Idaho massacre victim's parents demand death penalty: 'Justice is when you leave the planet'

The parents of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the murder victims of the University of Idaho massacre, have said that they want their daughter's murderer given the death penalty, and only then will they be able to forgive him.

In an interview with NewsNation, parents Steve and Kristi Goncalves discussed their reaction to seeing the suspected killer, 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger, in court and how they feel the case should play out.



"Justice doesn't have a room where you can read books and you can go to school and you can have three meals and you can have your vegan diet," the victim's father said. "To me, that's not justice. Justice is when you leave the planet, and the whole world is able to rejoice and be glad that you're not there."

Kaylee, 21, was one of four University of Idaho students murdered in an off-campus house in the early hours of November 13, 2022, alongside Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20.

"We will forgive this individual, but he has to pay for what he's done", he said. "And it's not just our daughter, it's all the victims he needs to pay, pay justice to." 

The victim's mother added that she's "glad they live in Idaho" where they have the death penalty.

"Does he realize what he has taken from us … from these four families?" she said. "Ethan was a triplet … Maddie was an only child. Xana had siblings. Kaylee was one of five. The immense loss … He did really think about it?"

She described how she felt upon seeing the man suspected of murdering her daughter during his first court appearance on Thursday.

"I just could not believe that he has done what he has done. … I just was numb," she said.

After an investigation lasting many weeks, Kohberger was finally taken into custody at the end of December. He faces four counts of first-degree murder.