Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger is getting ‘special treatment’ in jail, according to the father of one of the victims.
The former criminology PhD student is accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death in their home off-campus on November 13. Kaylee Goncalves, 21, died alongside her best friend Maddie Mogen, 21, housemate Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20.
Kohberger has been held at Latah County Jail in Moscow, Idaho, since January while awaiting a trial which has been pushed back until at least next year after Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial.
Kaylee’s father Steve Goncalves has claimed Kohberger is getting much better treatment while in jail than the other inmates with vegan meals, suits and computer access.
‘I’ve been informed that his pretrial privileges, like his five suits, video and computer special treatment and vegan meals are unprecedented in the history of Idaho,’ he told Fox News Digital.
Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger is getting ‘special treatment’ in jail, according to the father of one of the victims
Victims (L-R) Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen (on Kaylee’s shoulders) Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle
Kohberger has been held at Latah County Jail in Moscow , Idaho since January while awaiting a trial which has been pushed back until at least next year after he waived his right to a speedy trial
Following his initial court appearances in an orange jail jumpsuit, Kohberger started to show up in a suit and tie.
Goncalves has tried to find out who has paid for the suits through a public records request but this was denied due to a gag order.
‘They won’t tell us,’ he said. ‘But I witnessed the moment they agreed not to handcuff him in court.’
Latah County Sheriff Richard Skiles previously said Kohberger’s request for vegan meals, which are typically vegetables or rice and beans, would be met but added ‘we are not going to buy new pots and pans’.
DailyMail.com has contacted the Sheriff’s Office for comment.
The families of the murder victims were interviewed by CBS News for a documentary airing on Saturday titled ‘The Night of the Idaho Student Murders’.
Goncalves’ daughter Kaylee and Mogen were sleeping in the same bed on the third-floor bedroom on the night of the murders.
Her parents claim they have evidence showing she ‘tried to get out of the situation’, before being killed.
He believes Kaylee was stuck between her friend’s body and the wall before the assailant attacked her, citing the coroner’s report.
Speaking to CBS News’ Peter Van Sant, he said: ‘There’s evidence to show that she awakened and tried to get out of that situation, [but] she was assaulted and stabbed.
‘The bed was up against the wall. The headboard was touching the wall and the left side of the bed was touching the wall.
‘And we believe that Maddie was on the outside and Kaylee was on the inside. The way the bed was set up…[Kaylee] was trapped.’
Kaylee’s mother, Kristi, said that she thinks the killer’s plan ‘went awry’, adding that he ‘intended to kill one and killed four.’
Kaylee’s father Steve Goncalves has claimed Kohberger is getting much better treatment while in jail than the other inmates with vegan meals, suits and computer access
Following his initial court appearances in an orange jail jumpsuit, Kohberger started to show up in a suit and tie
Kaylee’s father Steve Goncalves (right) believes she was stuck between her friend’s body and the wall before the assailant attacked her, citing the coroner’s report
Kernodle, and her boyfriend, Chapin were found dead on the second floor but two other occupants were not attacked.
Kohberger’s defense and Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson urged the judge to ban cameras from future court proceedings.
The judge in the murder trial asked the media to ‘back off’ after he criticized their coverage of the case, while refusing to give a definitive ruling on whether the trial can be televised.
Judge John Judge presided over a hearing Wednesday where a coalition of media members alongside the prosecution lobbied to have the trial photographed, televised and even live-streamed.
He said the media has ‘pushed the envelope’ with its coverage of the case and questioned whether the media has a right to ‘intervene’ in the trial.
The judge dismissed the hearing without making a definitive ruling on whether the trial would have cameras.
Prior to the grisly murders, Kohberger was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University. Pictured: the home where four Idaho college students were found murdered
Defense attorneys for Kohberger lobbied for either the cameras to be removed from the courtroom or, at the very least, put in a different location, with worries that it will turn proceedings into a TV show
Judge John Judge presided over a hearing Wednesday where a coalition of media members alongside the prosecution lobbied to have the trial photographed, televised and even live-streamed
‘Regrettably, it seems that the judge and prosecutor are overly concerned with accommodating the defense, leaving us, the advocates for our children, with no choice but to step forward,’ Goncalves said.
Royal Oakes, a Los Angeles media attorney who convinced a court to allow the O.J. Simpson murder trial to be televised in the 90s, said: ‘Just because both sides want to hide the proceedings from the public doesn’t mean the judge has to go along with the request.
‘The public is entitled to see the judicial system at work. As they say, sunlight is the best disinfectant.’
Kohberger is facing four charges of first-degree murder as well as felony burglary. If convicted, he could be sentenced to the death penalty.
