The still-grieving University of Idaho community dedicated a “healing garden” Wednesday to the four students viciously murdered in their off-campus home nearly two years ago.

The student-designed flower patch honors the lives of all students who died while enrolled at the school, but specifically memorializes Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves and Maddie Mogen.

“It’s a reminder that even in moments of sadness, always find light. In the wake of tragedy, I take great inspiration from the amazing resilience of the families involved,” Dean of Student Blaine Eckles said at the unveiling ceremony.

The Vandal Healing Garden and Memorial was established as a “permanent space for quiet reflection, remembrance, hope and healing” — following community outrage ignited by the demolition of the off-campus rental where the foursome was stabbed to death on Nov. 13, 2022.

The small walking path, complete with a “Memory Garden” and overhang, is wedged between several academic buildings and peppered with various flora and fauna.

It was designed by the University of Idaho’s architecture students and “inspired by community input.”

There was public outcry earlier this year — including from the victims’ family members — when the three-story home at 1122 King Road was torn down.

Protesters demanded that the home remain intact until after suspected killer Bryan Kohberger’s trial concluded in case the building harbored remaining evidence.

But school officials, who were given the house after the tragedy, called the structure a “grim reminder of the heinous act that took place there.”

A university spokesperson told The Post that the memorial garden was not meant to replace the off-campus home because the site was never intended to be a place of reflection.

The Vandal Healing Garden and Memorial also honors lost students other than Kernodle, Chapin, Goncalves and Mogen, the representative noted.

Prosecutors believe Kohberger broke into the off-campus house around 4 a.m. and stabbed the four friends to death inside their bedrooms. Lifelong pals Mogen and Goncalves were sharing a bed at the time, while couple Kernodle and Chapin were sleeping across the hall.

Kohberger’s defense team claims he was not in the vicinity of the property, but was instead on a late-night drive miles away in Washington State to look at the moon and stars.

At the time of the slayings, Kohberger was a criminology Ph.D student at Washington State University, just eight miles away from the house.

The state will pursue the death penalty at Kohberger’s trial, which is set for June 2025.

A couple spent years systematically dismantling a former elementary teacher’s life by creating a plan to gain her trust, move on her property and isolate her, according to court documents.

Now, the husband will face time behind bars.

James Dougherty, 44, and Jessica Dougherty, 43, of Boise, were sentenced for wire fraud of more than $187,000 Wednesday morning after pleading guilty through a plea agreement with prosecutors earlier this year, according to court records.

United States District Judge Amanda Brailsford sentenced James to 41 months in prison and Jessica to three years of probation. Restitution will be decided at a later time, Brailsford said.

The husband and wife moved into a building on Donna Douglass’ 46-acre property on North Broken Horn Road north of Boise in 2015 to “ostensibly provide the victim with assistance with her ranch and horses in exchange for free rent,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. James Dougherty was the son of a family friend of the victim’s, the plea deal noted.

The couple began intentionally isolating Douglass, removing her means of transportation and communication.

Later that year, Douglass’ health declined, and James Dougherty “gained control of the victim’s finances, including being named as the victim’s power of attorney for finances,” the Justice Department said.

After Dougherty was hospitalized, the couple would not allow her to return to the ranch. Instead, she lived at Jessica’s mother’s home, where she did not receive adequate medical assistance, according to Corey McCool, Douglass’ attorney, who specializes in representing older adults.

The Doughertys began taking money from Douglass’ accounts without her knowledge. They used the money to rehabilitate their credit until they qualified for a mortgage for the ranch, according to court records.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the couple sold the ranch, which was never publicly listed for sale, to themselves without the victim’s consent. They bought it for $96,085, which was just enough to clear the existing debt on the ranch, according to court documents. The Ada County Assessor’s Office valued it at more than twice that amount.

Douglass, now 81, gave an impact statement in court Wednesday morning at the James A. McClure Federal Building. She described how the Doughertys took not only her assets, bank accounts and a second mortgage in her name, but also stole some of the contents of her house, including personal items and family heirlooms.

Douglass said she had hoped to spend her retirement years at her beloved ranch, surrounded by the horses she loved. But the property damage and “years of trash” left by the Doughertys has made that impossible, according to Douglass.

“They destroyed my ranch and my home and made it unlivable at this time,” Douglass said. “I no longer have the financial means to clean the property enough to make it livable and a healthy living environment. The Doughertys have destroyed my life.”

Most distressing to Douglass was their treatment of her horses, she said. Court documents said the couple provided “inadequate health care” to them.

“My last mare, a Tennessee Walking mare, they just unlocked the gate and put her out,” Douglass said. “I have no idea where she is or if she’s even alive at this moment.”

In his own court statement, James Dougherty expressed remorse to Douglass and her family.

“The pain and hardship they have endured because of my behavior weigh heavily on me,” James said. “When I embarked on this course, I never foresaw the damage.”

Justice Department urges vigilance when it comes to elder abuse

Idaho U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit said older adults are often targets in fraud cases, partly because they are more likely to be dealing with health or mental capacity issues, but also because they are more likely to have assets than younger people.

“In this case, for example, the victim had worked and had a really great career as a public servant, working as a teacher,” Hurwit said. “She had a lovely property that these criminals targeted her for.”

Community and connection are the best ways to prevent elder abuse, according to Hurwit. He noted that Douglass’ case drew the Justice Department’s attention only after a worried friend contacted the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. A concerned eye doctor helped Douglass obtain a cellphone, and Douglass found out her ranch had been sold only after a neighbor drove her there when the Doughertys refused, her attorney said.

“If you know someone who may be isolated or may be having a change in life circumstances or health circumstances as they age, check in with them,” Hurwit said. “They need those connections. Not everyone needs to have someone looking over their shoulder for financial transactions, necessarily, but it really helps to check in and ask questions.”

Douglass’ case was prosecuted as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, which was launched after the bipartisan Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act was signed into law in 2017. The law and initiative were put in place to increase the federal government’s focus on preventing elder abuse and exploitation, according to the Justice Department’s website.

“Elder abuse is a growing problem in our society,” McCool said. “I want to be clear that taking care of our elders is difficult. It, frankly, is no easy task. It requires diligence, dedication, and hard work. Ms. Douglas may have been difficult to take care of, but it did not give license to steal from her or to take years away from her at her ranch, which she loved the most.”

Those wanting to report elder abuse can visit justice.gov/elderjustice/roadmap or call the victim hotline at 1-855-484-2846.

Defense attorneys for Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, argue that a severe “mob mentality” against him within the community is sufficient justification for moving the trial out of Latah County, new court documents show.

In a filing on Monday, the defense countered the state’s objection to their request for a change of venue by presenting a telephone survey conducted by a defense expert, which revealed hostility toward Kohberger from Latah County residents.

When asked what their response would be if Kohberger was not convicted, one person said, “There would likely be a riot and he wouldn’t last long outside because someone would do the good ole’ boy justice.”

Others said that “they’d burn the courthouse down” and “they would probably find him and kill him.”

The defense argued that the “often inaccurate and inflammatory” media coverage in Latah County would condition potential jurors to think Kohberger was guilty. The survey indicated that individuals who were more exposed to media coverage were more likely to prejudge Kohberger as guilty, and Latah County has the most media coverage per person in the state.

Despite the state’s proposal to move the jury pool to the neighboring Nez Perce County, the defense contended that this would not solve the issue, as Nez Perce County residents were exposed to the same media coverage as those in Latah County.

Instead, Kohberger’s attorneys proposed moving the trial to Ada County, home to Idaho’s capital city, Boise. According to the defense’s survey, Ada County residents appeared to have a lower emotional connection to the case. When asked how they would feel if Kohberger were found not guilty, responses included “they would go on with life as always” and “I think they would accept it.”

The defense also rejected the proposed solution of vetting jurors, citing precedent that shows vetting alone is insufficient to ensure impartiality. Sequestering the jury, another proposed solution, would be “unnecessary and untenable.”

“The traumatized town of Moscow is understandably filled with deeply held prejudgment opinions of guilt,” the defense attorneys said in concluding their argument.

The two sides will present their arguments to the judge on August 29.

Kohberger, who was a doctoral student at Washington State University studying criminology, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary after prosecutors say he broke into an off-campus house near the University of Idaho and fatally stabbed four students. Kohberger was arrested nearly seven weeks later and a possible motive remains unclear.

The state says it has linked Kohberger to the murders through DNA evidence, cellphone signals and security videos, while the defense has submitted an alibi.

The state will pursue the death penalty at Kohberger’s trial, which is set for June 2025.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com