The family of a victim in the Bryan Kohberger case is set to launch legal action against the university he attended during the time of the killings. Kohberger was a criminology PhD student there.

Kaylee Goncalves’s parents, Steve and Kristi Goncalves, are preparing to file a lawsuit against Washington State University (WSU), seeking compensation. Their attorney, Shanon Gray, shared this information with the Idaho Statesman.

According to the Goncalves family, the legal action aims to demand ‘accountability and transparency’ from WSU. Both faculty and students had noticed Kohberger’s unsettling and erratic behavior around the time of the tragic incident involving four victims.

In their statement, the family expressed their intention to uncover the failures that led to this tragedy, to prevent similar occurrences, and to honor the victims. They have faith that the legal proceedings will shed light on the situation.

Kaylee Goncalves, aged 21, was one of the four University of Idaho students killed by Kohberger on November 13, 2022.

The then 30-year-old perpetrator broke into a residence on 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, during the early morning hours, where he fatally stabbed Goncalves, her roommates Madison Mogen, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20, along with Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin.

His motive remains unclear and no connection has ever been found between the killer and his victims.

At the time, Kohberger was a PhD student in criminal justice at WSU, living just 10 minutes from King Road, just over the state border in WSU housing in Pullman.

The family of Kaylee Goncalves plan to file a tort claim against the college where her was enrolled as a PhD student

Kristi and Steve Goncalves (speaking at Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing) are planning to sue WSU 

He had moved to Washington state in June 2022 – the first time he had lived away from his family home in Pennsylvania, aside from some stints in rehab for heroin addiction as a teenager.

As part of his PhD program, Kohberger had applied for an internship with Pullman Police Department but was unsuccessful.

Based on hundreds of pages of investigative records, released after he was sentenced to life in prison, Kohberger’s concerning behavior was quickly picked up by students and staff early into the semester.

Multiple complaints were filed against him by other students on the criminology program, the records show.

Many classmates and professors found him sexist and creepy – so much so that female students avoided being left alone with him and one faculty member warned he had the potential to become a ‘future rapist’.

‘He is smart enough that in four years we will have to give him a PhD,’ one faculty member warned, according to a police report. 

‘Mark my word, I work with predators, if we give him a PhD, that’s the guy [in] many years when he is a professor, we will hear is harassing, stalking, and sexually abusing … his students at wherever university.’

Others complained about stalking behavior and that he would physically block people from leaving rooms. 

In one chilling nod to his killing spree, he also showed a strong interest in sexual burglary, according to the records.

Ultimately, he was placed on an improvement plan before being fired as a teaching assistant and losing his PhD funding in mid-December 2022.

Bryan Kohberger was a PhD student in criminal justice at WSU, living just 10 minutes from the victims

Just days later, he was arrested in a raid on his parents’ home and charged with the murders.

With Kohberger’s motive still a mystery, the killer’s choice of course has also fallen under the spotlight.

Prior to enrolling at WSU, obtained a Masters in criminal justice from DeSales University, Pennsylvania, where he studied under renowned serial killer expert Dr Katherine Ramsland.

In court documents, prosecutors cited one of his 2020 criminology essays about a woman’s murder as showing his extensive knowledge of crime scenes.

For another college assignment, Kohberger posted a survey on Reddit asking criminals questions including how they chose their victims and how they felt while committing their crimes.

Expert witnesses also said they found extensive research of famous killers on his devices while two of Kohberger’s former classmates at DeSales told the Daily Mail they feared his studies may have inspired him to kill.

Speaking to the Daily Mail in August, Dr Ramsland said there is not yet enough information to determine the 30-year-old’s motive.

‘There’s so much we don’t know,’ she said.

‘My heart goes out to [the victims’ families] and what has happened,’ she added. ‘I’ve taught thousands of students who went on to go into law enforcement, FBI, Secret Service, pro-social activities that are good and wholesome.’ 

Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle (left) and Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves (right) were murdered by Bryan Kohberger

The home at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, on November 20, 2022 – seen days after Kohberger’s killing spree

Tort notices against WSU were filed on behalf of the families of Goncalves and Mogen back in May 2023, reserving the right for them to take legal action against the college down the line.

It is not clear if any of the other victims’ families will now also join the Goncalves’s lawsuit against WSU. 

When reached for comment by the Daily Mail, a WSU spokesperson said that they could not comment in detail because it is a legal claim.

WSU President Elizabeth Cantwell shared the following statement: ‘My heart goes out to the families, friends, and entire community grieving this tragic loss of life. We share in their sorrow and we recognize the profound pain and shock that this act of violence has caused. On behalf of WSU, I extend our deepest condolences and stand with all who are mourning.’

The latest development comes days after the third anniversary of the murders, where the families paid tribute to their loved ones and the Moscow community held a vigil in its Memorial Garden.

That same day, the judge presiding over the case also ordered Kohberger to pay additional money to the Mogen and Goncalves families to cover the cost of urns for their murdered daughters.

Evidence photos show multiple books from Kohberger’s criminology studies inside his apartment at WSU

The roughly $3,000 in additional restitution came in addition to the $251,227.50 in criminal fines and fees to the state, $20,000 civil judgment for each of the families and $28,956.88 restitution to Kernodle and Chapin’s families and the state’s crime victim’s compensation fund Kohberger was previously ordered to pay.

In the court order, Judge Steven Hippler also revealed that Kohberger had received a staggering $28,360.96 in donations from his family and other unidentified individuals while held in the Latah County and Ada County jails awaiting trial.

For more than two years, Kohberger fought the charges before finally changing his plea days before the trial was set to begin.

Under the terms of the plea deal – which divided the victims’ families – he was spared the death penalty and sentenced to life in prison, losing all rights to ever appeal.

Now, Kohberger – who will turn 31 this week – is being held inside Idaho’s maximum security prison in Kuna.