The father of one of the University of Idaho murder victims revealed that Bryan Kohberger‘s ‘weird porn fetishes’ may provide insight into the motive behind the 2022 killings.
Steve Goncalves, whose daughter Kaylee was among the four students murdered, voiced his frustration over the lack of public disclosure about Kohberger, a criminology graduate student at Washington State University.
Kohberger’s motive remains the biggest mystery in the case, and one that prosecutors had been unable to determine after a nearly-three-year-long investigation.
But Goncalves made the explosive claim on Thursday, revealing that sources close to the investigation had shared disturbing details about Kohberger’s online activity.
‘People were so outraged by what was happening in that courtroom, they’d call us and say, “This is what’s on Bryan’s phone. This is what he was searching. This was sexually motivated,”‘ Steve Goncalves told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield.
Goncalves’ comments came after Kohberger’s plea hearing on July 2, where he admitted to the murders as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
During the hearing, Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson dismissed a sexual motive for the brutal slayings of the three girls and one male student.
‘I will state for the record that there is no evidence there was any sexual component or sexual assault on any of the victims,’ Thompson said. ‘I want to make that clear so there’s no speculation.’
But Goncalves, now speaking publicly after a gag order was lifted, says he doesn’t believe that.
‘I don’t care what Thompson said,’ he stated.
Steve Goncalves (pictured), whose daughter Kaylee was among the four students murdered, voiced his frustration over the lack of publicly available information since Kohberger, a criminology graduate student at Washington State University, was arrested in late 2022
Bryan Kohberger, 30, plead guilty earlier this month to the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students at a rental home near campus in 2022
The grieving father claimed Kohberger had a disturbing digital history, which he dubbed ‘weird porn fetishes,’ that included searches for ‘drunk passed out girls and gagging girls.’
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, was among the four students murdered
‘Those are two things that were part of that crime scene,’ Goncalves said.
‘So for Thompson to say that there was no sexual assault… Of course, there wasn’t. He didn’t have enough time. Somebody came up there,’ the distressed dad alleged.
That ‘somebody,’ Thompson previously suggested, may have been Xana Kernodle -who possibly encountered Kohberger while moving between floors in the Moscow house before she was killed alongside her boyfriend Ethan Chapin.
Goncalves also revealed that Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told him Kaylee had injuries around her mouth, indicating someone tried to silence her.
‘There was some damage around her mouth,’ he said during the on-air interview, using his hand to demonstrate. ‘Like somebody had pressed in and tried to keep her quiet.’
University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves (second from left, bottom) and Madison Mogen (second from left, top), Ethan Chapin (center) and Xana Kernodle (second from right) were stabbed to death in their beds as they slept, in their off-campus home, on November 13, 2022
Goncalves believes this lack of transparency has robbed them of the chance to deliver fully informed victim impact statements ahead of Kohberger’s sentencing
Kohberger (pictured) will be sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday under the terms of the plea agreement
Despite the lifting of the gag order, Goncalves says families still don’t have a full picture of what happened.
He believes this lack of transparency has robbed them of the chance to deliver fully informed victim impact statements ahead of Kohberger’s sentencing.
‘You only got one time to be able to be a victim’s advocate and say what you need to say and to address the courtroom and everyone in Idaho, and they’re not going to let us know exactly what happened,’ he said. ‘It’s just terrible.’
Kohberger, 30, will be sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday under the terms of the plea agreement.
Goncalves, who has been vocal in his opposition to the deal, said he will not be attending.
‘Why are you defending somebody who just killed four people, you know?’ he said. ‘We’re just glad to be done with it. We’re glad to move on.’
