Steve Goncalves, father of victim Kaylee Goncalves, said he would welcome a retrial after Bryan Kohberger filed to withdraw his guilty plea and seek post-conviction relief. Kohberger, who pleaded guilty to killing four University of Idaho students and received four consecutive life terms without parole, argues the plea produced a miscarriage of justice. Goncalves says he wants accountability but is reluctant to subject his community to the financial and emotional burden of another trial.
Kaylee Goncalves' Father Says He'd Welcome Retrial After Kohberger Seeks To Withdraw Guilty Plea
Kaylee Goncalves’ father would ‘love’ Bryan Kohberger retrial
Steve Goncalves, father of University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves, told NewsNation he would welcome a retrial for Bryan Kohberger after Kohberger filed to withdraw his guilty plea and seek post-conviction relief.
Kohberger, who pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students, was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole for the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle. Two other students in the house that night were unharmed.
Kohberger Seeks To Withdraw Plea
A recent filing in Idaho’s court system indicates Kohberger is pursuing post-conviction relief. Under Idaho law, a court may set aside a conviction and allow withdrawal of a plea to "correct manifest injustice." Through his family, Kohberger told The New York Times that "justice was not served," calling the authorities' account "myopic" and "a work of fiction." He argued the plea prevented a full airing of the case and wrote, "Circumnavigated by a broken plea, the trial never provided the public the clarity conducive to closure, and justice shall remain abjectly miscarried unless that plea is withdrawn."
"My plea was the result of false promises and blatant disinformation," the statement said, according to reporting.
Family Reaction
Speaking on "Jesse Weber Live," Steve Goncalves said his family was not surprised by the filing and called Kohberger’s move "to be expected." He added: "I'd love to have the second shot at the accused murderer. I would love for us to be able to reline him up and hold him accountable to the full extent of what he's done. … I would love it."
Despite his personal feelings, Goncalves emphasized protecting the community and avoiding additional public expense. "So I want to protect my community, and I feel like I can't keep asking for more. We got our chance. We had a weak prosecutor, but I don't want to put our community through another few million dollars," he said.
Goncalves also described Kohberger as an "egomaniac psychopath" and dismissed Kohberger's claim that he was misled about prison life: "If he still wants to know what's waiting for him, he can always write me. I can tell him what some people tell me is waiting for him. It only gets worse. And he's actually got it pretty good right now." He warned that while Kohberger currently receives legal protections, "eventually, he has to be treated like a normal prisoner and those days are going to be pretty scary ahead."
NewsNation's Steph Whiteside contributed to this report.
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