“This is what we wanted”: Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves’s family reacts to Bryan Kohberger arrest

The family of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves appeared relieved after Bryan Kohberger, a Washington State University criminology student, was arrested in Pennsylvania in connection to the gruesome killings.

The family of 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, who was stabbed to death on November 13 at an off-campus home along with Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, commented on the arrest of Bryan Kohberger, stating that they were grateful that the suspect was in custody. Cheryl Goncalves, the grandmother of victim Kaylee Goncalves, told The New York Post:

“Of course we’re relieved. This is what we wanted. We wanted him caught and now we want justice.”

Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested on Friday, December 30 in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains. He is currently being held in the Monroe County Jail awaiting extradition to Idaho. Authorities said that a white Hyundai Elantra, spotted near the off-campus home of the slain Idaho students on the night of the murder, was seized from the area where the suspect was arrested.

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Family members of the slain Idaho students react to the arrest of the suspect Bryan Kohberger

Following the arrest of Bryan Kohberger, family members of the slain Idaho students commented on the incident while speaking to various media outlets.

Gratified that the suspect was in custody, Kaylee Goncalves' father, Steve Goncalves, told ABC News that he is anticipating seeing the suspect in court. He said:

"The little coward that had finally got caught running. I still think everyone's innocent until proven guilty, so I put that in the back of my mind."

He added:

"This guy's gonna have to look me in my eyes multiple times, and I'm going to be looking for the truth. That's really what I'm going to be looking for."

Bryan Kohberger is a student of criminology at Washington State University, located 10 miles away from where students were stabbed to death at a house near the university of Idaho.

Steve Goncalves told the outlet that none of the family members recognized the suspect who is accused of killing his daughter. However, he added that in the subsequent hours after learning the name of the suspect, they recalled a few details that they weren’t ready to divulge.

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Ethan Chapin’s family also released a statement to Fox News Digital with a poignant observation that the arrest still doesn’t change the agonizing fact that Chapin was no more. However, they said that they were grateful that it had brought a semblance of closure to the family members.

"We are relieved this chapter is over because it provides a form of closure. However, it doesn't alter the outcome or alleviate the pain. We miss Ethan, and our family is forever changed."

Bryan Kohberger, charged with four counts of murder, will be held in the Monroe County Jail in Pennsylvania until his extradition hearing, expected to be held on January 3, 2023.