Kaylee Goncalves' father hopes court grants Bryan Kohberger's retrial request so he can be sentenced to death

The father of one of the murdered "Idaho Four" victims said he wants Bryan Kohberger's request for a retrial to be granted so the admitted killer could be sentenced to death. Steve Goncalves, victim Kaylee Goncalves' father, would love to have "a second shot" to confront Kohberger, he said.

"I would love for us to be able to reline him up and hold him accountable to the full extent of what he's done," Goncalves told NewsNation. "I would love it."

He added, "This guy wasn't even a member of our society. He wasn't even a member of our state, and we've really just been totally put through the wringer having to defend this loser."

On Monday, Kohberger, who pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the fatal stabbings of University of Idaho College students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, filed a petition seeking post-conviction relief, court documents show. The filing aims to retract his guilty plea.

Kohberger gave a prison interview to The New York Times, telling the paper in a statement: "My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn."

On July 23, 2025, Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to avoid the death penalty, a sentence that the victims' families said they would have welcomed. He murdered four college students in cold blood.

Kohberger admitted to breaking into a University of Idaho home in November 2022 and stabbing the four victims to death. The three female victims were roommates, while the fourth victim, Ethan Chapin, was the boyfriend of victim Xana Kernoodle.

The families have been seeking answers since the attack, and many of the victims' relatives wanted the case to go to trial, with Steve Goncalves being the most vocal.

As part of the plea deal, Kohberger was not required to provide a motive for the murders and has never publicly given one. The lack of a detailed explanation angered the families and drew criticism from President Trump, who had called for the judge to require Kohberger to explain his actions. Goncalves described the killer as an "egomaniac psychopath."

"If he still wants to know what's waiting for him, he can always write me. I can tell him what some people tell me is waiting for him. It only gets worse. And he's actually got it pretty good right now," Goncalves told the network. "They're protecting him to the fullest extent of the law. But eventually, he has to be treated like a normal prisoner and those days are going to be pretty scary ahead."

Despite his desire for Kohberger to be sentenced to death, Goncalves said a retrial would be a waste of taxpayers' money.

After learning about Kohberger's filing, the Goncalves Family told NewsNation in a statement: "The mosquito you just can't seem to swat"- that is what Kohberger and his following have become to this family." The Goncalves also ripped into the NYT for providing their daughter's admitted killer a platform.