MOSCOW, Idaho (WFLA) — Crews started to demolish the home where four University of Idaho students were killed last November on Thursday morning.
Demolition crews started working at 7 a.m. Pacific Time, according to KXLY in Spokane, Washington.
The University of Idaho said earlier this month that the house would be demolished. Prosecutors and the defense team had access to the house to take any photos or measurements of the house for the trial.
Demolition of the home could take several days, the university said in a statement. The home was turned over to the university in early 2023 with the intention of it being demolished.
“It is the grim reminder of the heinous act that took place there,” President Scott Green said in a 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.”
The families of two victims are asking for the demolition to be stopped and are “frustrated” that there still has not been a trial, according to NewsNation’s Brian Entin.
Bryan Kohberger is charged with four counts of murder in connection with the stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at the rental home near the university campus. Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted.
Kohberger was a graduate student studying criminology at Washington State University, which is a short drive from the scene of the killings across the state border. He was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania, and the unusual details of the case have drawn widespread interest. Investigators pieced together DNA evidence, cellphone data and surveillance video that they say links Kohberger to the slayings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
