Idaho home where 4 students were killed is being demolished, 2 victims’ families object
Demolition has started on the Moscow, Idaho, home where four University of Idaho students were killed.
Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen were found dead in the King Road home on Nov. 13, 2022. After over six weeks of investigation, the police arrested Bryan Kohberger, and charged him with four counts of first-degree murder. He also faces one count of felony burglary. He entered a not guilty plea and his trial date has not yet been announced.
The home’s previous owner donated the property to the University of Idaho, which made a plan to demolish the property. On July 12, 2023, the university released a statement saying that “the house has already been released by the court, and both the prosecution and defense attorneys have said they do not oppose destruction.”
“It is the grim reminder of the heinous act that took place there,” University of Idaho President Scott Green said. “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.”
A university statement indicated that the home was being destroyed to avoid further impacting the students who are living in the area. Jodi Walker, spokesperson for the University of Idaho, said via email that the property “will sit vacant for now” in response to an inquiry about what the university intended to do with the area.
Kohberger originally had a trial date scheduled for October, but it was delayed after he waived his right to a speedy trial. The trial has not yet been rescheduled. Latah County’s senior deputy prosecuting attorney Ashley Jennings filed a motion to schedule a six week trial for summer 2024.
After delaying the trial, both the prosecution and defense have gone to the King Road home, according to a university statement. “Neither has asked for the house to be retained,” the statement said. The FBI had previously gone into the home to gather information and scanning to create visual aids that may be used during the trial.
The Goncalves and Kernodle families released a joint statement objecting to the demolition of the home from attorney Shanon Gray, which was obtained by the Deseret News.
The families said they were speaking out against the house’s destruction on the grounds that the home could provide evidence. Naming the entry and exit points of the home as well as the surviving roommates’ vantage points as examples, the families expressed concern that not having the home stand could create issues at trial. “If the home is demolished, will all of these questions be able to be answered later on with diagrams/models/technology, etc.,” the joint statement said.
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In addition to opposing the destruction of the King Road home, the Goncalves family expressed frustration over there not being a trial scheduled a year after the killings.
“We all along have just wanted the King Rd. Home to not be demolished until after the trial and for us to have a trial date so that we can look forward to justice being served,” the joint statement said.
The Chapin family provided a statement to ABC News, saying, “We’re supportive of the decision to take down the King Street House — for the good of the University, its students (including our own kids), and the community of Moscow.”
When Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial, the trial was delayed. The prosecution has motioned to schedule the trial in summer 2024 because school would not be in session.
“As the Ccourt is aware, Moscow High School is directly adjacent to the courthouse premises and already the significantly increased amount of media and other vehicles related to this case has strained available parking as well as safety and convenience for pedestrians, including the students,” Jennings’ motion stated.
When the trial does occur, the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a notice indicating that it will seek capital punishment.
“The state gives this notice based on the fact that it has not identified or been provided with any mitigating circumstances sufficient to prohibit the triers of fact from considering all penalties authorized by the Idaho legislature including the possibility of a capital sentence,” the notice said. “Consequently, considering all evidence currently known to the state, the state is compelled to file this notice of intent to seek the death penalty.”
The case attracted national and international attention as the Moscow police and FBI worked for over six weeks to arrest a suspect. Kohberger was arrested on Dec. 30, 2022. At the time, he had just completed his first semester at Washington State University. There, he was pursuing a doctorate in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology.
“I will 100% stand behind the way that we handled this investigation. And this all started from day one with our patrol officers, arriving on scene, locking down the scene, us calling in the Idaho State Police, us calling in the FBI and keeping information that was pertinent to this case very, very tight,” Moscow Police Department Chief James Fry said during a press conference held the day Kohberger was arrested. “We want to have a situation where when this goes to trial, there’s not doubt we’ve done everything right.”
Throughout the investigation, Moscow police said they received over 19,000 tips.
The probable cause warrant indicated that the police arrested Kohberger based on the account of a roommate who woke up at around 4 a.m. and said she soon saw a man walking to the back sliding door, DNA evidence from a tan leather knife sheath, cellphone records and video footage of a white Hyundai Elantra.
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At the time when investigators believe the murders occurred, Kohberger’s attorney said he was out driving. In response to the prosecutors’ attempt to get an alibi that indicated exactly where Kohberger was, the defense filed an objection.
“Mr. Kohberger is not claiming to be at a specific location at a specific time; at this time there is not a specific witness to say precisely where Mr. Kohberger was at each moment of the hours between late night November 12, 2022 and early morning November 13, 2022. He was out, driving during the late night and early morning hours,” a court document said.
Kohberger’s attorneys argued that because the state chose “a secret grand jury rather than the planned preliminary,” Kohberber could not “be more specific about the possible witnesses and exactly what they will say.”
In the Dec. 21 filing from the prosecution, the attorneys requested that Kohberger not be given additional time to provide notice of alibi.
“The state submits that the defendant has already been afforded this opportunity and the court heard argument on the motions relating to such,” the filing said. “The state submits the opportunity for the defendant to disclose an alibi and notify the state of the same has passed and asks that the court not reopen this issue.”
