ABC News December 30, 2022

Families of Idaho murder victims address suspect's arrest: 'We are on the path to justice'

WATCH: 28-year-old man arrested in Idaho college murder

The father of one of four University of Idaho students who were found stabbed to death more than six weeks ago said "we are on the path to justice" after a suspect was arrested Friday in connection with their murders.

Steve Goncalves told ABC News that he was watching a football game when "my whole world got turned upside down." His daughter, Kaylee Goncalves, as well as her roommates Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle and Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, were killed in the girls' off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13.

Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram
A photo posted by Kaylee Goncalves only a few days ago shows University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Goncalves. The four were found dead at an off-campus house on Nov. 13, 2022.

A 28-year-old man was arrested Friday morning in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains in connection with the murders. The suspect, Bryan Kohberger, is a graduate student at Washington State University, located less than 10 miles away from the University of Idaho, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said at a Friday news conference. Kohberger was arrested on four counts of first-degree murder and burglary, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said.

MORE: Idaho murders: 28-year-old grad student arrested in Pennsylvania

When Steve Goncalves first saw the suspect's photo, he said he saw a "broken soul, pitiful human being."

"The little coward that had finally got caught running," he said. "I still think everyone's innocent until proven guilty, so I put that in the back of my mind."

Monroe County (Pa.) Correctional Facility via AP
This photo provided by Monroe County (Pa.) Correctional Facility shows Bryan Kohberger. Arrest paperwork filed by Pennsylvania State Police in Monroe County Court, on Dec. 30, 2022, said Kohberger, 28, was being held for extradition in a criminal homicide investigation in the killings of four University of Idaho students, based on an active arrest warrant for first degree murder issued by the Moscow Police Department and Latah County Prosecutor's Office.

Steve Goncalves said no one in the family knows or recognizes the suspect, but in the hours since they've first learned his name they are starting to see connections between him and Kaylee Goncalves that they aren't ready to discuss yet.

"Now that there's a person and a name that someone can specifically look for and see if there's any connections in any way. So they're just trying to figure it out," the family's attorney, Shanon Grey, told ABC News.

Attorney Shanon Grey and Steve Goncalves, the father of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves, speak with ABC News, Dec. 30, 2022.

Steve Goncalves said he plans to be in court when the suspect is eventually extradited to Idaho.

"This guy's gonna have to look me in my eyes multiples times, and I'm going to be looking for the truth. That's really what I'm going to be looking for," Steve Goncalves said.

MORE: Dad of slain Idaho student pleads with public for help: 'I have to have my justice'

Family members of several of the other victims have also reacted to the suspect's arrest.

"We are relieved this chapter is over because it provides a form of closure. However, it doesn't alter the outcome or alleviate the pain," Chapin's family said in a statement. "We miss Ethan, and our family is forever changed."

MORE: Idaho college murders: Timeline of events

Xana Kernodle's cousin, Sheldon Kernodle, urged anyone with information that could help law enforcement or prosecutors to come forward.

"Our work isn't done yet," he tweeted Friday.

ABC News' Kirk Cohall, Timmy Truong and Matthew Fuhrman contributed to this report.