The family of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves has ripped into prosecutors after receiving notice of suspected killer Bryan Kohberger’s expected plea deal.
Goncalves was one of four University of Idaho students brutally stabbed to death in their Moscow rental home in November 2022.
Kohberger, who is accused of all four killings, is expected to take a plea deal this week to avoid the death penalty and instead spend the rest of his life in prison. The families of the victims reportedly received notice of the plea deal Monday.
The Goncalves family wrote on Facebook Monday evening, “It's true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected. We appreciate all your love and support.”
NewsNation’s Brian Entin reported, citing unnamed sources, that the prosecution had proposed dropping the death penalty in exchange for Kohberger pleading guilty to the murders and serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Kohberger is expected to be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences for the murder counts and the maximum penalty of 10 years for the burglary count, according to ABC News. He is expected to waive all rights to appeal.
Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI agent who has been monitoring the Idaho murders, reacted to Kohberger’s expected guilty plea, writing on X: “Many thought he might plead to avoid the firing squad.”
She said she had “mixed feelings”, adding, “All I care about is justice for the #Idaho4.”
Kay Woodcock, the grandmother of JJ Vallow — who was killed by his mom, Lori Vallow Daybell, alongside his sister Tylee Ryan — said she understood the Goncalves' feelings about the guilty plea.
“I can understand their anguish, anger, disillusionment, powerlessness, paralyzing pain like they’re losing their loved ones all over AGAIN. These talks arose for us & thankfully nothing happened. They are in my prayers,” Woodcock wrote on X Monday night.
Vallow Daybell was convicted over the murders of her children in May 2023 and is serving multiple life terms in prison without a possibility of parole.
Prosecutors said they met with available family members last week about the potential plea deal, according to a letter sent to relatives, and obtained by ABC News.
"This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family,” the letter read. "This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction, appeals.”
It continued: “Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making process, and we hope that you may come to appreciate why we believe this resolution is in the best interest of justice."
The youngest member of the Goncalves family, 18-year-old Aubrie, said in a statement shared by the family on Facebook Monday night, “The system has failed these four innocent victims and their families.”
“The introduction of this plea deal, just weeks before the scheduled trial, is both shocking and cruel,” she said. “Had this proposal come a year and a half ago, the families could have had time to process, discuss, and potentially come to terms with the idea of a life sentence—however difficult that may be.”
Aubrie continued: “Bryan Kohberger facing a life in prison means he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world. Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever. That reality stings more deeply when it feels like the system is protecting his future more than honoring the victims’ pasts.”
Kohberger, who was a PhD criminology student at Washington State University, was arrested in Pennsylvania in late December 2022. Police say his DNA was found on a knife sheath that was left at the crime scene. The murder weapon was never recovered.
Roommates Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, were killed in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022.
Two other roommates, Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen, were inside the home when the murders occurred, but were unharmed.
In March, audio from a 911 call made on the day of the killings was released.
Mortensen was heard on the call saying, “Something happened in our house. We don’t know what.”
A female neighbor also chimed in: “They saw some man in their house last night.”
Kohberger’s trial was set to begin on August 18. A hearing for a change of plea is scheduled for Wednesday.
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