In a tragic reveal over the weekend, the parents of University of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves said their daughter had already moved out of the house where she and three other students were killed and had been only visiting for the weekend.
Steve and Kristi Goncalves told Dateline that their daughter no longer resided in the home where she, along with her best friend Madison Mogen, 21; Ethan Chapin, 20; and Xana Kernodle, 20, were all murdered in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022. The Goncalves said their daughter was preparing to graduate and move to Austin, Texas, where she had accepted a job with an IT firm. That weekend, however, Kaylee returned to the house to visit Mogen.
“These girls were best friends since sixth grade, like inseparable,” Kristi Goncalves said on Dateline.
Kristi added that the girls “were true, ultimate best friends” and “Maddie had been a huge part of our life.”
Goncalves had just purchased a Range Rover and had wanted to show it off to Mogen and attend a party with her best friend.
“That was the last time that I saw Kaylee,” Kristi told Dateline.
The man suspected of killing the four students appeared in court again on Thursday, where he waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing and vowed through his attorney to challenge the evidence against him.
The 28-year-old suspect, who will not be named per Daily Wire policy, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. He was ordered held without bail for the foreseeable future, with his next court date scheduled for June 26.
Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall announced at the hearing that there would be “no bail at this point in time pending further proceedings.” She also asked the suspect if he understood the charges against him and that waiving his right to a speedy preliminary hearing meant he couldn’t challenge the delay at a future date.
The reason for the delay is so his attorneys can gather evidence to challenge the charges against him, Fox News reported.
The suspect still has not entered a plea, waiting to see whether the state of Idaho will pursue the death penalty against him. Statements from his attorneys, however, indicate he is likely to plead not guilty, Law & Crime reported.
Latah County Sheriff Richard Skiles told NewsNation that he hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary about the suspect’s behavior in jail. He did say, however, that jail officials are trying to accommodate the suspect’s vegan diet, “but we are not going to buy new pots and pans or anything like that.”