After more than three years Kaylee Goncalves and his three friends were killed by Bryan KohbergerParents of college students still have one question they want answered.
Please, please, don't you think our family has gone through enough?'” Kaylee's mother, Kristi Goncalveshe told u Daily Mail in an interview published on Thursday, June 4. “Don't you think what you did to our daughter – when we found out that you stabbed her 38 times with a KaBar military model knife, 24 times on her face, on her head, 11 times on her chest and neck, and three self-defense wounds when she was sitting on that bed, and she fought for her life and for my mother? Please tell me why?”
Kaylee's father, Steve Goncalveshe added, “That's all you had to do. Explain to us how that happened and what other weapon you used.”
In July 2025, Kohberger, 31, pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and one count of burglary. The plea deal was rejected by the Goncalves family because it allowed Kohberger to avoid the death penalty and did not require him to disclose the details of his murder.
With Kohberger locked up, Kristi struggles to figure out what the motive was for the killer's highly publicized crimes.
“That's something I still deal with every day. I always think, why?” he said. “Why our children? Why in that house?”
To honor Kaylee's memory, both Kristi and Steve are trying to turn their pain into purpose by launching a foundation that aims to help other families find answers to their situations.
The Kaylee Goncalves Foundation, operating under the name Killing Has a Namehas a mission statement online that says, “We are committed to expanding access to forensic DNA technology, investigative resources and funding for critical cases so that victims are never forgotten and families are never left without options.”
Steve Goncalves, father of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves, stressed that the public should know the details of Bryan Kohberger's request. “I think the community should demand it [the truth] 100 percent. Sometimes the court does not realize that there is no court without victims, and they need to represent them, people […]
Kristi and Steve are sure their daughter will be proud to see what her parents have been working on.
“Thinking about his thinking, 'Oh, my God, help those like that,' there is an explanation, a reason for this,” said Kristi. “I know you're encouraging us. You're going to give us an A to try.”
Steve added, “He plays a direct role for us in doing this, and as long as we're successful, as long as we continue to work and continue to do what we're doing today, we may be able to solve these cases.”
As Kohberger remains incarcerated at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, Kristi hopes he may decide to answer burning questions about the case.
Relatives of one of the accused killers, Bryan Kohberger, have been speaking out after the recent release of photos by Idaho officials left them stunned. The family of Kaylee Goncalves criticized the thousands of photos of the crime scene that were made public on Tuesday, January 20, and said that they were given too much on social media. […]
“Maybe one day he'll choose to talk to a reporter and spill the beans,” said Kristie. “Maybe he'll hold on to it forever. But there's still a chance. … It's hard not to have those answers. It's terrible.”
At the same time, she is grateful to at least know who is responsible for taking her daughter's life so quickly.
“I have to put myself in a position to accept the fact that it is the most important answer we have, and who did it,” he revealed. “When I'm always thinking that we don't know why, I also think that some people don't even have the answers to who did it. I try to remember that.”
