with the coroner and seeing how ruthlessly her daughter was slashed to death.
“If he did anything like he did to our daughter to the others, then he deserves to die.”
The judge will rule on the death penalty at a later date.
‘BURN IN HELL’
As the two-year mark passes, Kristi and Steve believe they know what was going through Kohberger’s mind when he allegedly murdered their daughter.
Steve said, “If you want to make a brutal, raw statement and try to get people’s attention because nobody pays attention to you, those four beautiful people would be a heck of a statement.”
Meanwhile, Kristi believes the crime was allegedly done out of “total jealousy.”
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When asked what they would say to Kohberger, the emotional couple had a cold message for the suspected killer.
“You picked the wrong family,” Steve said as wife Kristi blasted, “You will burn in hell.”
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