Annie Gimbel
Idaho — His daughter was one of four University of Idaho students reportedly killed by Bryan Kohberger in her off-campus home in 2022. Now Kaylee Goncalves’ father wants to know why Kohberger is receiving what he calls preferential treatment.
“We’re frustrated that he’s being treated with these preferential things, and we can’t find them on paper… show me who made this decision, and I can hold that person accountable,” Steve Goncalves told “Crime Stories” Nancy Grace. “These are elected officials, but if you don’t put it down on paper, it makes it very hard for me to understand who did it.”
The decision to change the venue – and a new judge’s deliberations over whether to change the date of Kohberger’s quadruple murder trial, which for now is set to begin in June 2025 – are among the latest pretrial developments.
“This new judge is doing it by the book,” shared Goncalves. “Everything I’ve seen, I like. We’re not asking him to come in there with a ball and chain and a mask over the top of him… we’re just asking, why is he being treated differently than the criminal who comes in an hour after him?”
Kohberger, a Washington State University graduate student in criminology, was arrested in the killings on December 30, 2022, in his home state of Pennsylvania. He was charged with four counts of murder; a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf in May 2023, and his attorneys have indicated the 29-year-old intends to present an alibi as part of his defense.
The progression of the case was slowed by a series of pre-trial motions and hearings that have frustrated Goncalves.
“Why is he being treated one way as a mass murderer and these other individuals are treated in a different manner,” asked Goncalves.
The hearings largely fall into a few different buckets. One relates to the defense attorneys’ access to evidence, particularly how the prosecution used investigative genetic genealogy in building the case. A second set of hearings concerns Kohberger’s proposed alibi for his innocence. Third, there must be several hearings related to a gag order that restricts what the parties can publicly say about the case.
But for all the pre-trial developments, one unanswered question remains for Goncalves.
"I’ve always heard that the eyes are the opening of a man’s soul. So, yes, I wanted to peer through this man’s soul and understand (the best that it’s possible) what kind of person he is. So, it’s not easy but I have an obligation to understand what this person was thinking when he picked my daughter… it’s a very uncomfortable situation.”
Copyright MSM/CNN
Have a comment or news tip for us?
Reach out and share your story.
