The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy

The revelation that there was a knife sheath left at the scene convinces Kristine Cameron that Bryan Kohberger was Pappa Rodger. She notices that, like Elliot Rodger, Bryan targeted Alpha Phi sorority sisters. The Facebook page waits for Pappa Rodger to reappear, but when he doesn’t, a frenzy of speculation appears. People put up screenshots of his earlier posts. The Facebook page is national news again. Kristine believes this will be good for the true crime podcast that she and Alina want to host. Alina spends more time working on the page because she is home with an injured back. They both think their partnership is robust, but Alina is clear that she cannot afford to work on the page night and day if they can’t find a way to monetize it.

Chief Fry uses the two months since Kohberger’s arrest to think and heal. Due to the gag order, he is no longer pressured to speak to the press—he has turned down every media request, even major ones. The investigation continues to search for motive and connection between Kohberger and the victims. He has received praise and congratulation from others, including a letter from the retired chief investigator on the O.J. Simpson case. Christ Church pastor Doug Wilson visits and extends an olive branch. Fry sees that the Goncalves family “feels mistreated by the cops, and they do not trust Thompson and his team either” (367). Fry plans to run for county sheriff in November 2024.

Ava Wood is subpoenaed as a witness for the preliminary hearing in the Kohberger case. She is being called by the defense to testify about an incident on Friday, October 14: Someone climbed the metal steps to her apartment across the street from 1122 King Road and tried to open the door. Taylor, the defense, is interested in this incident because, if Kohberger’s phone was not in Moscow on that evening, it could suggest there was another predator in the area. Wood, who is in California when she receives the subpoena, resists the call to testify back in Idaho. Soon, she gets the news that she will not have to testify after all because Kohberger has already been indicted for the murders.

Emily Alandt and Hunter Johnson are summoned to testify before a grand jury. They are each given an interlocutor to help prepare them for questioning. The grand jury is happening in secret, so Emily and Hunter have to lie to their friends to get the time to go to court. On May 17, Kohberger’s indictment is announced. Emily still struggles to focus after the murders. Her GPA has dropped, and she does not apply to the physical therapy programs she’d planned. She knows she needs to work through the trauma of November 13, so she goes to counseling. Her therapists recommend Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, but prosecutor Bill Thompson’s team warn her that this would disqualify her as a witness, so she chooses not to get the therapy until the trial is finished.

In court, Kohberger affirms to the judge that he understands his five charges and the penalties for each. He will face either life imprisonment or the death penalty if found guilty of first-degree murder. He chooses to “stand silent,” so the court enters a plea of not guilty for him. Standing silent is an uncommon option, such that even some local attorneys aren’t aware of. It typically occurs either when there are ongoing negotiations around a plea deal or when the defendant is concerned about public perception. Kohberger watches the media coverage on TV in his jail cell. The privileges he gets outrage Steve Goncalves, who is hearing from other victims’ parents on the family’s Facebook page. They are getting support from all around the world.

Christ Church pastor Doug Wilson follows the Kohberger case with the hope of leveraging any bias or error in the case to have unrelated charges against a church member, Rory, dropped. He hopes that Judge Marshall will be reprimanded by her boss, District Judge John Judge, but in May, Judge Judge takes over the Bryan Kohberger case. Later that spring, Judge will deny Rory’s appeal. Wilson sees a connection between Rory’s case and the Kohberger case. If Kohberger is acquitted because of suspect or shoddy police work, Rory’s chances are better on appeal. If Kohberger is convicted because of “sterling police work,” then Rory’s appeal becomes more difficult.

This date marks the Friday before graduation and the eve of the six-month anniversary of the murders of Kaylee, Maddie, Xana, and Ethan. It is also two weeks before the first “Maddie May Day,” May 25, an annual holiday created by Maddie’s aunts. There is a website for the holiday; it encourages people to complete random acts of kindness in Maddie’s memory. Maddie’s grandmother, Deedle, is proud of her daughters for coming up with this and is excited to travel to Moscow to spread the word. She brings cookies and a note for the Moscow Police Department and the university staff. Maddie’s grandmother feels good about the visit—until the 25, when she reads that “‘the families’ […] of Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves have filed tort claims notices with the city of Moscow, the Idaho State Police, and possibly—it’s suggested but not confirmed—WSU” (379). A tort claim is a safeguard that reserves the right to sue in the future if something is found to have been done improperly. The tort claim has been filed by Maddie’s mother and stepfather. Deedle doesn’t want to alienate them, but she does want to express her support for the police, so she speaks to the Statesman and asks them to be clearer about who they’re talking about when they reference “the family.”

Stacy and Jim Chapin drop Maizie and Hunter off at the University of Idaho to begin the fall semester. They have not told the surviving triplets about their other errand: retrieving everything Ethan left at 1122 King Road. Dean Eckles has tried to make this experience as painless as possible by staging the possessions as though it were a garage sale, mirroring the rooms of the house. They take what they need of Ethan’s and store his clothes in the basement. She knows that someday, the family will “want to choose some pieces of Ethan’s life to hold on to” (382).

After the murders, the owner of the King Road house gave it to the university, which has decided to tear it down. The Chapins support this—wanting to ease the minds of the victims’ friends, who have to see it on a regular basis. Stacy writes a children’s book, The Boy Who Wore Blue, about Ethan. They start a nonprofit foundation, Ethan’s Smile, which will award college scholarships to high school students.

Steve Goncalves is “on a mission” (384). He begins referring to himself as a private investigator. He is becoming increasingly sure that Maddie was the target, due to the many photos of Maddie’s that Kohberger liked on social media. He opposes the demolition of the King Road house because he thinks new technologies may one day reveal new evidence. His point is somewhat supported when prosecutors and defense debate the accuracy of the model of the house they are using for the trial.

Dean Eckles understands their frustration, but university administrators fear the house is unsafe after the crime scene processing removed drywall and flooring. Additionally, the university is paying $600 a day for security.

Kohberger appears in court nicely dressed and clean-shaven. Kristi Goncalves wears a shirt that reads “#JUSTICEFORKAYLEE. IDAHO HOUSE BILL 186. SHOTS FIRED,” referencing a new law that would “effectively bring back the firing squad as a means of execution if state officials were unable to obtain the chemicals needed to carry out a lethal injection” (386). The defense claims that Kohberger’s fixed affect is a result of his Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis and argue that it may hurt a jury’s perception of him. Kohberger’s attorney, Taylor, is trying to get more information about the IGG methodology used to construct Kohberger’s family tree. The prosecution argues that this evidence was just a lead and that the DNA they’ve received from Kohberger matches what they found on the knife sheath.

On the one-year anniversary of the deaths, the Chapin family hosts a private, intimate black-tie fundraiser for their foundation, Ethan’s Smile. The New York Times covered Stacy’s visit to a true crime convention in Orlando, FL, where she left a forensic analysis seminar about Ethan’s murder but came back at the end for the question-and-answer session. She introduced herself as Ethan’s mother and implored the audience not to forget the victims in their fascination with the cases. Many close family friends and friends of the victims attend the event. Chief Fry also attends. Stacy acknowledges his work in her remarks.

The Goncalves family spends the anniversary giving TV interviews about Kaylee and expressing their frustration with the slow pace of the justice system. Steve Goncalves emphasizes the work the family has done—sometimes, he claims, ahead of investigators—to avoid becoming simply victims. The family also talks about their frustration with Kohberger’s attire; he is allowed to appear unshackled and wearing a suit, which makes him seem more like an ordinary person than the Goncalves family would like. Bill Thompson has explained to them that this allowance is to prevent an appeal on these grounds. Steve also knows the trial may be moved due to the difficulty of getting an impartial jury in Moscow, possibly as far as Boise, 300 miles away. He finds this unfair. The Goncalves family is determined to be proactive.

The King Road house is demolished despite the Goncalves family’s protests. Alina Smith, cofounder of the case’s Facebook page, attends the demolition. Alina and Kristine have given more interviews and feel good about their chances of launching a podcast. But then Alina’s husband loses his job of 20 years. Alina has three kids and no income, so she needs an opportunity to make money. She’s sure Kristine will understand.

The Goncalves family are frustrated with the progress of the case. Anne Taylor is waging and winning tactical battles while Thompson, the prosecutor, says little. The judge seems to grant the defense many concessions. The Goncalves family meets with Thompson to express their frustration. When Thompson and the Judge push to set the trial date for March 3, Taylor pushes back, saying “Death is different” (398). She says she needs “all of the discovery,” or evidence the investigation collected, and blames the FBI for providing her with discovery only in bits and pieces. She wins the battle—they set only a hearing in May to discuss a venue change. Steve Goncalves resolves to find more evidence on his own to speed the case along.

Chief Fry resigns his position as chief of police. He has announced that he will run for sheriff in November 2024. He thinks that the people who worked the investigation will bear psychological scars for a long time and regrets making Tyson Berrett the point person for all four victims’ families.

Kristine and Alina fight when Kristine discovers that Alina has started a new page about another case without her. Alina thinks the page will result in paid work, which she desperately needs. The two fight over text, and Kristine deletes Alina from every single Facebook page they started together. The friendship is over, but so is the work Alina has done for years. Kristine posts her side of the “betrayal” to the Facebook page. Alivea Goncalves finds this inappropriate and lets Kristine know. Alina soon becomes the moderator for another page about the cases. News interest in the pages has died down. Both women regret what happened.

Another hearing has Steve Goncalves frustrated. Anne Taylor challenges the video surveillance that shows the Elantra, focusing on the lack of footage of it on I-95. Steve doesn’t think Thompson is fighting back or doing enough to manage the public’s perception of the case. Taylor has announced that Kohberger will be using an “alibi defense”—he was out driving and stargazing during the time of the murders. The Goncalves family releases a statement criticizing the court for its lack of progress.

Stacy Chapin gets a call from Thompson’s office letting her know that a trial date will be set next week, likely for the summer of 2025. The Chapin family decide to at least attend the beginning to represent Ethan when the jury first convenes. Stacy Chapin has found purpose in public speaking. She finds that she is filling an appetite for positivity in the world. The family has the outlook that nothing they can do can change what happened, so they focus on remembering Ethan and living the way he’d want them to.

One of Maddie’s sorority friends throws a “Make it Pink Gala” to support a new nonprofit in honor of Maddie and Kaylee. The Goncalves family attends but remains mostly quiet. A scholarship bearing Kaylee, Maddie, and Xana’s names is announced. Steve Goncalves remains impatient with Anne Taylor and frustrated by not having access to all of the evidence. Dean Eckles attends, and the Goncalves family bring him to their table. He tells them that the university is building a “healing garden” to commemorate the victims and that he wants the family there for the opening. Steve Goncalves is touched that Eckles came to the gala even though it was Father’s Day weekend.

Connie Saba sees Michael Kohberger at the pharmacy. She asks after Maryann, and Michael says she doesn’t talk to anyone. He tells Connie that their house is being watched by government people because Bryan has been framed. He says that there were a lot of drugs in the house and that the knife sheath was planted there. Connie understands this response after all the things the Kohbergers have been through.

The Sigma Chi brothers wear suits even in the August heat as they come to honor Ethan at the dedication ceremony for the new Vandal Healing Garden and Memorial. This occasion is the first time since the murders that all four victims’ families are together in Moscow. Less than a mile away, Bryan Kohberger sits in his jail cell.

The Goncalves family is nervous about the upcoming change of venue hearing. They post about it on their Facebook page.

The university put a great deal of thought and effort into the healing garden and involved the families in the process. Friends and family members of the victims speak in their honor.

Judge Judge delivers a written decision moving the trial. The Goncalves family post their reaction, claiming disappointment about the outcome but saying, “The only good thing about this decision is it will be Judge Judge’s last decision in this case” (424). The trial is moved to Boise under Judge Steven Hippler. Hippler is known to be “strict and stern,” which Steve Goncalves likes (424).

Bryan Kohberger is flown to Boise, 300 miles away, and booked into the Ada County Jail. Attorney Mike Pattinson thinks this will be healing for the town of Moscow, which had been uneasy with Kohberger’s presence. Days later, the Latah County Jail fails a fire code inspection and may have to close. Evan Ellis wonders if this will be good for Fry’s campaign because the jail’s failure “happened on his opponent’s watch” (425). He wonders if the new fire marshal took this step to help Fry out or if he’s just a stickler for the rules.

Judge Hippler gives both legal teams a stern lecture and expresses the expectation that they will act with professionalism. The new court atmosphere shifts the Goncalves’ mindset into optimism. The FBI has told him that the odds are very good they will secure a conviction, calling the DNA evidence “insurmountable” (428). Others worry that Taylor will be able to argue the integrity of the knife sheath evidence and challenge the IGG process. The court date is set for August.

In Moscow, the only remaining visual evidence of the tragedies is an orange “No Trespassing” sign that stands at 1122 King Road. Now that Ethan, Xana, Maddie, and Kaylee’s friends have graduated, this generation of students have no memory of the victims or the life that used to light up the King Road house. The nearby healing garden and the plaques within will make sure that no one ever forgets the names of the victims.