House Where 4 Idaho College Students Were Murdered Is Demolished

The house where four University of Idaho students were murdered in November 2022 has been demolished by the school, despite objections from some of the victims’ families.

According to The Associated Press, demolition began Thursday morning in Moscow, Idaho, and ended a few hours later.

Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were the students fatally stabbed at the house. Kernodle, Mogen and Goncalves lived in the home. Chapin, Kernodle’s boyfriend, was visiting on the night of the attack.

The previous owner of the home donated it to the university earlier this year.

In a statement from the university released earlier this month, the school said it planned to start the demolition process during winter break “to decrease further impact on the students who live in that area.”

University President Scott Green also spoke on the demolition, saying in the statement: “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.”

According to NBC News, family members of Goncalves and Kernodle have publicly opposed the house’s demolition, arguing the building could be relevant during the murder trial. Prosecuting attorneys, investigators, defense lawyers and the FBI all accessed the home to collect evidence prior to the demolition.

Bryan Kohberger, 28, is accused of killing the four students. Kohberger, a former graduate student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, was arrested in December 2022 and later indicted on four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary. A trial date has not been scheduled.

Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty for Kohberger, according to a report from CBS News.