OAN’s Sophia Flores
4:01 PM – Thursday, December 28, 2023
The house where four college students were murdered in November 2022 has been demolished, despite opposition from some of the victims’ families.
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On Thursday, the off-campus college house located in Moscow, Idaho, was demolished. Despite some family members of the victims wanting the house to stay intact for the trial, an excavator began tearing down the residence just before sunset.
However, family members of victims Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20, have been vocal about their opposition to knocking down the house. The families feel that the residence is one of the “most critical pieces of evidence in the case.”
“It is obvious from the two recent visits to the house, by both the Prosecution and the Defense, that there is still evidentiary value in having the King Road house still standing. There may be additional discovery by either party that prompts one side or the other to go back to the scene of the crime,” the Goncalves family said in a statement this month. “Jurors are notoriously unpredictable and they tend to make decisions on a variety of facts and circumstances. It would be foolish of us to try and foresee what they will want or need to make a just verdict in this case.”
The day before the demolition was set, the two families released a statement where they cited eight reasons why the house should stay intact, at least until after the trial concludes.
“We all along have just wanted the King [Road] home to not be demolished until after the trial and for us to have a trial date so that we can look forward to justice being served. Is that really too much to ask?” they questioned.
However, the house’s fate was not up to them, as the owner of the 3-story house gave the property rights to the university after the quadruple homicide took place. It was also the school’s decision to destroy it.
The University of Idaho decided to demolish the home over winter break in order to “to decrease further impact on the students who live in that area.”
“While we appreciate the emotional connection some family members of the victims may have to this house, it is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue,” University President Scott Green said.
In an opposing stance, family members of murder victim Ethan Chapin, 20, supported the decision to tear down the house.
“We’re supportive of the decision to take down the King Street House – for the good of the university, its students (including our own kids), and the community of Moscow,” Chapin’s family said.
The prosecution and legal defense teams have had access to the house for the last two months. Both sides have maintained that they were “done with the house” and “have what they need to bring this case to justice.”
Graduate student Bryan Kohberger was indicted in May on four counts of murder in relation to the stabbings. He has pleased not guilty to the crime.
A date for the trial has not yet been decided.
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