Victim's Family Unfazed as Kohberger Seeks Trial

Bryan Kohberger may now say he wants a trial, but one victim's family says they're ready for it. Steve Goncalves, whose daughter Kaylee was among the four University of Idaho students killed in 2022, tells the Idaho Statesman he has confidence in investigators' work and isn't worried about Kohberger's bid to undo his guilty plea and life sentence. "I always stood by the work of the FBI agents and other people. If he wants to fight for the death penalty, that's exactly what we'll go for, and that's what he's facing. There's so much evidence against him in this case. So we're not scared of a trial, not one bit."

Kohberger, 31, recently told the New York Times he is innocent and claims in new court filings he confessed under pressure and misinformation. He is serving four consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole. The plea deal had taken the death penalty off the table, but a successful challenge could reopen that option.

• In a statement, the Goncalves family accused Kohberger of seeking attention and said the focus should be on honoring the victims and remembering "the lives they lost at the hands of a narcissist." Kohberger, the family said, "received exactly what he asked for: a deal that spared his life. Know this—he hates that life. He wants another chance to roll the dice."

• "We are saddened by the recent news that the admitted murderer of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle continues his efforts to victimize their families and friends," the Latah County Sheriff's Office said in a statement, per the Statesman. "Our office is prepared to defend the well-deserved convictions and sentences and ensure justice prevails."
• Experts say Kohberger probably has little chance of reversing his plea. "He told the judge under oath at the plea hearing that he understood the deal, was acting voluntarily, and was pleading guilty because he was guilty," Sam Newton, associate professor at University of Idaho College of Law, tells the BBC. "That's a real problem, since courts don't take kindly to walking a voluntary plea back without hard proof that something went seriously wrong behind the scenes."