Kaylee Goncalves's sister Alivea says family is relieved after 'true evil' Bryan Kohberger's arrest
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently
MOSCOW, IDAHO: Alivea Goncalves Stevenson, the devastated sister of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves, shared how their family was relieved that a suspect was finally in custody.
Alivea opened up for the first time about the tragedy in an interview with NewsNation Sunday night, January 8, noting that her family felt "the weight of the world was lifted off our shoulders" when they learned about Bryan Kohberger's arrest in Pennsylvania and eventually read the damning evidence listed in an affidavit against him. Kohberger, 28, is charged with the quadruple homicide of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and her friends Xana Kernodle, 20, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21, all of whom were found stabbed to death on November 13 in their rented, off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.
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An affidavit released by the authorities on Thursday, January 5, noted how Kohberger stalked his victims for weeks before eventually ending their lives, something Alivea described as "true evil." Kohberger is remanded in custody at the Latah County Jail after he was denied bail last week. If found guilty of the brutal killings, he faces nothing short of the death penalty. Speaking to NewsNation's Brian Entin on Sunday night, Alivea revealed how her family had "presumed innocence" for Kohberger until they read the disturbing affidavit against him, which detailed how police in Moscow, Idaho were able to track the suspected killer down.
Full Bryan Kohberger affidavit here: 1/18 #BryanChristopherKohberger pic.twitter.com/rMcPa5v4PQ
— Khaleda Rahman (@khaleda) January 5, 2023
Alivea said she believes Moscow Police have developed a solid case against Kohberger. "I was able to kind of read that and process that, and then you not only have a name and a face, but the beginnings of a case against him," she said, adding, "The relief that we all felt at having a suspect in custody, it was like, I can't even describe, it was like the weight of the world's been lifted off our shoulders."
While reading the affidavit describing the days and weeks leading up to her sister's death, Alivea couldn't help but remember how normal everything seemed in their text conversations. "To be honest, I think that the hardest part of this was to sit back and look at the totality of this," she continued. "When my sister was texting me about a new egg bites recipe, he was planning his next visit to the home, and that's really difficult. It's really difficult not to do more, not to have known more, but it's just the first step. A lot more evidence will come out, and I'm confident Moscow Police Department [and] Idaho State Police have the right person, and I thank them from the very bottom of my heart."
Alivea said neither she nor her beloved sister had an inkling that "true evil was genuinely watching them" considering Kohberger is said to have returned to the house at least 12 times leading up to the murders. The alleged killer also brazenly returned to the residence just hours after the four University of Idaho students were murdered, which Alivea believes was him wanting to return to the scene to see if a "circus" had developed as yet. Considering, Alivea also proposed the suspect may have been contributing on online forums speculating about the quadruple homicide. "I don't think that he would have been able to refrain from engaging with the online community," she told NewsNation. The heartbroken sibling urged online sleuths to continue sending her information related to Kohberger, a PhD student who was studying criminology at the University of Washington. "It's really difficult not to wish you could've done more," Alivea added.