The family of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves has criticized alleged killer Bryan Kohberger’s alibi, feeling that “if it had any weight, it would have been presented months ago.”
Kohberger’s defense came under scrutiny this week after he presented his alibi after months of delays, claiming he couldn’t 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 murders of University of Idaho students Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 , and Ethan Chapin, 20.
In response to the alibi presentation, Gonçalves’ family noted that this means that if Kohberger questions the cell phone data – as his presentation indicated he would – it would be “before or after the time of 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 maintains his innocence.
Kaylee is pictured with her father before his death. The family has called Kohberger’s alibi “not an alibi.”
Kaylee Goncalves’ mother and father have spoken out following the latest update on the case.
The victim’s family posted in response: ‘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 find that you have to hang on to dates, motions and hearings in order to find out anything.
“A big part of this has been waiting for alibi information.
‘Now that we are here we feel even more confident in the prosecution of the accused. The defense’s claim is that [Kohberger] I was driving late at night hiking/running and stargazing.
‘We are not sure why it has taken over a year to come to light, as they do not appear to be complicated activities.
‘We also believe that if this alibi had any weight, it would have been presented months ago. It is also in direct conflict with the probable cause affidavit which states that the 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 the cell phone that he was in a different location, it would be before or after the murders. Therefore, it’s not really an alibi.
‘We continue to hope that justice will be done in this case and we can now put this part of the procedure behind us. Thank you for all your support of our family.”
The Gonçalves family has previously spoken of their frustration over delays in the case, and Kohberger’s defense attorneys have been accused of delaying tactics that have caused the trial date to be pushed back to at least spring 2025.
In December, after another earlier delay, the Gonçalves’ mother, Kristi, said the ongoing process had been “heartbreaking.”
‘Why does this have to be so long?’ she questioned KHQ. “I can’t believe that’s how it works.”
Kohberger is accused of murdering University of Idaho (LR) students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle on November 13, 2022.
The way the killer navigated 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 his possible knowledge of the layout. .
The off-campus house where the four gruesome murders occurred was torn down in December amid delays, despite calls from the victims’ families for it to remain standing.
Boyfriend and girlfriend Ethan Chapin (left) and Xana Kernodle (right) were murdered together in bed in the gruesome November 2022 murders.
Victims’ families have shared their frustration over the endless delays, with the mother of Kaylee Goncalves (left, with Madison Mogen) saying: “It’s heartbreaking how slow everything has to go. Why does this have to be so long?”
On April 17, Kohberger, 28, claimed through his attorneys that he was driving on the night of the Nov. 13, 2022, quadruple murders, as he often did to observe the night sky.
In a newly released court filing, his attorneys said his demanding class schedule at Washington State University meant he had no time for his usual hobbies of running and walking.
Instead, he claims to have taken up night driving 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 tracked Kohberger’s phone to near the house where he allegedly murdered the students, however his attorneys also say they plan to present a cell phone data expert to dispute this.
Last year, Kohberger’s legal team claimed he was driving alone the night of the murders, but declined to offer details.
As the victim’s families spoke of continued delays, a judge ordered a deadline of Wednesday to provide more details, after previously saying the excuse of driving alone was insufficient, calling it an “alleged alibi.”
Now, Kohberger’s lawyers say they have more details about the alibi, but said prosecutors have not shared more information about the discovery as requested.
They claim that without 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 has been withheld.”
Kohberger is due in court on May 14, when a judge will rule on a change of venue motion filed by his attorneys, who say the intense attention to his case in the area would affect the jury’s impartiality.
When Kohberger was arrested in December 2023, more than a month after the murders, police said a key piece of evidence was a white Hyundai seen on surveillance footage driving to and from the scene of the murders that matched Kohberger’s car. .
However, Kohberger’s alibi presentation states that cell phone expert Sy Ray will offer testimony showing that his cell phone did not travel to the house and “therefore, could not be the vehicle captured on video.”
Along with surveillance footage, another key piece of evidence presented by prosecutors is Kohberger’s DNA allegedly found on a knife sheath left during the massacre.
Kohberger’s legal team has come under fire from the families of his alleged victims, amid accusations that they are using delaying tactics to improve his chances at the trial, which remains in its preliminary stages more than a year and a half after the murders.
Although he was initially scheduled to be tried in spring 2024, repeated delays caused a judge in February to push back the trial date until at least spring 2025.