The parents of Kaylee Gonsalves, a student from the University of Idaho who was murdered, are finding it hard to forgive her killer, Brian Koberger, as he attempts to retract his guilty plea.
Koberger had previously pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including four counts of first-degree murder and a count of felony robbery, as part of a deal that helped him avoid the death penalty in 2025.
He received four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 10 years for robbery. Now, he is asking the judge to overturn all of these sentences.
“The Bible says we need to forgive him,” Christy Gonsalves, Kaylee’s mother, stated during an appearance with Sean Hannity. “But Steve argues that he hasn’t asked for forgiveness or shown any remorse. He claims he didn’t do it, so what exactly are we supposed to forgive?”
Koberger, who is 31, fatally stabbed Kaylee along with three others—Madison Morgen, Zana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin—after breaking into their home on November 13, 2022. DNA evidence linked him to a knife sheath found at the scene that had once held the murder weapon.
Christy Gonsalves shared her feelings with Sean Hannity, stating, “He went into that house with the intent to kill… It’s hard for me to forgive that.” She described Koberger as embodying evil, saying, “I feel like he’s… the devil himself.”
Describing the aftermath, Christy noted that her daughter suffered horrific injuries, leaving her unrecognizable. Steve Gonsalves characterized the crime as a manifestation of Koberger’s grotesque fantasies, labeling him as soulless.
“There’s something deeply inhuman about him,” Christy remarked. “When I looked at him, I honestly couldn’t say if he’s human.”
Christy mentioned that she frequently talks to God about the struggle to forgive Koberger but remains uncertain about whether the murder was premeditated. “I tell God, ‘I know I should forgive him, but how can I? He did something so horrific,’” she said.
She expressed her inner turmoil, asking, “Should I forgive the devil? Should I forgive the devil?”
Christy also conveyed her disgust over Koberger’s attempt to withdraw his guilty plea after all the trauma he has inflicted on the victims’ families. Steve echoed her frustrations, declaring, “If anyone wants to accept this appeal… I will blow this case to the ground.”
