Early this morning, against the wishes of at least two parents, demolition crews tore down the house on King Rd. where four Idaho college students were brutally murdered last Fall. In recent months, Kaylee's dad, Steve Goncalves, argued against the teardown, insisting the site should be preserved in case it's needed for future reference during trial.
Members of the Goncalves and the Kernodle families released a statement this week insisting that the property should remain intact to provide any answers to questions that might arise during the prosecution. The house, they say, is the most significant piece of evidence to help jurors understand the layout, sights, and sounds of the house.
"Please stop the demolition," they urged in a statement, calling the decision to proceed with demolition "madness."
The university ignored their pleas scheduling the demolition while the students were away for winter break. University President C. Scott Green said in a statement that the home was too grim a reminder of what transpired there on November 12th, 2022. His solution was to erase it.
"While we appreciate the emotional connection some family members of the victims may have to this house, it is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue," he said.
The abrupt demolition came as a shock to everyone following along online. Twitter commentators predict the decision will only breed new suspicion surrounding the case.
"Somebody really wants that house destroyed," one commentator wrote. Others pointed out similar cases where the jury was brought to tour the site where the murders occurred.
https://open.substack.com/pub/jessicareedkraus/p/ive-seen-things-they-may-not-have?r=dzrj0&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post