Sister of slain Idaho student had a fiery message for Bryan Kohberger: 'You’re pathetic'
Alivea Goncalves brought anger, not tears, to her victim impact statement as Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to a life behind bars for the murders of four Idaho college students stabbed to death in 2022.
"Sit up straight when I talk to you," Alivea Goncalves, the older sister of Kaylee Goncalves, demanded of Kohberger in court. "You are not profound, you’re pathetic."
The courtroom filled with applause after Alivea Goncalves' fiery, emotional statement, which aimed at Kohberger's ego.
Alivea Goncalves mocked Kohberger for leaving his DNA on a knife sheath near Mogen's body, the key piece of evidence investigators used to link him to the crime.
"You spent months preparing and still all it took was my sister and a sheath," she said. "The truth is, you’re as dumb as they come. Stupid, clumsy, slow, sloppy, weak, dirty."
"I will call you what you are: sociopath, psychopath, murderer," Alivea Goncalves said, telling Kohberger that if he had only approached her sister and friends, they would have treated him with kindness. She said she also considered Mogen a sister.
In his guilty plea, Kohberger admitted to the murders of Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, who were found stabbed to death in their Moscow, Idaho, rental home near the University of Idaho campus on Nov. 13, 2022. The plea was part of an agreement with prosecutors to avoid a possible death penalty and includes four consecutive life sentences for the murders, plus 10 years for felony burglary.
At least one family member offered Kohberger a message of forgiveness. But others said they could never forgive him. "Evil" was a word repeated throughout the hearing.
Kohberger, a 30-year-old former criminology student at a nearby university, stared ahead and didn't show any emotion as Alivea Goncalves and other family members and friends of the victims read statements about their tremendous losses and addressed Kohberger.
Steven Goncalves, Kaylee Goncalves' father, turned his podium to face Kohberger directly as he delivered his statement.
"The world’s watching because of the kids, not because of you. Nobody cares about you. You’re not worth the time, the effort to be remembered," he said.
Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee Goncalves' mother, called him pathetic and a "joke in this courtroom."
"I wish I could crown you with a jester hat to complete your orange jumpsuit clown look," Kristi Goncalves said.