Netflix’s July 2026 docuseries The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare features detailed interviews with law enforcement and the loved ones of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
One family member that shared her perspective on the case was Goncalves’ older sister, Alivea Goncalves, who has been an outspoken voice while discussing the murders. Her perspective was just as prominent in the docuseries as she shared key insights about the crimes that Bryan Kohberger previously pleaded guilty to committing.
Everything to know about Alivea and the case, below.
Who Is Alivea Goncalves?
Alivea was the eldest sister of Kaylee, their sister, Aubrie Goncalves, and brother Steven Goncalves.
Alivea currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and family.
Her LinkedIn account does not list if she is currently working, but she previously worked as a project manager in the short-term rental (STR) industry until May 2022.
Alivea Goncalves Appears in Netflix’s ‘The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare’
Director Skye Borgman opened up about working with Alivea in the docuseries while speaking to Netflix’s Tudum.
“If you look up the definition of firecracker in the dictionary, there’s a picture of Alivea,” Borgman said. “She is just a force of nature. She’s very straightforward, so intelligent, so passionate, and amazing.”
Borgman added that Alivea had to learn “how to talk to the press, how not to talk to the press… how to honor Kaylee publicly and privately” after her sister’s killing, which ultimately became a storyline of its own in the docuseries.
The docuseries also included Alivea’s emotional victim impact statement she made during Kohberger’s sentencing hearing in July 2025.
“You’re a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser who thought you were so much smarter than everybody else,” she told her sister’s killer, according to ABC News. “You aren’t special or deep, not mysterious or exceptional. … No one thinks you are important.”
What Happened During the Idaho College Murders?
Mogen, Goncalves, Kernodle and her boyfriend, Chapin, were asleep in their off campus house in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022, when they were brutally murdered.
Before the case went to trial, law enforcement officials said that they linked Kohberger to the crime after his DNAwas found on a Ka-Bar knife sheath that was reportedly left in the home. Amazon records also showed that Kohberger bought a Ka-Bar knife and sheath months before the victims were killed.
Additionally, law enforcement also said that he drove a white Elantra. The same type of vehicle was seen circling the crime scene via surveillance video.
However, the defense recruited experts that expressed concerns with why Kohberger might not be guilty. Forensic scientist Brent Turvey argued that the killings were committed by multiple people and criticized investigators for how they documented their evidence. Turvey also asked why authorities didn’t do more testing on a hair that was found on one of the victims.
Kohberger was arrested in December 2022 and he pleaded guilty two years later in July 2025. He was sentenced to four consecutive fixed life sentences without the possibility of parole and an additional 10-year fixed sentence for felony burglary as part of his plea deal.
Just days before the docuseries premiered on July 39, 2026, Kohberger announced his plan to withdraw his guilty plea on July 26, 2026.
“My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn,” he told The New York Times while announcing that he filed a petition to reopen the case.
