COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – The family of one of the University of Idaho students murdered in an off-campus home in 2022 slammed the convicted killer’s request to withdraw his guilty plea.
Bryan Kohberger is serving life in prison for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle. He pleaded guilty to the murders last summer and with that plea, waived his right to appeal.
Monday, Kohberger filed a petition for post-conviction relief, which is a civil process that would allow the court to reexamine his guilty plea. It’s rarely successful in Idaho criminal courts.
Kaylee Goncalves’ family has been the most outspoken since their daughter’s murder.
In a statement Monday, the called Kohberger “the mosquito you just can’t seem to swat.”
“We would have preferred a death-penalty trial; we believe fully in the evidence,” the statement said. “Instead, BK 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.”
You can read the full statement below:
“The mosquito you just can’t seem to swat”—that is what Kohberger and his following have become to this family. We read Mr. Baker’s story. He must be so proud of himself for speaking with Mr. Kohberger and his sister, giving them a platform to spread their narrative. The piece had little else to offer beyond a guilty man once again claiming he is innocent. Nowhere in the story—or in Kohberger’s own statement—does he not acknowledge that he “knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently” admitted to murdering the four victims of this tragedy: Kaylee, Maddie, Xana, and Ethan.
Quite the opposite. He appeared in court for a hearing before a judge, accompanied by his four lawyers. He chose not to leave his fate—or the facts of the case—to a jury. He never cried foul, never claimed he was uninformed or pressured, and never suggested there were problems with the discovery materials he and his counsel had reviewed for two years that should have been challenged. He admitted his guilt. When asked whether he was actually guilty, he answered, “Yes.”
We would have preferred a death-penalty trial; we believe fully in the evidence. Instead, BK 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.
There will almost certainly be a hearing; that is how the legal process works. The defendant will get another day in court—a welcome break from solitary confinement: a ride, perhaps different food, photos taken, and the spotlight once again fixed on him and his supposed “innocence.” The real tragedy is this: if even a fraction of the energy spent trying to free a guilty man were directed toward honoring the victims, there would be statues of them on every corner, parks bearing their names, and days set aside to remember the lives they lost at the hands of a narcissist.
https://www.murderhasaname.com/ , https://www.madewithkindnessfoundation.com/, https://www.ethanssmile.org/
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