Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves—one of the four university students murdered in Idaho in 2022—has condemned the plea agreement accepted by Bryan Kohberger, expressing frustration that the victims’ families were not consulted on its terms.
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Kohberger appeared in court on Wednesday, 2 July 2025, where he pleaded guilty to the killings that shocked the college town of Moscow, Idaho. The plea deal ensures that Kohberger will serve a life sentence in prison, avoiding the death penalty.
Speaking outside the courthouse, Mr Goncalves voiced his anger, saying: “We didn’t agree to this. We didn’t agree on any of it.” He also claimed that prosecutors failed to show the “common courtesy” of engaging with the families before finalising the deal.
According to Mr Goncalves, all four families of the victims shared concerns about the process, feeling excluded from critical decisions. He criticised the lack of transparency and argued that the state’s legal team had made the decision without input from those most affected.
Kaylee Goncalves was among four students—alongside Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin—who were found stabbed to death in an off-campus residence in December 2022. The case garnered international attention and sparked months of investigation before Kohberger, a PhD student in criminology, was arrested and charged.
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While the plea deal brings legal closure to a highly publicised and emotionally charged case, it has left many grieving relatives feeling sidelined. Prosecutors have yet to comment in detail on why the plea deal was agreed without direct consultation with the families. Mr Goncalves concluded his statement with a call for greater inclusion of victims’ families in the justice process: “This wasn’t justice done with us. It was justice done to us.”
