The parents of an Idaho college student brutally murdered in 2022 say they still don’t know why Bryan Kohberger killed their daughter, even after he pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty.
Steve and Kristi Goncalves, whose daughter Kaylee was one of four University of Idaho students stabbed to death in November 2022, told “CBS Mornings Plus” on Friday that they’re still grasping for answers.
“We still don’t know the motive,” Steve Goncalves said. “I don’t think they want anyone to know the motive. I don’t think they want anyone to know when he first came on their radar.”
The family’s attorney, Shannon Gray, said “motive was always an issue” in the case.
Kohberger pleaded guilty earlier this month to killing Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin at their off-campus rental home. The plea deal spared him from a potential death sentence, instead guaranteeing life in prison without parole.
The victims’ families were divided over the plea deal, with the Goncalves family saying life in prison isn’t sufficient punishment. In a statement earlier this month, the Goncalves family said the plea deal was “unexpected” and the state “failed” them. They asked that the plea deal “require a full confession, full accountability, location of the murder weapon, confirmation the defendant acted alone, & the true facts of what happened that night.”
Following Kohberger’s guilty plea to the murders on July 2, prosecutors walked through evidence they would have shared in court if the case went to trial. But they did not specify a motive.
The Goncalves family says they know a little more about the case than the general public due to a gag order that was only recently lifted. Now, the family’s attorney plans to request discovery materials from prosecutors, including police reports, photographs and investigative files that could provide more answers about the case.
“We don’t know any more than pretty much everybody else,” Kristi Goncalves said. “With this gag order being lifted, it will allow us to know more of what happened to our daughter.”
Steve Goncalves said he wants to know basic facts about his daughter’s death to write a victim impact statement, including how many times she was stabbed and whether she was choked.
“I think by hiding the truth, we’re protecting our killers,” he said. “We have to show the ugliness of what this person did.”
Steve Goncalves said that he believes Kohberger — who has a master’s degree in criminology — could still wield influence behind bars by helping other inmates with legal matters and writing legal papers for fellow prisoners.
“He knows that he can write legal papers for other prisoners and work favors. He can still have an influence,” said Steve Goncalves. “He’s still going to be able to do interviews. He’s still going to be able to help fellow inmates with things. Get them prescriptions, all these type of things will give him a better and more rewarding life inside.”
Kaylee’s parents described Kohberger as showing “zero remorse” and acting “like a robot, a killing robot” during court proceedings.
“Maybe he could go in there and say, ‘I went in there for one person, I lusted. I had a moment, I was drunk or I was on drugs, and it just went crazy,'” said Steve Goncalves. “That would make more sense.”
Kohberger is set to be sentenced on July 23.
