Latest news with #KayleeGoncalves
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
With no motive, Idaho killings leave families, prosecutor and judge wondering why
Kaylee Goncalves' family expressed criticism and fury. Xana Kernodle's aunt tried empathy and forgiveness. Yet, despite their 'good cop-bad cop' efforts, Bryan Kohberger remained silent and 'respectfully' declined to give any insight into why he fatally stabbed four University of Idaho students in the overnight hours of November 13, 2022. Kohberger was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences and was quietly escorted out of the courtroom, leaving behind a courtroom of heartbroken families, prosecutors and a judge still unable to process that all-important yet elusive question: Why? Why did this criminology grad student plan and carry out this heinous attack against people with whom he had no apparent connection? 'So we don't have a motive. We don't have anything that has said, 'here's why' or 'here's the reason,'' Idaho State Police Lt. Darren Gilbertson told CNN. 'We just don't have that.' Legally, motive is not a requirement for a criminal charge. Still, understanding what motivates a mass killer can help prevent future attacks and can satisfy our natural human curiosity. The lack of an answer from either Kohberger or investigators has cast a pall over the guilty plea and sentencing, leaving everyone but the man himself in the dark. In the face of that unclear motive, those close to the case have responded by expressing anger at him, attempting to bargain with him, or by grappling with the likelihood they may never know why. 'Even if we could get truthful insight into his why, I suspect it would not in any way quench one's thirst for actually understanding why in the first instance,' Judge Steven Hippler said in court. 'Because there is no reason for these crimes that could approach anything resembling rationality. No conceivable reason could make any sense.' Kohberger was first arrested in December 2022 in connection with the killings, and a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. After more than two years of pre-trial hearings and rulings, he agreed to plead guilty to charges of burglary and first-degree murder in exchange for a sentence of life in prison, thereby avoiding the death penalty. Yet, the plea agreement did not necessitate that Kohberger disclose any details about the murders or explain his actions – a decision that polarized the victims' families. At his sentencing hearing, the victims and families repeatedly expressed their frustration at not getting any answers to their questions. The sister of Kaylee Goncalves, Alivea, criticized Kohberger's motives as 'shallow' and listed about two dozen questions 'that reverberate violently in my own head so loudly that I can't think straight, most any day.' 'How was your life right before you murdered my sisters? Did you prepare for the crime before leaving your apartment? Please detail what you were thinking and feeling at this time,' she said. 'Why did you choose my sisters?' she asked, referring to Kaylee and her best friend, Madison Mogen. Steve Goncalves, Kaylee's father, turned the lectern to face Kohberger in his impact statement. 'The world's watching because of the kids, not because of you. Nobody cares about you,' he said. At the opposite end of the spectrum was Kim Kernodle, the aunt of Xana Kernodle, who offered Kohberger forgiveness in her attempt to get him to speak. 'Bryan, I am here today to tell you that I have forgiven you, because I can no longer live with that hate in my heart, and for me to become a better person, I have forgiven you,' she said. 'And anytime you want to talk and tell me what happened, you have my number. I'm here, no judgment, because I do have questions that I want you to answer. I'm here. I'll be that one that will listen to you, OK?' Bethany Funke, a roommate of the four slain students, wrote a statement – read aloud by a friend – about her survivor's guilt. 'I hated and still hate that they are gone, but for some reason, I am still here and I got to live. I still think about this every day. Why me? Why did I get to live and not them?' Funke wrote. It wasn't just the victims and their families who expressed frustration over the lack of motive – an investigator, prosecutor, and judge did as well. For example, Lt. Gilbertson, the lead investigator, told CNN the question of motive was the 'biggest' of all. 'But the reality is, often we don't get the answers to the why. And I think even in some instances – and I think this certainly could be one of those – the 'why' from him may make no sense at all to us and not even be explainable or understandable,' he said. Similarly, in issuing the sentence, Judge Hippler said, 'We may never know' the 'why' of the attacks. 'I share the desire expressed by others to understand the 'why,' but upon reflection, it seems to me, and this is just my own opinion, that by continuing to focus on 'why' we continue to give Mr. Kohberger relevance,' he said. 'We give him agency and we give him power. 'The need to know what is inherently not understandable makes us dependent upon the defendant to provide us with a reason, and that gives him the spotlight, the attention, and the power he appears to crave.' Hippler said he cannot legally force Kohberger to speak and said any comments he would make may or may not be the truth. 'And in the end, the more we struggle to seek explanation for the unexplainable, the more we try to extract a reason, the more power and control we give to him,' he said. 'In my view, the time has now come to end Mr. Kohberger's 15 minutes of fame. It's time that he be consigned to the ignominy and isolation of perpetual incarceration.' Speaking after the sentence, prosecutor Bill Thompson said he didn't require Kohberger to speak to the court as part of the plea deal because he didn't think he would tell the truth. 'I don't believe that there's anything that would come out of his mouth that would be the truth,' Thompson said. 'I don't believe that there's anything that would come out of his mouth that would be anything other than self-serving, and I don't believe there's anything that would come out of his mouth that would not further victimize the families.' When asked directly by CNN's Jake Tapper why Kohberger did it, Thompson said flatly he didn't know. 'I don't know that we'll ever know,' he said. 'And I can tell you, early on, working with the behavioral experts – the profilers, if you will, from the FBI – they told us that in a case like this it's likely that we would never know the real reasons for why it happened, and even if the perpetrator shared those, it's likely they would not make sense to anybody else. It would be something that had significance only in his own mind. 'So we knew going in that the likelihood of being able to understand exactly why he did this wasn't real.' CNN's Alaa Elassar, Maureen Chowdhury and Jean Casarez contributed to this report.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
‘He was mad': Detail we missed as killer confronted in court
The young woman who bravely confronted her sister's killer as he was jailed for life has detailed the moment we all missed in the blistering courtroom take-down. Alivea Goncalves, sister of murdered Kaylee Goncalves, has opened up about her decision to give Bryan Kohberger a verbal shakedown during his sentencing. Kohberger was given four consecutive life sentences after he snuck into the shared home of Idaho State University students Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Ethan Chapin, 20 in Moscow, Idaho. All four were stabbed to death in their beds by Kohberger, now 30, at around 4am on November 13, 2022. Two other flatmates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were unharmed, despite Kohberger being seemingly aware they were there. Kohberger agreed to a plea deal on July 2 that saw him admit to the murders and waive his right to appeal in exchange for not getting the death penalty. The legal move left some of the victim's families outraged, including the Goncalves', prompting family members to channel that anger during their powerful, and unforgettable, victim impact statements. Videos of Alivea's blistering take-down of Kohberger, which saw the 26-year-old call him 'a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser', quickly went viral around the world – with many praising her courage. She has now spoken out about her brave statement, revealing she was 'fuelled by seeing the rage on his face', as well as revealing the detail we all missed. 'I had one shot at it and I was gonna make the most of it,' she told ABC News. 'I went off memory because I didn't want to break eye contact. 'Man … was he mad. That was obviously a big point of why I did what I did, to make him feel small.' Alivea added that she was 'prepared to be arrested' for telling Kohberger he was 'as dumb as they come, stupid, clumsy, slow, sloppy, weak, dirty'. But at one point during her victim impact statement, Kohberger appeared to take sick pleasure in the verbal lashing — flashing a slight grin at Alivea. Other than that brief moment, he wore a blank expression on his face through the entire proceeding despite Alivea's powerful statement. He also stayed silent when he was given the chance to address the court, stating: 'I respectfully decline.' Her comments come after police reports taken from the scene were made public, revealing Ms Goncalves – who was murdered alongside her lifelong best friend Maddie Mogen – was stabbed more than 30 times and had defensive wounds on her body. The 21-year-old was described as 'unrecognisable as her facial structure was extremely damaged,' the documents stated, a 'gruesome and graphic' detail Alivea said the family wanted made public to let people know 'Kaylee absolutely fought for her life'. During the courtroom confrontation, Alivea drew a large applause as she ordered Kohberger to 'sit up straight when I talk to you'. 'Let me be very clear. Don't ever try to convince yourself you mattered just because someone finally said your name out loud,' she told the convicted killer. 'I see through you. 'You want the truth? Here's the one you'll hate the most: If you hadn't attacked them in their sleep, in the middle of the night like a paedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your f***ing ass.' Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee's mum, also delivered a colourful condemnation of her daughter's murderer. 'Your fellow inmates will be awaiting your arrival,' she said. While father Steve Goncalves labelled him a 'joke' while ridiculing the lazy trail of evidence he left behind at the scene of his gruesome quadruple murder. known as 'one of America's worst hellhole prisons'. Conditions are said to be extremely tough at the jail, which was reportedly opened in 1989 to confine the state's 'most disruptive male residents', with inmates given little access to home comforts. Kohberger's first meal in notorious prison Prisoners have access to basic food services at the unit, including various selective diets, such as vegetarian menus and a 'healthy choice' option. For vegan inmates like Kohberger, vegan barley casserole, baked beans and canned fruit are on offer. On Wednesday night, the day of his arrival, the menu included hotdogs, salad and Jello pie, a prison official told the New York Post. A photo shared on the Idaho Department of Correction of a meal served at IMSI shows a red tray, featuring a main meal, a side, as well as a salad and dessert along with a drink. Kohberger, who was previously being held at the Ada County Jail in Boise during his trial, is now expected to live out his days at IMSI — the state's only max security prison. Inside the 'hellhole' prison The IMSI is reportedly 'tucked away in a desolate area on the outskirts of the state's capital' and has earned a grim reputation for its harsh conditions. In the past the prison has seen allegations of abusive guards, experienced violent brawls, and is said to have had complaints from inmates over its faeces-covered recreation 'cages' and a dirty ventilation system described as being 'biohazard'. Two of Idaho's most notorious serial killers — Gerald Pizzuto and Thomas Eugene Creech — are also serving time there, along with doomsday cult killer Chad Daybell.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Sister of Idaho murder victim says she was set to be ‘arrested' for statement at Bryan Kohberger's sentencing
Alivea Goncalves revealed she was bracing to be arrested as she addressed the man who fatally stabbed four University of Idaho students, including her younger sister, Kaylee Goncalves. Bryan Kohberger, 30, was sentenced to life in prison last week after he pleaded guilty to murdering Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in their off-campus home on November 13, 2022. Judge Steven Hippler handed Kohberger four consecutive life sentences without the chance of parole and a decade for burglary. At his sentencing, the victims' loved ones had a chance to address the court and Kohberger. Alivea Goncalves used the opportunity to lay into her sister's killer, demanding he 'sit up straight' as she labeled him a 'sociopath, psychopath, murderer' in a speech that earned applause from others in the courtroom. 'The truth is, you're basic,' Alivea Goncalves told Kohberger. 'Let me be very clear: Don't ever try to convince yourself you matter just because someone finally said your name out loud. I see through you.' 'You want the truth? Here's the one you'll hate the most: If you hadn't attacked them in their sleep, in the middle of the night, like a pedophile, Kaylee would've kicked your f***ing ass,' she added. Alivea Goncalves told ABC News she was 'prepared to be arrested that day.' 'I'm not joking, I think that every single one of us were,' she said in an interview that aired Monday. 'Man, was he mad,' she added. 'That was obviously a big point of why I did what I did, to make him feel small.' Kaylee Goncalves's parents also unleashed on Kohberger. Her mother, Kristi Goncalves, told Kohberger he is 'nothing,' calling him the 'property of the state of Idaho' and wishing him a life of 'misery.' Steve Goncalves, her father, similarly told Kohberger that 'nobody cares' about him. 'From this moment, we'll forget you,' Steve Goncalves said. 'You tried to plant fear, you tried to divide us. You failed. You united everyone in their disgust for you.' Alivea Goncalves said she researched Kohberger ahead of the speech, which she gave from memory to maintain eye contact with her sister's killer. 'I mean, I stalked the stalker,' she told ABC News. 'I found everything that I could from him online from the beginning of time to now. It fueled me to know that I got you pegged. I had one shot at it, and I was going to make the most of it.' She also revealed she cut some remarks from her speech after realizing Kohberger's mother and sister were in the courtroom. "I didn't anticipate his mother and sister being there," Alivea Goncalves said. "And I had specific lines that were directed towards his relationship with his mother and directed towards the shame that he has caused his family, and how the ultimate move of a coward is for him to sit behind bars while the rest of his family has to bear the real weight, the shame of what he's done." Judge Steven Hippler was emotional during the hearing and called the murders acts of 'unspeakable evil.' Kohberger, who has rarely spoken in court, declined to give a statement at the sentencing and his motive remains unknown. "The more we struggle to seek explanation for the unexplainable, the more power and control we give to him," Hippler said. "In my view, the time has now come to end Mr. Kohberger's 15 minutes of fame." The Goncalves family previously condemned the plea deal that prosecutors offered Kohberger, which allowed him to admit to the crimes and avoid the death penalty. The trial was set to begin in August, just over a month after he accepted the deal. 'We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho,' the family said in a June statement. 'They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected. We appreciate all your love and support.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Kaylee Goncalves' Sister Alivea Says She Was 'Prepared to Be Arrested' After Statement at Bryan Kohberger's Sentencing
"I had one shot at it, and I was going to make the most of it," Alivea said of the powerful victim impact statement she delivered Alivea Goncalves opened up about the powerful victim impact statement that she made at Bryan Kohberger's sentencing for the murder of four University of Idaho students, including her sister Kaylee Goncalves. On Wednesday, July 23, Kohberger was sentenced to four life terms in prison for the November 2022 murders of Kaylee, 21; Maddie Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. During the sentencing, multiple people who were close to the victims delivered statements, including Alivea who spoke directly at Kohberger. "You want the truth? Here's the one you'll hate the most. If you hadn't attacked them in their sleep, in the middle of the night like a pedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your f------ ass," she told him. On July 28, Alivea reflected on the statement during an interview with Good Morning America and confessed that she was concerned at one point that she might get in trouble for what she had to say. "I was prepared to be arrested that day," she said, adding, "I think that every single one of us were." She added that she was "fueled by the rage on his face" as she spoke to him. "Man, was he mad. "That was obviously a big point of why I did what I did. To make him feel small because he is. It actually makes me really emotional. I got up there knowing that my speech wasn't to Kaylee and Maddie. It was for them," she said. Alivea memorized her statement so that she could deliver it while maintaining eye contact with Kohberger, GMA reported. "I had one shot at it, and I was going to make the most of it," she said, adding that she did a lot of work in advance to prepare something to say. That entailed doing research on Kohberger. "I mean, I stalked the stalker. I found everything that I could online from the beginning of time to now. It fueled me to know that I got you pegged," she explained. Before she was killed, Kaylee told multiple people about incidents of someone watching her. Dylan Mortensen, who survived the attack and also delivered a victim impact statement, told the Moscow Police Department shortly after the murders that Kaylee told her "an individual was following her" weeks before she died, while she had also mentioned seeing a shadow while out walking her dog Murphy a month before. During her speech, Alivea took direct aim at Kohberger while remembering her sister and Kaylee's best friend Maddie. "They were everything that you could never be — loved, accepted, vibrant, accomplished, brave and powerful," she said while describing Kohberger as "painfully average." "You aren't profound, you're pathetic," she said. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Speaking to NewsNation after the statement, Alivea compared speaking to Kohberger to being "face to face with an alien." "I'm not intimidated by him, truly, I'm not, but…there's a primal sense of alarm, like my body was telling me, 'Run, get out. This is a threat,' " she shared. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Kaylee Goncalves' Sister Alivea Says She Was 'Prepared to Be Arrested' After Statement at Bryan Kohberger's Sentencing
"I had one shot at it, and I was going to make the most of it," Alivea said of the powerful victim impact statement she delivered Alivea Goncalves opened up about the powerful victim impact statement that she made at Bryan Kohberger's sentencing for the murder of four University of Idaho students, including her sister Kaylee Goncalves. On Wednesday, July 23, Kohberger was sentenced to four life terms in prison for the November 2022 murders of Kaylee, 21; Maddie Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. During the sentencing, multiple people who were close to the victims delivered statements, including Alivea who spoke directly at Kohberger. "You want the truth? Here's the one you'll hate the most. If you hadn't attacked them in their sleep, in the middle of the night like a pedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your f------ ass," she told him. On July 28, Alivea reflected on the statement during an interview with Good Morning America and confessed that she was concerned at one point that she might get in trouble for what she had to say. "I was prepared to be arrested that day," she said, adding, "I think that every single one of us were." She added that she was "fueled by the rage on his face" as she spoke to him. "Man, was he mad. "That was obviously a big point of why I did what I did. To make him feel small because he is. It actually makes me really emotional. I got up there knowing that my speech wasn't to Kaylee and Maddie. It was for them," she said. Alivea memorized her statement so that she could deliver it while maintaining eye contact with Kohberger, GMA reported. "I had one shot at it, and I was going to make the most of it," she said, adding that she did a lot of work in advance to prepare something to say. That entailed doing research on Kohberger. "I mean, I stalked the stalker. I found everything that I could online from the beginning of time to now. It fueled me to know that I got you pegged," she explained. Before she was killed, Kaylee told multiple people about incidents of someone watching her. Dylan Mortensen, who survived the attack and also delivered a victim impact statement, told the Moscow Police Department shortly after the murders that Kaylee told her "an individual was following her" weeks before she died, while she had also mentioned seeing a shadow while out walking her dog Murphy a month before. During her speech, Alivea took direct aim at Kohberger while remembering her sister and Kaylee's best friend Maddie. "They were everything that you could never be — loved, accepted, vibrant, accomplished, brave and powerful," she said while describing Kohberger as "painfully average." "You aren't profound, you're pathetic," she said. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Speaking to NewsNation after the statement, Alivea compared speaking to Kohberger to being "face to face with an alien." "I'm not intimidated by him, truly, I'm not, but…there's a primal sense of alarm, like my body was telling me, 'Run, get out. This is a threat,' " she shared. Read the original article on People
