Idaho victim Kaylee Goncalves’ family has broken their silence after quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger waived his right to speedy trial.
In a post to Facebook Goncalves’ grieving family asked supporters to stick with them as they predicted ‘things are going to get rough’ in the coming months.
‘I want to send a HUGE Thank you to EVERYONE that supports us. We TRULY have an ARMY OF LOVE standing right next to us,’ the post reads.
‘There are no words for what you all do for us on a daily basis. I wish I could meet each one or you in person and give you a hug and thank you.
‘Things are going to get rough, please stick with us. We need The Goncalves Army OF LOVE every step of the way. We love you all! God bless!’
Idaho victim Kaylee Goncalves’ family has broken their silence after quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger waived his right to speedy trial
Kohberger had his October trial delayed indefinitely this week when the 28-year-old appeared at a Moscow court to discuss various matters.
He was set to go to trial in the coming months in connection to the grizzly murders of four college students from the University of Idaho, which include Goncalves.
No date was set for the future trial, which could be in a matter of months or even years.
He faces four first-degree murder charges for the November 13 killings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in their off-campus home near the University of Idaho.
Kohberger was asked in court whether he would like to waive his right to a speedy trial to which the defendant replied, ‘Absolutely.’
While the prosecution have been eager for a resolution on the matter, they did not object – agreeing it could be the best option at this time.
The defense said they were not ready to set a new trial date.
A hearing is still set for September 1, where a new trial date is expected to be discussed.
Maddie (left) and Kaylee (right) were described as being ‘inseparable’
Kaylee Goncalves’ parents say they take some comfort in the hope that their daughter’s will to put up a fight against her killer was possibly what helped lead police to the arrest of a suspect
According to Idaho state law, the trial is set to begin within six months of indictment, which occurred in May in this case, or ‘there is an automatic acquittal.’
The defense is expected to file challenges against the grand jury indictment, as well as motions regarding cameras in the courtroom and witness instructions, according to the outlet.
This comes a week after his latest court appearance, when Judge John Judge set a deadline of September 15 for Kohberger to make the decision.
During the all-day hearing, relatives of Goncalves were seen allegedly taunting Kohberger with a pro-death penalty t-shirt.
The hearing saw the alleged quadruple murderer’s defense team justify the alibi presented this month – that he was out driving alone on the night of the murders – and to lay out challenges to the techniques used by authorities to gather DNA evidence.
During a break in the proceedings, one of Goncalves’ family members was seen wearing a t-shirt promoting the firing squad death penalty, according to investigative reporter Kevin Fixler.
(L-R) Housemates Dylan Mortensen, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen (on Kaylee’s shoulders) Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Bethany Funke
In June, prosecutors indicated they would pursue the death penalty against Kohberger. The nation’s struggles to obtain lethal injection drugs could mean he is given death by firing squad.
Fixler added that Kohberger appeared ‘relaxed’ during the proceedings, and even smirked as witnesses joked over scientific terms in the hearing.
Goncalves’ family shared an emotional message on a Facebook page hours before the hearing, expressing fear that Kohberger’s trial would be delayed.
‘Please pray for our family today,’ they wrote. ‘We want to get this trial over. Just thinking it could be years absolutely kills me.’
‘We are afraid he is going to waive his rights to a speedy trial,’ the post read. ‘If he does, trial will not be starting on Oct. 2 and it is very likely that it won’t take place for years.’
Bryan Kohberger, 28, was in court in Moscow for a status conference that saw his lawyers and prosecutors agree to keep the trial date as October 2
While the hearing was closed to the media and public, families of the victims were allowed to attend via Zoom.
The defense has so far focused on scrutinizing the process through which detectives identified Kohberger as a suspect.
Detectives relied on using genetic genealogy to build a profile from the DNA left on a knife sheath at the scene to build the case.
The FBI tracked down Kohberger by tracing his distant relatives through databases that are formed using this process – and then secretly collected a sample of his father’s DNA to confirm his identity.
Police said DNA found on a knife sheath left at the Idaho murders scene is a ‘statistical match’ to a cheek swab taken from the suspect after his arrest.
A sample of DNA left on the sheath is ‘at least 5.37 octillion times more likely to be seen if (the) Defendant is the source than if an unrelated individual randomly selected from the general population is the source,’ prosecutors said in the filing.
During previous hearings, prosecutors insisted Kohberger provide witnesses that can support his alibi.
His defense said that ‘at this time there is not a specific witness to say precisely where Kohberger was’ on the night of the murders.
‘He was out, driving during the late night and early morning hours of November 12-13, 2022,’ attorneys said, adding that he ‘is not claiming to be at a specific location at a specific time.’
Prosecutors have demanded more evidence to prove his alibi, and say that ‘driving in the area’ does not exonerate him and instead places him at the scene.
A white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra seen in the area on CCTV surveillance footage could be used as key evidence in the upcoming trial
A law enforcement source claims that the sheath found at the crime scene matches a 7-inch knife sold by KA-BAR – Police said DNA found on the knife’s sheath is a ‘statistical match’ to a cheek swab taken from Kohberger
Kohberger’s lawyers have claimed he had a habit of ‘going for drives alone at night’ and did so on the night of the killings.
His team has also requested to compel prosecutors to disclose the DNA profiles they will use in court.
The defense also filed a request to delay the court proceedings to allow time to investigate potential procedural issues with the grand jury – who indicted him in May.
Prosecutors also countered with a request to keep DNA profiles protected, while also filing motions over issues in the timeline of Kohberger’s upcoming trial.
Prosecutors are set to lay out a slew of evidence over the alleged crimes.
Apart from the DNA, a key piece of evidence is Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra car, which was allegedly seen in the area in CCTV surveillance footage.
One of the surviving roommates who was not attacked also said she saw the killer, and that he had ‘bushy eyebrows.’
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