'Unimaginable tragedy': Slain UCLA student Andrea DelVesco's mom calls for safer campuses amid Idaho murders
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The heartbroken mother of slain UCLA student Andrea DelVesco says universities should teach their students more about their safety in the wake of the University of Idaho murders. Andrea was fatally stabbed in an off-campus apartment, similar to the one where the four University of Idaho victims were killed. Now, Andrea's mother Leslie DelVesco has spoken out to The Sun about the Idaho murders, dubbing the whole event as an ‘unimaginable tragedy’. "It's an unimaginable tragedy. I'm so glad they have caught a culprit,” she added.
Leslie said that she believes that the on-campus housing of a university is a relatively safer option for a college student than any off-campus rental apartments. However, she also added that as providing on-campus accommodations for all the students is not possible, universities should focus more on enhancing practical safety instruction to safeguard college students. According to Leslie, institutions need to devote more time to informing students about the risks they face and how to reduce them.
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Leslie also emphasized that such safety teachings must begin at home before parents send their children to school. She also emphasized the significance of educating children about security cameras, fire alarms, and healthy habits like securing doors and windows at night.
What happened to Andrea DelVesco?
Andrea was killed in 2015 at her off-campus rental home at the age of 21, just like two of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, of the recent Idaho murders case. After the murder, her apartment was set on fire. Alberto Medina and Eric Marquez, two college students, were detained in connection with Andrea's death.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Medina, a student at Fresno State University, was eventually convicted guilty of murder, arson, burglary, and animal cruelty in connection with DelVesco's murder. He received a life sentence without the chance of release. DelVesco's neighbor Marquez, a UCLA student, also entered a guilty plea to one count of burglary and one count of accessory after the fact. In 2018, he received a prison term of two years and eight months. A new docuseries about the fatal incidents is now streaming on Hulu.
What similarity does Andrea DelVesco's case have with the Idaho murders?
According to Leslie, the fact that the students resided away from campus in a rental home is the key similarity between this case and Andrea's. In the early hours of November 13, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were murdered in their rental house close to the university. The case remained a mystery for over 1 month, but finally on December 30, 28-year-old Brian Kohberger was detained in Pennsylvania on suspicion of the murders and extradited to Idaho this week.
Kohberger was reportedly enrolled in the criminology graduate program at Washington State University, which is located about 10 miles away from the Moscow campus of the University of Idaho. Earlier, during his first court appearance in Idaho, prosecutors released the probable cause affidavit detailing how the tragic murder might have taken place.