The parents of University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves are experiencing a renewed sense of hope that the death penalty may be pursued for Bryan Kohberger, the convicted killer of four students, after he recently attempted to withdraw his guilty plea.
Kristi and Steve Goncalves shared their ongoing emotional anguish since their daughter's murder in November 2022, speaking on the "Hang Out with Sean Hannity" podcast. They described their daily struggle with grief, noting that thoughts of their daughter are the first and last thing they experience each day.
"The first thing every single morning I often ask myself: Is this going to be forever? Will this eventually end? Will it eventually, will it not be the first thing that I think about when I open my eyes?" Kristi Goncalves said. "But at this point I've learned that it's just the new way of life."
Steve Goncalves stated that his wife's nightly routine includes praying for dreams of their daughter, to express her love and have conversations they can no longer have in waking life. "Then if you don't have that dream, you wake up disappointed that you didn't have a dream about your baby and had that conversation, and then you just try to fake through it," he added.
Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. This plea agreement spared him the death penalty, and he was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole, plus 10 years for burglary. He has since filed a post-conviction challenge, arguing he received ineffective assistance of counsel and was misled into accepting the plea deal. Kohberger maintains his innocence.
The Goncalves family views Kohberger's attempt to withdraw his plea as a potential opportunity for prosecutors to seek capital punishment. "God is looking out for us," Kristi Goncalves said. "And maybe this is because the first time around, it was wrong. And this time around, he's going to make sure it's done right, you know — and that is the death penalty."
Kaylee Goncalves, along with Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle, were killed in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. The case has been marked by extensive legal proceedings and has deeply affected the victims' families.