Kaylee Goncalves‘ family is reacting to the news that convicted killer Bryan Kohberger plans to withdraw his guilty plea one year after he admitted to killing Goncalves and her fellow Idaho college students Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
“‘The mosquito you just can’t seem to swat’ — that is what Kohberger and his following have become to this family,” Goncalves’ family began in a statement shared by journalist Brian Entin via X just hours Kohberger, 31, told the New York Times that he filed a petition to withdraw his guilty plea.
The family said that “the piece had little else to offer beyond a guilty man once again claiming he is innocent.” They went on to argue that “nowhere in the story — or in Kohberger’s own statement — does he not acknowledge that he ‘knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently’ admitted to murdering the four victims of this tragedy: Kaylee, Maddie, Xana, and Ethan.”
“He appeared in court for a hearing before a judge, accompanied by his four lawyers. He chose not to leave his fate — or the facts of the case — to a jury. He never cried foul, never claimed he was uninformed or pressured, and never suggested there were problems with the discovery materials he and his counsel had reviewed for two years that should have been challenged,” the family’s statement continued. “He admitted his guilt. When asked whether he was actually guilty, he answered, ‘Yes.”’
After noting that they “would have preferred a death-penalty trial,” Goncalves’ family said they “believe fully in the evidence” previously presented in court.”
“Instead, BK received exactly what he asked for: a deal that spared his life. Know this—he hates that life. He wants another chance to roll the dice,” they wrote.
“There will almost certainly be a hearing; that is how the legal process works. The defendant will get another day in court — a welcome break from solitary confinement: a ride, perhaps different food, photos taken, and the spotlight once again fixed on him and his supposed ‘innocence,’” the statement concluded. “The real tragedy is this: if even a fraction of the energy spent trying to free a guilty man were directed toward honoring the victims, there would be statues of them on every corner, parks bearing their names, and days set aside to remember the lives they lost at the hands of a narcissist.”
College students Goncalves, 21, Mogen, 21, Kernodle, 20, and Chapin, 20, were found dead in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022.
Two surviving roommates were home at the time that the four victims were attacked. However, they did not report that the victims had been killed until hours later when they realized what had happened.
Kohberger was arrested for the murders in December 2022. He pleaded guilty more than two years later in July 2025 as part of a plea deal. Kohberger was ultimately sentenced to serve four consecutive fixed life sentences without the possibility of parole, as well as an additional 10-year fixed sentence for felony burglary.
It has never been revealed why Kohberger killed the college students, and he was not required to share a motive for the killings when he entered his plea.
On Monday, July 27, Kohberger broke his silence about his guilty plea when he told The New York Times that he filed to withdraw the plea.
“My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn,” he said before reiterating that he had an “absolute claim of innocence.”
While Kohberger would not discuss any evidence he had to prove his innocence, he said “the intention is for all of those questions to be investigated and answered appropriately in a trial setting.”
“Why am I breaking my silence?” Kohberger, who is currently in custody at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, added. “A lot went wrong in those plea discussions. I really do want that to be heard.”
