Kaylee Goncalves’ Parents Address Bryan Kohberger’s “Twisted” Mind

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Kaylee Goncalves‘ family is airing their grievances.

A week past the time when Bryan Kohberger penned a written confession acknowledging his involvement in the November 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, including Kaylee, her parents voiced their disapproval, underscoring that he wasn’t obligated to offer a written or verbal justification for his criminal actions.

Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee’s mom, expressed on Today on July 18 that she wished the individual in question would have been required to mention the victims’ names instead of just saying ‘yeses’ and ‘noes.’ She explained that doing so would demonstrate a bit more accountability and taking responsibility for his actions, as saying their names, including Kaylee’s name, would be necessary.

Steve Goncalves, father of the undergraduate student, expressed shock upon witnessing Bryan admit guilt for the murders of Kaylee, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

Steve, anticipating that Bryan would face a trial, expressed, “It’s important to demonstrate firmness when four lives have been taken. Remarkably, he wasn’t called upon to take a stance.

I’m expressing a sentiment here: if anyone targets children, there will be a strong response. People will not hesitate to take decisive action to ensure that the perpetrator faces the toughest possible consequences.

Despite being given limited information about the circumstances surrounding their 21-year-old daughter’s murder by investigators, Steve is confident that Bryan, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders and an additional 10 years for burglary, will open up about his thoughts in due time.

He believes that by delving into his disturbed psyche, we’ll uncover secrets,” he stated. “He plans on documenting this, conducting in-depth interviews with his family and select individuals. This is the method through which we will gain insight.

Steve and Kristi are still searching for answers, over two years after Kaylee’s death.

He insisted that he’d prefer to get the information directly from the investigators, rather than through the media. It’s important for us to have all the specifics, and we should not be deprived of such knowledge.

The Goncalves felt confident that fairness would have been upheld within the courtroom. Steve also expressed his trust in the court system, stating, “I have faith in our courts. I have faith in our juries, and that’s what we had planned to proceed with.

He clarified that they were planning to face trial during the summer, and had scheduled 250 hours for it. However, with this recent turn of events, they are trying to understand it better. Despite everything, they remain a family and must continue taking care of themselves. They’re choosing to move forward.

Although Bryan consents to the plea bargain, Judge Steven Hippler still has the authority to determine if he will approve the deal. The sentencing is set for July 23rd.

For more details on Kohberger’s trial, keep reading. 

The following individuals – Kaylee Goncalves (age 21), Madison Mogen (also 21), Xana Kernodle (age 20), and Ethan Chapin (her boyfriend, also 20) – were all students at the University of Idaho, residing in an apartment off-campus.

On November 12th, 2022 (the evening before their bodies were discovered), Goncalves and Mogen were at a nearby sports bar, while Kernodle and Chapin attended Chapin’s fraternity party. By 2 a.m. on the 13th of November, all four roommates and Chapin had returned to their shared three-story rental house.

Goncalves, who was a senior studying general subjects at the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, was anticipated to graduate in December. Afterward, she planned to move to Austin, Texas, for work at a marketing company, as her friend Jordyn Quesnell shared with The New York Times.

Back in the sixth grade, Mogen, who had a passion for marketing, formed a deep friendship with Goncalves. After completing her studies, Mogen intended to relocate to Boise upon graduation, as family friend Jessie Frost revealed to The Idaho Statesman.

At that point, Kernodle was a junior studying marketing, as stated. She and Chapin, who specialized in recreation, sport, and tourism management, had been in a relationship since the spring, according to their neighbor, Ellie McKnight, as reported to NBC News.

Two individuals sharing living quarters, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were at home during the reported murders. Text messages, which became public on March 6, 2025, show that Mortensen and Funke attempted to reach their roommates on November 13 after Mortensen claimed to have spotted a masked individual roaming around their house, as suggested by documents acquired by TopMob News.

“No one is answering,” Mortensen texted Funke at 4:22 a.m. “I’m rlly confused rn.”

She persistently contacted her roommates, encouraging them to get back to her. At 4:32 a.m., she messaged Goncalves with “Pls respond,” and later at 10:23 a.m., she asked “Are you awake?

Around 11:58 a.m., a 911 call was made following the discovery of Kernodle being unresponsive. This information was gathered from an extra court filing by TopMob News. In the call transcript, a woman identified as A1 reported the ongoing situation to the operator.

She stated over the phone, “One of our flatmates is unconscious from being intoxicated last night and they can’t be roused.” They reported seeing a stranger in their residence during the previous night.

Bryan Kohberger, the individual who was arrested for four charges of first-degree murder and one charge of burglary, was pursuing his doctoral degree at Washington State University. Approximately a month after the gruesome discovery of the bodies of Gonclaves, Mogen, Kernodle, and Chapin, Kohberger was detained on December 30th in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. He was transferred to Idaho on January 4th, 2023.

It was through DNA evidence found on a knife sheath left behind at the crime scene that authorities linked him to the murders, as reported by NBC News in their court documents from June 2023.

In case the DNA didn’t find a match in the FBI database, the authorities cross-referenced it with public ancestry websites to generate a pool of possible suspects, as stated in the documents. Subsequently, once they discovered Kohberger had visited his parents’ residence in Monroe County, local officials sifted through their trash and identified DNA traces that linked him to the one found on the sheath.

Currently, no clear reason for the attack has been disclosed, and a court order restricts those involved in the investigation from making public statements. Nevertheless, recently unveiled court records offer some understanding of their early defense strategies.

In a motion reviewed by TopMob News, lawyers for Kohberger requested the removal of the death penalty option. This is because, if found guilty on all charges, Kohberger could potentially face capital punishment. However, it was stated that Kohberger has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). If he were to be executed, this would allegedly breach the Eighth Amendment’s ban on “inhumane and uncommon punishments.

In simpler terms, the defense stated that Kohbereger tends to think in a very inflexible manner, repeatedly focuses on certain subjects, handles information fragmentedly, finds it hard to anticipate future events, and shows limited understanding of his own actions and feelings.

In the argument presented, it is stated that due to Mr. Kohberger’s Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), he struggles to conform to societal norms as typically expected. This issue raises significant concerns about him potentially facing the death penalty based on his disability rather than his level of involvement in any wrongdoing.

At first, the court entered a not-guilty plea for Kohberger during his May 2023 arraignment since he chose not to speak. Despite his trial being scheduled for Oct 2, 2023, Kohberger opted out of having a speedy trial in August 2023.

The commencement of his trial, initially arranged for Ada County over 300 miles away from Latah County, the scene of the murders, was fixed for August 11, 2025.

Previously, Latah County Judge John Judge decided to grant the transfer request submitted by Kohberger’s legal team in September 2024 due to concerns about potential bias if the trial stayed in Latah County.

In the ongoing trial, Judge Steven Hippler refused the defense’s plea to exclude crucial DNA evidence, cell phone and email records, CCTV footage, purchasing history from Amazon, and DNA evidence.

On June 30, 2025, the trial for charges against Kohberger was unexpectedly halted when he opted to accept a plea bargain proposed by prosecutors. In doing so, Kohberger consented to admit guilt for four murder charges and one burglary charge, relinquish his right to appeal, and request a less severe prison term.

On July 2, 2025, he admitted his guilt in court, answering affirmatively when the judge inquired whether he intentionally, illegally, deliberately, and with prior planning and malicious intent took the lives of all four victims.

On March 2025, a selfie taken by Kohberger the day following the murders emerged. The picture, featuring him smiling in front of a shower and giving a thumbs up, matches the description provided by a witness referred to as “D.M.” in court documents. This witness stated that the suspect had thick eyebrows.

Steve Gonclaves, Kaylee’s father, later commented on the image, referring to it as a “trophy,” during an interview on Fox and Friends.

Goncalves stated, “I’m aware of the sequence of events. He had arrived back at the crime scene, and it struck him then that no one had phoned for emergency help.

In simpler terms, he explained, “For him, it’s a small memento signifying, ‘I managed to get away with it, no one is after me.’

In a 2025 Dateline documentary regarding the murders, a previous classmate of Kohberger’s described an unusual text she got from him following their encounter at a gathering.

Holly shared that she felt slightly compelled to talk to him, as he appeared a bit uncomfortable,” she said. “You know, much like how a PhD student might feel who was alone at the gathering and was making an effort to mingle and forge connections.

The following day, Holly said she received a text from him, which she described as overly formal. 

Hey there! It seems like we discussed hiking trips yesterday based on the information from Dateline. I love going on those adventures, so if you’re still up for it, do let me know. Cheers!

In the aforementioned “Dateline” documentary, it was discovered that Kohberger’s internet searches encompassed topics like Ted Bundy, Britney Spears’ song titled “Criminal”, and the “Murders at the University of Idaho”.

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2025-07-18 19:47