The longtime boyfriend of a University of Idaho murdered student and her surviving dog have been pictured meeting her newborn niece.
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were brutally stabbed to death at the young women’s off-campus rental home in Moscow on 13 November. Bryan Kohberger, a Washington State University PhD student who lived 15 minutes away from the crime scene, has been charged with the quadruple murders.
Although a gag order in place bans family members from speaking about the case with the media, Goncalves’ family have been sharing updates about their life in the aftermath of the unthinkable tragedy on their Facebook page.
On Friday, the grieving family offered a glimpse of Kaylee’s longtime boyfriend Jack DuCouer’s visit with his dog Murphy to their home in Coeur d’Alene. The Goldendoodle has been living with Mr DuCouer after it was found unharmed inside the home where the gruesome crime took place.
During the visit, Mr DuCouer and Murphy met Kaylee’s newborn niece Theodora MaddieKay Stevenson, whose middle name honours Kaylee and her best friend Madison. The baby was born in March to Kaylee’s older sister Alivea, who had asked both victims to be bridesmaids at her wedding.
“Jack & Murphy came by tonight and picked out so many nice things. We will be donating the rest to our local animal shelter early next week. Jack also met our sweet MaddieKay tonight, so much love. Much love friends,” the post read.
Last month, the Goncalves family announced on the Facebook page that they had created an Amazon wishlist for Murphy at the request of many fans following their life updates. They said at the time that they intended to donate most of the dog toys to their local shelter.
Kaylee’s mother Kristi Goncalves also shared that she was overcome with emotion when opening the gifts.
“[We] opened treats and read messages for HOURS yesterday. We cried and cried. We could feel Kaylee right there with us,” she wrote. “We are so grateful to all of you. There are no words to express how we feel. It’s mind blowing and extremely emotional. Thank you!”
In January, Mr DuCouer launched an Instagram account for the pooch which has since gained over 110,000 followers. He has since posted mementoes of Murphy with Kaylee and Madison and recent pictures of the dog.
Last week, authorities investigating the quadruple murders disclosed the existence of a Giglio/Brady list related to one of the officers involved in the case. The findings could potentially affect the ongoing criminal proceedings against Mr Kohberger, the only suspect in the case.
Under Brady law, investigators are responsible for disclosing exculpatory information to defence counsel. Meanwhile, Giglio material conveys information that could potentially indicate that a witness is not credible, according to the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.
The scope of the list and the role of the officer in the murder investigation were not immediately clear. The evidence mentioned in the recent filing was submitted in camera to the court on 24 March, but its content remains sealed at the request of prosecutors.
Mr Kohberger is set to appear in court on 26 June for a preliminary hearing. He has not entered a plea but said earlier this year through a public defender that he “was eager to be exonerated.”
Two warrants made public last month and obtained by The Independent show that investigators collected a Glock .40 calibre gun, empty gun magazines, a knife, a pocket knife, black face masks, black gloves, electronic devices, and more clothing items from the home of Mr Kohberger’s parents in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested.
Mr Kohberger’s family home was raided on the same day as another search at his apartment in Pullman, Washington, which was a 15-minute drive from the crime scene in Moscow.
The warrant from the Washington search was made public in January, revealing investigators seized a “collection of dark red” spotting and a pillow with a “reddish/brown stain” at Mr Kohberger’s Pullman apartment. A Fire TV stick and possible animal hair strands were also taken by law enforcement.
