Sister of U. of Idaho Murder Victim Kaylee Goncalves Slams Plea Deal with Suspect Bryan Kohberger: 'The System Has Failed'

Kaylee Goncalves’ 18-year-old sister, Aubrie Goncalves, is speaking out after her suspected killer, Bryan Kohberger, has reportedly accepted a plea deal.

In December 2022, Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in connection with the November 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students: Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.

Following his indictment by a grand jury in May 2023, a judge reportedly entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf after he exercised his right to remain silent during his arraignment.

After waiving his right to a speedy trial in August 2023, the case was delayed indefinitely, pushing his trial to August 2025, per ABC News.

According to a letter sent to victims’ family members discussing a new plea agreement, cited by the outlet, however, Kohberger is expected to enter a guilty plea on all charges. This means he would be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences plus up to 10 years on the burglary charge.

The former Ph.D student, who could have faced the death penalty if convicted, will also waive his appeal rights, per ABC News.

Following the news, Goncalves’ 18-year-old sister, Aubrie, penned a statement on the Goncalves Family Page on Facebook, stating that she would not stay silent, as what she and the families of the deceased have endured is “beyond comprehension.”

“From the constant delays to the relocation of proceedings—making it harder for loved ones to attend—the justice system has placed heavy burdens on those already carrying unimaginable grief. Through it all, we have tried to hold on to hope,” Aubrie wrote.

“We’ve believed in the process. We’ve had faith in the system. But at this point, it is impossible not to acknowledge the truth: the system has failed these four innocent victims and their families,” she continued.

Aubrie wrote that Mogen, Goncalves, Kernodle, and Chapin “deserve to be remembered for who they were in life, not only for the tragedy of their deaths.”

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“But before that can truly happen, they deserve justice. Nothing less. The introduction of this plea deal, just weeks before the scheduled trial, is both shocking and cruel,” wrote Aubrie.

She said that if a plea deal would have been introduced earlier in the case the family could have had “time to process, discuss, and potentially come to terms with the idea of a life sentence—however difficult that may be. We could have had the time to understand it, to prepare for it emotionally, and perhaps even to find some degree of peace.”

“But now, with mere weeks left, we are being asked to absorb and respond to life-altering decisions with no room to breathe,” wrote Aubrie.

The teenager expressed that she feels that their loved ones have been “silenced forever,” while Kohberger will “still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world,” in prison.

“That reality stings more deeply when it feels like the system is protecting his future more than honoring the victims’ pasts,” she said, noting that “this last-minute plea deal feels less like an act of justice and more like an afterthought.”

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“We are not asking for vengeance. We are asking for accountability. We are asking for dignity for our loved ones. And we are asking—pleading—for a justice system that truly lives up to its name,” she said.

The Goncalves family also published a follow-up post on Facebook, in which they said they did “talk to the prosecution on Friday about the POSSIBILITY of a plea deal and it was a HARD NO from our family.” They said they met with prosecutors again on Monday to “reiterate our views on pushing for the death penalty.” However, they continued, “Unfortunately all of our efforts did not matter. We DID OUR BEST! We fought harder then anyone could EVER imagine.”