The school said Friday that the off-campus residence where four University of Idaho students were found dead in November will be demolished.
The owners of the three-story King Street house where the bodies of Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were found were presented to the university.
The university accepted the proposal. The school decided to get rid of the structure, which is located off campus, University President Scott Green said in a statement.
University of Idaho Murders
The murders rocked the small community of Moscow, where investigators opened what the city’s police chief later described as a “very complex” case.
“This is a remedial step and removes the physical structure where the crime that shook our community was committed,” Green said. “The demolition also removes attempts to further sensationalize the crime scene.”
The university is also “evaluating options where students could be involved in the future development of the property.”
Green said scholarships have been established in honor of three students and work is underway on a fourth. A plan to build a memorial is also being prepared.
“We will never forget Zana, Ethan, Madison and Kaylee, and I will do everything in my power to protect their dignity and honor their memory,” Greene said.
According to investigators, three of the victims were roommates in the home and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Chapin, was staying overnight.
Brian Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested last year in Pennsylvania and charged with first-degree murder and four counts of burglary.
The four charges of first-degree murder carry sentences that can range from life imprisonment to the death penalty.
He is scheduled for a five-day preliminary hearing beginning June 26.
At the time of the murders, Kohberger was a doctoral student studying criminal justice and criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, a short drive over the state line from Moscow. A WSU official has stated that Kohberger is no longer enrolled.
Eric Mendoza Contribution,
