Kaylee Goncalves had been planning to graduate early from the University of Idaho and move to Austin, Texas, to begin her career at an IT firm. But the outgoing 21-year-old was robbed of those dreams when a masked killer broke into her college home in the dead of the night.
Bryan Kohberger, a criminology PhD student at nearby Washington State University, entered 1122 King Road on November 13, 2022, and stabbed Kaylee, her best friend Madison Mogen, roommate Xana Kernodle and Kernodle's boyfriend Ethan Chapin to death. The savage murders of the four promising, well-loved students plunged the college town of Moscow, Idaho, into fear and led to a six-week manhunt to track down the mystery assailant.
When Kohberger, now 31, was arrested weeks later, the questions and horror only continued. He had no known connection to his victims and his motive remains unclear to this day, even after he pleaded guilty to the murders and was sentenced to life in prison last July. Those lingering questions are only part of the nightmare that still haunts the Goncalves family.
Exclusive Interview with Kaylee's Parents
In this week's The Trial: USA podcast, Crime Correspondent Rachel Sharp sits down with Kaylee's parents Kristi and Steve Goncalves for an in-depth interview. Kristi and Steve speak about the process of finding the right words to address their daughter's killer in court and the risk they took in deciding to speak their minds unfiltered.
'These guys need to be treated like the animals that they are,' Steve said. 'If you're gonna behave like an animal, treat them like an animal.' The parents also shared a new personal message to Kohberger and opened up about their thoughts on Kohberger's family as well as their angst that the killer has a following of supporters who continue to proclaim his innocence.
New Foundation: Murder Has a Name
While their loss and grief will never go away, the family is now moving forward by launching a new foundation, Murder Has a Name, created in Kaylee's memory. Through it, they want to fund access to advanced DNA testing in cases to help 'hunt down killers' and give other families the answers and justice they desperately need.
