MOSCOW, IDAHO: The father of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the four University of Idaho students discovered dead in an off-campus house last year, expressed his "relief" at learning that Bryan Kohberger, the accused, will likely face the death sentence if proven guilty. Kohberger was arrested on December 30 in the fatal stabbings of Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.
He was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary after a grand jury indicted him in May. In a new court filing on Monday, prosecutors wrote that "considering all evidence currently known to the State, the State is compelled to file this notice of intent to seek the death penalty". Khoberger who was pursuing criminal justice at nearby Washington State University in Pullman and remained silent during his arraignment last month while the Judge on his behalf entered not guilty pleas on all the charges, reported Today.
'It's a relief and I’m glad that we’re in a situation of strength and the evidence is there'
"It's a relief and I’m glad that we’re in a situation of strength and the evidence is there and we feel that we can, they can go forward with this," Steve Goncalves told NBC. In a court filing on June 16, prosecutors revealed that they employed the method of genetic genealogy, a combination of genealogical research and DNA analysis, in their investigation. The biological material discovered on a knife sheath found at the crime scene did not yield a match in the FBI database, prompting the use of this technique. By constructing an extensive family tree involving hundreds of relatives, investigators were eventually able to identify Bryan Kohberger as a suspect, as stated in the filing. In a recent filing by Kohberger's attorney, the technique of genetic genealogy was characterized as a "bizarrely complex DNA tree experiment," and it was asserted that there was no connection between the accused and the four students.
'If you’re not going to pursue the guy for the death penalty on a case like this, who are you going to pursue for the death penalty?'
Shanon Gray, the attorney representing the Goncalves family, praised the prosecution's decision and firmly believed that the case undeniably warrants the imposition of the death penalty. "If you’re not going to pursue the guy for the death penalty on a case like this, who are you going to pursue for the death penalty?" Gray said. Scheduled for June 27, Bryan Kohberger is due to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing. During this hearing, his legal team is requesting the judge to temporarily halt the legal proceedings until prosecutors provide them with the records pertaining to the grand jury indictment that took place last month.
Once the case is over, there’s really no need for the house
"This isn’t something that we’re going to have a party about," Steve Goncalves added further "It’s not something that we really would ever want to look forward to or be a part of. But as a father, if you come after my child, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that we come after you." Steve also showed hesitation in demolishing the doomed Idaho University house. "I don’t want to sit six months from now and hear somebody in the court case say, 'Well, I really wish we could be in the house right now,'" he said. "Once the case is over, there’s really no need for the house," he said. "Then they can move on. They can do whatever they want with that property. But right now, it's just, it’s the crime scene."
