Sister Of Slain Idaho Student Goes Viral After Obliterating Bryan Kohberger At Sentencing Hearing

The older sister of one of the victims murdered in 2022 at the University of Idaho delivered a powerful and fiery victim impact statement that was met with tears and applause during a sentencing hearing for Bryan Kohberger.

The hearing took place last Wednesday as Alivea Goncalves stared down the stoic Kohberger, who was sentenced on all four counts of murder after accepting a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

In the early hours of November 13, 2022, four college students—Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Alivea’s younger sister—were fatally stabbed in an off-campus house at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho.

The house was shared by Kernodle, Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves while Chapin was dating Kernodle and had spent the night. Two other students, Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen, were at the residence during the time of the murder but were not attacked.

Kaylee’s older sister, Alivea, began her statement by defending the lives of Kaylee Goncalves and her best friend, Madison Mogen, whom she considers like another sister:

“I’m not here today to speak in grief. I’m here to speak in truth, because the truth is my sister Kaylee and her best friend Maddie were not yours to take."

"They were not yours to study, to stalk, or to silence. They were two pieces of a whole, the perfect yin and yang.”

That night, Kaylee and Madison Mogen had visited a local bar and a food truck before arriving home at 2:00 AM. Two hours later, Mortensen awoke to strange noises and crying before witnessing a man dressed in black and wearing a mask walk past her and exit through the kitchen.

Terrified, she joined her surviving roommate, Funke, and they locked themselves in a bedroom and attempted to call their other housemates, who were deceased.

Lifelong best friends, Kaylee and Mogen were found together in Mogen’s room on the third floor.

Speaking of her sister's and Mogen’s character, Alivea continued:

“Because the truth about Kaylee and Maddie is they would have been kind to you."

"If you had approached them in their everyday lives, they would have given you directions, thanked you for the compliment, or awkwardly giggled to make your own words less uncomfortable for you."

"In a world that rejected you, they would have shown mercy. Because the truth is, I'm angry. Every day I’m angry.”

Rightfully emotional, Alivea addressed her sister’s murderer by telling him to “sit up straight” when she was speaking to him. Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, Kohberger has never explained or provided a motive for what led to him killing the four University of Idaho students that night and refused to give a statement at the sentencing hearing.

Mocking his “inflated ego,” Alivea pointed out how Kohberger’s perfect crime was foiled because he left his DNA on a knife sheath near Mogen’s body, which became key evidence for investigators:

“No one is scared of you today… You spent months preparing, and still, all it took was my sister and a sheath. You worked so hard to seem dangerous, but real control doesn’t have to prove itself."

"The truth is, the scariest part about you is how painfully average you turned out to be. The truth is, you're as dumb as they come, stupid, clumsy, slow, sloppy, weak, dirty.”

Concluding her statement, Alivea gave one more final truth to Kohberger about her sister:

“I see through you. You want the truth. Here’s the one you’ll hate the most, if you hadn’t attacked them in their sleep, in the middle of the night, like a pedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your f**king ass.”

Her words were met with applause. An emotionless Kohberger was later sentenced by District Judge Steven Hippler to life in prison without parole, “where he will remain until he dies.” Kohberger was also fined $50,00) and imposed a civil penalty of $5,000 for each murder. He also waived his right to appeal as part of the plea deal.

You can watch her full statement below:

A member of the Alpha Phi sorority, Kaylee Goncalves was finishing her senior year in 2022 and was majoring in general studies at the University of Idaho’s College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences. Described as a “defender and protector” by her family, she had recently purchased a 2016 Range Rover and was planning a trip to Europe the following year.

Describing her testimony to Kohberger as coming “face-to-face with an alien,” Alivea spoke to Brian Entin for a post-sentencing interview on NewsNation:

“I’m not intimidated by him, truly, I’m not, but when I tell you, there’s a primal sense of alarm, my body was telling me, ‘Run, get out. This is a threat… Behind, there’s no human being, there’s no humanity.”

Goncalves’ statement was praised and emphasized by social media users who noted how well-spoken and masterful her words were in facing down Kohberger.

Their reactions can be seen below:

You can watch Alivea Goncalves’ NewsNation interview below:

  - YouTubeNewsNation/YouTube