The parents of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves are opening up about their struggle to forgive their daughter’s killer, Bryan Kohberger, as he seeks to withdraw his guilty plea.
Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in 2025 in a deal that spared him the death penalty.
He was subsequently sentenced to four consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole, along with 10 years for burglary — but the convicted killer is asking a judge to undo it all.
“According to the Bible, we need to forgive him,” Kaylee Goncalves’ mother, Kristi Goncalves, told “Hang Out with Sean Hannity.” “But Steve said he’s never asked for forgiveness. He’s never showed an ounce of remorse. He’s claiming that he didn’t do this. So, what, do we forgive him?”
Kohberger, 31, fatally stabbed Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, after entering the home through a sliding glass door.
His DNA was found on a knife sheath left at the crime scene that once carried the weapon he used to gruesomely kill the four young college students.
“He [Kohberger] entered that house with intent to kill… and I’m struggling with forgiving that,” Kristi Goncalves told host Sean Hannity.
“I envision what took place in that house that night, and I feel like he is a demon. I feel like he is… the devil himself,” she added.
Kristi Goncalves said her daughter was unrecognizable after suffering severe facial injuries, while Steve Goncalves described the brutal killings as the fulfillment of Kohberger’s sick “fantasy,” whom the couple characterized as soulless.
“There is something very non-human about him,” she said. “And I know that from my impact statement, looking at him, the way he looked at me… I don’t know if he’s human at all.”
Kristi Goncalves said she talks to God “a lot” about forgiving her daughter’s killer, but remains conflicted over the deliberate nature of her daughter’s murder.
“I say, ‘God, I know I’m supposed to forgive him, but how? How do I forgive him? He did such horrible things,’” she said.
“Am I supposed to forgive a demon? Am I supposed forgive the devil?” she added.
Kristi Goncalves told Fox News that she is disgusted by Kohberger’s efforts to withdraw his guilty plea after putting the victims’ families through years of trauma, while Steve Goncalves expressed similar frustrations.
“If anybody wants to entertain this appeal… I will blast this case through the roof,” he said.
