The family of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves has criticized alleged killer Bryan Kohberger’s alibi, saying “if he had any weight, he would have been subdued months ago.”
Kohberger’s defense came under scrutiny this week after he submitted his alibi after months of delay, in which he claimed he could not have committed the quadruple murders because he was driving “to see the moon and the stars “.
Prosecutors say his phone was turned off between 2:47 a.m. and 4:48 a.m. the night of the killings of University of Idaho students Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20 years old.
In response to the alibi request, Goncalves’ family pointed out that this meant that if Kohberger disputed the cellphone data — as his filing indicated — it would be “either before or after the murders.”
“So it’s not really an alibi,” they said.
Kohberger (pictured during his extradition in January 2023), a doctoral student in criminology, has remained behind bars since his arrest as he pleads his innocence.
Kaylee is pictured with her father before his death. Family calls Kohberger’s alibi ‘not an alibi’
Kaylee Goncalves’ mother and father speak out following latest case update
The victim’s family responded: “We have been waiting for this information for months and it has finally arrived.
“It is very difficult not to know anything about the case and you have to hang on to dates, motions and hearings to understand anything.
“A lot of this has been waiting for information on the alibi.
“Now that we are here, we feel even more confident in the prosecution of the accused. The Defense’s contention is that (Kohberger) was driving late at night, hiking/running and stargazing.
“We don’t know why it took more than a year for this to be published, because these activities don’t seem complicated.”
“We also believe that if this alibi had any weight, it would have been submitted months ago. This also directly conflicts with the probable cause affidavit which states that defendant’s phone was turned off between 2:47 a.m. and 4:48 a.m.
“So if the defendant was driving and there is information on his cell phone that he was in a different location, it would either be before or after the murders. So it’s not really an alibi.
“We continue to look forward to justice in this matter and can now put this part of the proceedings behind us.” Thank you for all your support of our family.
Goncalves’ family has previously expressed frustration over delays in the case, with Kohberger’s defense attorneys accused of delaying tactics that saw the trial date pushed back until at least spring 2025.
In December, after another delay, the Goncalves’ mother, Kristi, said the ongoing process was “heartbreaking.”
“Why does it have to take so long? » she asked KHQ. “I can’t believe it works like this.”
Kohberger is charged with the murder of University of Idaho (LR) students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle on November 13, 2022.
The manner in which the killer headed to the three-story house to kill the four students – who were sleeping in separate rooms and floors – in the early hours of a November morning has raised questions about his motives and knowledge potential of the arrangement.
The off-campus house where the four grisly murders took place was demolished in December due to delays, despite pleas from the victims’ families for it to remain standing.
Boyfriend and girlfriend Ethan Chapin (left) and Xana Kernodle (right) were killed together in bed in the gruesome November 2022 murders.
Victims’ families shared their frustration over the endless delays, with mother Kaylee Goncalves (left, with Madison Mogen) saying: “It’s heartbreaking how slowly everything has to go.” Why does it have to take so long?
On April 17, Kohberger, 28, claimed through his lawyers that he was driving the night of the quadruple murder on November 13, 2022 – as he often did to observe the night sky.
In a newly released court filing, his lawyers said his busy course schedule at Washington State University meant he had no time for his usual hobbies, namely running and hiking.
Instead, he claims he began driving at night as a hobby and says phone records will show he frequently drove in the countryside near Wawai County Park in Whitman County.
Prosecutors say they have located Kohberger’s phone near the house where he allegedly murdered the students, but his lawyers also say they plan to present a cellphone information expert to dispute that information.
Last year, Kohberger’s legal team claimed he was driving alone the night of the killings, but declined to elaborate.
As victims’ families spoke out about continued delays, a judge ordered a Wednesday deadline to provide more details, after previously saying the driving-alone excuse was insufficient – calling it a “so-called alibi.”
Kohberger’s lawyers now say they have more details about the alibi, but say prosecutors have not shared more information as requested.
They claim that without the discovery evidence, the cell phone expert’s testimony “will also reveal that critical exculpatory evidence, further corroborating Mr. Kohberger’s alibi, was not preserved or was withheld.”
Kohberger is scheduled to appear in court on May 14, when a judge will rule on a change of venue motion filed by his lawyers, who say the fervent attention to his case in the region would impact the impartiality of the jury.
When Kohberger was arrested in December 2023, more than a month after the murders, cops said a key piece of evidence was a white Hyundai seen in surveillance footage driving to and from the scene of the murders that matched Kohberger’s car.
However, Kohberger’s alibi claims that cell phone expert Sy Ray will offer testimony showing that his cell phone did not go toward the house and therefore “could not have been the vehicle captured on video.”
Besides the surveillance footage, another key piece of evidence brought forward by prosecutors is Kohberger’s DNA allegedly found on a knife sheath left during the massacre.
Kohberger’s legal team has been criticized by the families of his alleged victims, saying they were using delaying tactics to improve his chances at trial, which is still in its early stages more than a year and a half after the murders.
Although he was initially scheduled to go to trial in spring 2024, repeated delays led a judge in February to push the court date back to at least spring 2025.
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