(NewsNation) —The family of Kaylee Goncalves, an Idaho student murdered by Bryan Kohberger, said their daughter’s killer deserved nothing less than death row after “beating” their daughter before fatally stabbing her.
Their latest statement comes in a series of many, one week after Kohberger accepted a surprise plea deal that took the death penalty off the table. He will now serve life in prison without parole.
“The state is showing BK (Bryan Kohberger) mercy by removing the death penalty. BK did not show Kaylee ANY mercy,” the family said in a statement on Facebook last week, adding that Kohberger was “too afraid to die, but he wasn’t afraid to kill.”
“His life on DEATH ROW while serving his time would have been much worse than serving his time as life in prison. He doesn’t deserve life in prison. He deserved life on death row,” the family wrote.
The Goncalves family also wrote that Kohberger beat their daughter in the face and head before stabbing her several times.
Kohberger’s murder trial in the slayings of four University Idaho students had been slated to begin in August. He is now scheduled to be formally sentenced July 23.
Goncalves family ‘beyond furious’ at Bryan Kohberger plea deal
The families of victims Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin have been divided on the plea. The Goncalves family has criticized the deal, calling it hurried and secretive.
In a statement on Facebook minutes after news broke of the deal, “The Goncalves Family Page” wrote:
“It’s true! We are beyond furious at the State of Idaho. They have failed us. Please give us some time. This was very unexpected. We appreciate all your love and support. #heartbroken #kayleejade4ever.”
A family member of one victim told NewsNation that upon hearing of the plea deal, she felt like “all the power had been given back to Kohberger.”
“This is the opposite of our will,” Steve Goncalves told NewsNation’s “Banfield” in his first national interview since the plea deal report. “There was no majority (of victims’ survivors) believing that this was acceptable.”
The family also pushed back on claims they said people have made about them being fixated on “vengeance” in their most recent statement.
“If your 21-year-old daughter was sleeping in her bed and BK went into her house with the intention to kill her…what would you want? Justice or vengeance? Maybe a little bit of both?”
Dad of Bryan Kohberger victim apologizes to daughter for plea deal
Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s father, told Banfield he would have preferred the option of a trial and potential death sentence for Kohberger.
“It’s my mistake. I’m sorry Kaylee,” Goncalves said during a “Banfield” appearance Wednesday evening. “I’m truly sorry that I didn’t get you a prosecutor who really believed what happened to you could only be fixed with life.”
Family is still thinking through how to handle GoFundMe donations
In their most recent post, the Goncalves family noted that “many people have been talking” about the family’s GoFundMe page, which was created to support their expenses to travel for Kohberger’s trial.
“Please give me time to figure out the best way to do this. I can’t just ask gofundme to reimburse everyone, as the money has already been deposited into my bank account, and is no longer held by gofundme,” the family wrote.
“It is so hard to describe what we are going through right now. It is VERY mentally and emotionally exhausting. My whole body aches, from my fingertips to my toes. Please give us some grace, I promise we won’t skip town.”
NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield, Patrick Djordjevic and Damita Menezes contributed to this story.
