Featured Image Credit: NBC News
Topics: Crime, US News, Bryan Kohberger, Idaho
Emily Brown
The father of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the four Idaho university students killed in a 2022 attack, has spoken out after court documents revealed suspect Bryan Kohberger allegedly took a selfie just hours after the killings.
Reports of the selfie come amid a series of details shared in newly released documents in the case, which centers around Kohberger, a 30-year-old former graduate student in criminology, and the deaths of students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
Investigators believe the four students were killed in their off-campus home in the early hours of the morning on November 13, 2022. As they sought to establish a timeline of events, investigators found a selfie believed to have been taken by Kohberger later on the same morning that the students died.
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The image shows the suspect grinning at the camera, and giving a thumbs-up.
In the wake of the new details, Kaylee's father, Steve Goncalves, spoke to NBC News about how he felt when he saw the image of Kohberger.
The father shared a series of theories about the image, describing it as a 'trophy'.
"He made himself a trophy, he felt like at that point, he had just returned from the crime scene, there was no one there, and he believed- [he was] very confident, [with the] thumbs up," Goncalves said.
"He was gonna look back at that and remember what he got away with," Goncalves continued. "It's a challenge to Idaho to let everybody know that- he thought he could kill people in our state, get away with it.
"[He thought] he was far smarter than everyone else around him and he, you know, he studied it, he was trying to be a PhD in it, so I think it was a challenge to Idaho and I think Idaho will definitely step up and he's going to regret that photo."
During the interview, Goncalves was also asked whether he believed there was 'anyone else' involved in the murder of his daughter and her friends.
He responded: "No. No not at all, there's surveillance all around there. You're gonna clearly see who was coming into the place and exactly when they were leaving... This case is solid, it's super solid and we look forward to it... it's time to pay the piper."
Goncalves admitted it was 'very hard' to continue having new information about the case enter the public eye, but added: "It's good to see the facts."
Kohberger’s trial is expected to begin in August.