Four University of Idaho students were tragically killed in a stabbing attack in November 2022 at their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. The home has since been offered to the university and the school has accepted, with plans to demolish the house and design a memorial in honor of the slain students.
On November 13, 2022, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, and Ethan Chapin were killed in their off-campus house in Moscow. Two roommates survived the attack. After a six-week search, 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger was arrested and is currently in custody in Idaho. Kohberger was a Ph.D. graduate student at Washington State University at the time of the attack.
In response to the tragedy, the University of Idaho President Scott Green announced plans to demolish the house. The owner of the home offered to give it to the university and the school accepted.
Green stated that the demolition is a “healing step and removes the physical structure where the crime that shook our community was committed,” and said, “We are evaluating options where students may be involved in the future development of the property,” Green added. No timeline has been set for the demolition
However, university spokesperson Jodi Walker told the Idaho Statesman that the goal is to have the house knocked down by the end of the semester.
“We’re just working through the processes that it takes to do such a thing, but from the university standpoint, and in talking with the families, the sooner, the better,” Walker said.
In addition to the demolition, the university is also planning a memorial in honor of the slain students. The memorial will include a garden, to be designed on the school’s campus. The exact location of the memorial has yet to be determined. Scholarships in honor of the students are also being established.
