MOSCOW, Idaho — Demolition began Thursday morning on the home where four University of Idaho students were killed last year, despite objections from some of the victims’ families.
Crews began working before dawn to take down the home where Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20; were found stabbed to death on Nov. 13, 2022, the Idaho Statesman reported. The six-bedroom, three-bathroom rental home was almost entirely leveled by 8 a.m., according to the newspaper.
The house was given to the University of Idaho in early 2023 and plans for the demolition began.
Some families opposed the demolition, which is happening ahead of the trial of Bryan Kohberger, a former criminology graduate student at Washington State University who has been charged with murdering the college students, The Associated Press reported. In a statement obtained earlier this month by KTVB, Goncalves’ family urged a halt to the planned demolition.
“Let us ask this: Isn’t it better to have the King Rd. House and not need it than need the house and not have it? That has been our question to the Prosecution and the University of Idaho for the entire time the demo of the King Road (home) has been an issue,” the statement read.
“It is obvious from the two recent visits to the house, by both the Prosecution and the Defense, that there is still evidentiary value in having the King Road house still standing. There may be additional discovery by either party that prompts one side or the other to go back to the scene of the crime.”
Kohberger’s defense team was allowed to access the home earlier this month. Previously, prosecutors told the university that they do not expect they will need the house any longer, according to the AP.
University of Idaho President Scott Green earlier this month called the home “the grim reminder of the heinous act that took place there.”
“While we appreciate the emotional connection some family members of the victims may have to this house, it is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue,” he said.
Kohberger, a Pennsylvania native who was attending school about 10 miles from the scene of the killings in November 2022, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder. He is expected to face trial next year.
