University of Idaho victims’ families seeking donations to attend Bryan Kohberger’s murder trial

A pair of University of Idaho families whose daughters were allegedly slaughtered by Bryan Kohberger are raising money so they can attend the murder trial hundreds of miles away from their homes.

Bryan Kohberger is set to face trial in the Nov. 13, 2022 murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, a small town in northern Idaho.

But after a judge agreed last month to move the emotionally charged proceeding out of the college town and instead hold it 300 miles south in the state capitol of Boise, friends are trying to help the families of Goncalves and Mogen with online fundraisers, so they can be in the courtroom and pay to stay nearby for the duration of next year’s trial, slated to stretch from July 30 to Nov. 7.

“Maddie’s mom, Karen, and stepfather, Scotty, need financial support for travel, room, board and lost wages to attend the trial in person,” according to one of the fundraisers. “Their attendance is important to represent Maddie during the proceedings and potentially give victim impact statements.”

The GoFundMe effort raised nearly $13,000 of its $45,000 goal as of Friday, while a separate GoFundMe drive for Mogen’s biological father, Ben Mogen, brought in $17,118 – nearly all of its $17,500 goal. 

A fundraiser seeking $75,000 for Goncalves’ family has racked up $66,590 so far, which will go toward “an Airbnb or a house for rent that will house all 10 Goncalves family members as well as their small pets for at least those three months,” according to the GoFundMe page. 

“Since this will be a huge disruption to their work and life, we also would love to raise enough money for meals, loss of work, transportation, etc,” according to organizer, Brooke Miller.

Any donations not spent on getting Mogen’s mom and stepfather to the trial will go toward memorial scholarships, according to the GoFundMe, while leftover cash given to Mogen’s father will be donated to the maintaining the memorial honoring the four slain students at the university.

The lengthy trial against Kohberger will include two phases – one to determine his guilt or innocence on four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary, and the other, if he’s found guilty, to determine whether he should receive the death penalty.