MOSCOW, Idaho — Disaster recovery teams are working to clear out a house in Moscow where four University of Idaho students were murdered. However, some of the families of the victims are not happy about the university's plan to tear down the house.
KREM 2 News reported in February that the owner of the King Road home where the murders took place planned to tear it down. The University of Idaho is now starting that process against the wishes of some of the students' families.
But in a letter recently obtained by KREM 2, an attorney for the University acknowledged the Goncalves, Mogen and Kernodle families do not want the house torn down before the case is resolved.
University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen were murdered in that house last November. On Thursday, disaster crews were at the house working to pack up some of the victims' remaining personal items.
Jodi Walker with the University of Idaho said crews anticipate it will take a couple of weeks to get all of the victims' remaining items out of the house and returned to the families.
Both the prosecution and the defense for the man accused of committing the murders agreed to release the house to the university, according to Walker.
“To demolish before school starts, yes," she said.
Fall classes begin on Aug. 21, 2023, and the suspect is expected to go to trial in October. This is why Shanon Gray, the attorney for the family of Kaylee Goncalves, said his clients are upset that a critical piece of the puzzle may be leveled.
“It’s the largest piece of evidence in the entire case," Gray said." The families feel like it should be left there until the trial is over.”
Gray told KREM 2 the house could still hold necessary evidence or help jurors visualize the case better than photos or 3D models.
“If there’s any evidence brought up in trial that has to do with vantage points or how you can see something or hear something or entrance points, exit points," he explained.
Attorney Kent Nelson added the university needs a legal reason before considering delaying demolition.
“The university has been in contact with the families since we took ownership of the house in the spring," Walker said.
The university believes leveling the house will be healing for students, the Moscow community and the victims' loved ones.
However, Gray disagrees.
“It’s not healing for the families, and they’re the ones whose children were murdered," he said. "I’m not sure how the university could take their wishes over those of the victims families.”
Right now, Gray says he's not considering taking legal action to stop the demolition. Walker says a demolition date will be set later, but the house could come down before the semester starts.
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