Share and Follow

Some relatives of the four University of Idaho students who were killed in an off-campus home last year are protesting the impending demolition of the property where the murders unfolded.

Shannon Gray, a lawyer representing the family of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the four victims, has accused the university of ignoring a request to not demolish the home until after suspect Bryan Kohberger’s scheduled trial in October, according to The Idaho Statesman. The Goncalves family are arguing the home should be left standing until after the murder trial.

On Nov. 13, 2022, Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found dead at the rental property, which lies footsteps from the University of Idaho campus. The four victims were stabbed to death in their beds while they slept, according to a Latah County coroner’s report. Kohberger, 28, was later arrested and charged with four counts of murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against the former Washington State University Ph.D. criminology student.

RELATED: Here’s What We Know About the Victims of the Still-Unidentified Zodiac Killer

The home where the killings occurred was previously privately owned; however, following the gruesome murders, the owner gifted the property to the University of Idaho. 

Gray told the Idaho Statesman in an email that the university had consulted the families prior to making the decision, however, school officials “proceeded to ignore those opinions and pursue their own self-interests,” according to the attorney. 

The Mogen and Kernodle families have also voiced their support of delaying the demolition until after Kohberger’s trial has concluded, Gray said. The other families didn’t respond to interview requests from the Idaho Statesman. 

An official date for the demolition hasn’t been set. A spokesperson for the University of Idaho indicated the school intended to demolish the home before the beginning of the fall semester. 

“The home itself has enormous evidentiary value as well as being the largest, and one of the most important, pieces of evidence in the case,” Gray said.

RELATED: Who Stabbed a Successful Businessman to Death on the Streets of Puerto Rico?

However, an attorney representing the University of Idaho told Gray that neither Kohberger’s lawyers nor the prosecution had disputed the planned demolition. University of Idaho lawyer Kent Nelson stated that school officials required a “cogent argument,” based on case law, in order for it to halt the pending demolition. Gray claimed to have gotten the written notice from the university’s legal team on June 22. It’s unclear he met the deadline, per the Idaho Statesman.

Oxygen.com has reached out to the University of Idaho for further comment regarding the demolition. 

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Deputies Arrest Man on Numerous Oklahoma Warrants, Face New Drug and Firearm Charges

Staff report ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Samuel Joseph Mantone IV, 26, was…

Man Accused of Killing Wife Dies Unexpectedly in Court: District Attorney Reports

Inset: James Paul Anderson being wheeled out of the courthouse after suffering…

Tragic Incident: Man Fatally Shoots Woman Following Argument Over Religion, Police Report

Inset: Calvin Johnson, Sr. (Shelby County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The address on…

Police Employ Stun Device to Apprehend Man Who Held Children Hostage: Authorities

Background: The entrance into Chambers Drive in Matthews, North Carolina (Google Maps).…

Toddler Plummets from Second-Floor Window, Discovered on Main Road: Police Report

Inset, top to bottom: Anthony Grogg and Victoria Frampton (West Virginia Department…

Homeless Individual Accused of Stealing More Than $1,000 in Goods from Dick’s Sporting Goods and CVS

Staff report GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kevin Michael Palmgren, 39, was arrested on…

Florida Woman Arrested for Series of “Bad Date” Thefts: Police Report

Angelina Chenel Esty (Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation). A Florida woman was recently…

Tragic Incident: Man Takes Girlfriend’s Life Following Break in Communication

Robert Wayne Murray (Palm Beach County Sheriff”s Office). A Florida man will…