ABC News June 29, 2023

University of Idaho murders house to be torn down despite calls from victims' families to postpone

WATCH: University of Idaho murders: A visual timeline

The off-campus University of Idaho house where four students were stabbed to death is set to be torn down despite calls from victims' families to postpone until after the suspect's trial.

The four victims -- roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, as well as Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin -- were killed in the Moscow, Idaho, house on Nov. 13, 2022. Two other roommates survived the shocking crime that garnered national intrigue.

Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram
A photo posted by Kaylee Goncalves 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.
MORE: University of Idaho murders: State seeks death penalty against Bryan Kohberger

Attorney Shanon Gray represents the Goncalves, Mogen and Kernodle families, who want the house to remain standing until the criminal case is resolved.

But a University of Idaho spokesperson said, "We are currently working on removing all the personal items from the house so the families can claim them, as they choose. Then we plan to move forward with demolition."

David Ryder/Getty Images, FILE
Police tape at the site of a quadruple murder of four University of Idaho students, Jan. 3, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho.

A university lawyer noted in a letter to Gray that the court released the house from the case and the prosecution and defense have not objected to the demolition.

A university spokesperson said the school plans to demolish the house before students return to campus in the fall.

Heather Roberts/ABC News
The house where four University if Idaho students were found dead on Nov. 13, 2022.
MORE: University of Idaho murder victim's family ready to face suspect in court, vows to 'make sure he doesn't get away with it'

The university announced in February that the house would be demolished, with university president Scott Green called it "a healing step" in the wake of a "crime that shook our community."

Kaylee Goncalves' mom, Kristi Goncalves, told ABC News last month she was glad no one else would live in the house.

But, she added, "It's going to be very multifaceted for me, honestly, because my daughter lived in that home. She lived a happy life in that home, she loved living there with her friends. And for the real story, to be, like, what happened in that house was so horrific that it has to be torn down -- that doesn't happen that often. ... For them to say, 'No, we don't want family in here, we don't want anybody living in here. It's got to be torn down' -- it's definitely not happy."

Ted S. Warren/AP
A private security officer sits in a vehicle, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in front of the house in Moscow, Idaho where four University of Idaho students were killed in November, 2022.
MORE: Idaho college murders: The complete timeline of events

The suspect, Bryan Kohberger, who was a Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University at the time of the murders, was arrested in December.

Kohberger's trial is set for Oct. 2. Prosecutors announced this week that they will seek the death penalty.

Kohberger chose to "stand silent" at his arraignment last month. By not responding, the judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Moscow-Pullman Daily News/Pool via AP, FILE
In this June 9, 2023, file photo, Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom for a motion hearing in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022.