Parents of Idaho murder victim speak about the horrific crime detail that still haunts them
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: @kayleegoncalves/Instagram
Bryan Kohberger received four consecutive life sentences after murdering four college students in Idaho in 2022, and the parents of one victim have now opened up about a detail that still haunts them.
The 31-year-old killer is responsible for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, who were all sleeping inside their college home in Moscow, Idaho, when Kohberger stabbed them to death on November 13, 2022.
A Netflix docu-series was made about the murders in 2025, which follows the stories of their families and friends in the aftermath of their passing.
But now, the parents of Goncalves, who was just 21 years old when her life was taken, have spoken bravely about the one detail that still haunts them everyday.
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Despite four years having passed since the murders were committed, investigators have still never been able to establish a clear motive.
Speaking with the Daily Mail, her mother Kristi said: "Not having the motive is very hard. That is something that I still deal with daily.
"I am constantly thinking why? Why our kids? Why that house? When was it the beginning of the end for them - when did he hone in on them and say, this girl or this girl? I'm sure he knew their names, whether or not it was one or two of them he was going after."
Kohberger stabbed Gonclaves a total of 38 times on the night she was killed, including 24 times to her face.
When asked what she would say to her daughter's killer given the chance, she responded: "You know this because you were there. You broke bones in her face. You knocked her teeth out, you broke her nose, her ocular bones were broken. Can you just tell me why?"
She added: "I'm a mother, and you have a mother, too. Can you please just tell me why?"
Her father Steve further questioned: "That's all you would have to do. Explain to us how that happened and what other weapon you used."
To this day, officers have never been able to understand who his target was, or how and why he selected his victims.
Her mom added: "There's still a chance that we could get that answer. He's still alive in prison.
"Maybe one day he'll choose to speak to a journalist, and will spill the beans. Who knows. Maybe he won't. Maybe he'll hold onto it forever. But there's still a chance."