The house where four University of Idaho students were killed last year is being demolished today, Dec. 28, The Associated Press reports.
The former owner of the rental home in Moscow, Idaho — which has been boarded up and cordoned off by a security fence — donated it to the University of Idaho earlier this year. The school announced the building would be razed in February, but the actual demolition date wasn’t scheduled until earlier this month. Last week, before the demolition began, the defense team for suspected killer Bryan Kohberger was allowed to access the house and collect potential evidence in preparation for his trial.
After the house is demolished and the debris is cleared, the University plans to plant grass on the site. A spokesperson said there are no plans for the plot at the moment, but that could change in the future.
The University of Idaho has been adamant that destroying the house, even before Kohberger’s trial, is an important step towards healing after the tragedy. “That is an area that is dense with students, and many students have to look at it and live with it every day and have expressed to us how much it will help with the healing process to have that house removed,” spokesperson Jodi Walker told The AP.
In a previous statement, University president Scott Green said, “It is the grim reminder of the heinous act that took place there. 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.”
Some of the victims’ families, however, have objected to the demolition largely because of its potential value in the case. As Shanon Gray, an attorney for the family of Kaylee Goncalves, previously said: “The home itself has enormous evidentiary value as well as being the largest, and one of the most important, pieces of evidence in the case.”
Prosecutors did OK the demolition, telling university officials that they were already able to gather the necessary evidence and information to build their case. They also did not believe a jury visit to the house would be necessary since it would be in a much different condition from when the killings took place.
A trial date for Kohberger has yet to be set, though prosecutors are reportedly eying next summer. He is facing four counts of first-degree murder in the killings of Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, plus one count of felony burglary. At his arraignment in May, a not-guilty plea was entered on Kohberger’s behalf after he chose to “stand silent.” In June, prosecutors announced that they would be seeking the death penalty in the case.