Idaho murder case: House where 4 students were killed by suspect Kohberger to be demolished this month
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
MOSCOW, IDAHO: The house on King Road where four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered on November 13, 2022, is scheduled to be demolished later this month.
The heinous crime left Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20 stabbed to death in their beds in the three-story rented home by suspect Bryan Kohberger, 23.
(Zach Wilkinson-Pool/Getty Images, @kayleegoncalves/Instagram, @xanakernodle/Instagram)
University of Idaho students murder house set to be demolished
The accused quadruple killer, Bryan, a former criminology student, was arrested weeks after the November 13, 2022 slayings. His DNA allegedly found on a knife sheath at the crime scene led to his apprehension.
Xana, Madison, and Kaylee had shared the ill-fated residence with two other roommates, both of whom survived the attack while on the first floor.
The three-story residence, stained with the memory of the gruesome act, will be torn down starting on December 28, over 13 months after the chilling discovery of the students' lifeless bodies.
University of Idaho President Scott Green addressed the impending demolition in a school-wide memo, acknowledging the house as a "grim reminder of the heinous act that took place there."
"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," President Green stated.
Victims family pleas to delay demolition
The decision to demolish the house had been in the works since early 2023, following the donation of the property to the university by its owner.
Despite initial reluctance by officials to set a specific date for destruction, the process will now commence during winter break “to decrease further impact on the students who live in that area.”
The decision to proceed with the demolition has faced opposition from the victims' families, who have pleaded to preserve the rental home until after Kohberger's trial concludes.
Attorney Shanon Gray, representing the Goncalves family, emphasized, "The home itself has enormous evidentiary value as well as being the largest, and one of the most important, pieces of evidence in the case," New York Post reports.
As Kohberger awaits trial, his defense team had the opportunity to conduct a final examination of the property for evidence, including photographs, measurements, and drone footage, just a week before the demolition was scheduled to commence.
