CNN
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The planned demolition of the home where four University of Idaho students were stabbed last year will be delayed until October, university officials said Wednesday.
Moscow University received the three-storey house on King Road earlier this year from its former owner. A court said it can be torn down.
“We know that every action and decision surrounding this horrific incident is painful and emotional. That’s why every decision we’ve made so far has the victims’ families and our students in mind,” university president Scott Green said in a news release. “While we look forward to removing this grim reminder of this tragedy, we believe that waiting until October is the right thing to do.”
In November, four students, 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin were killed in the home.
Bryan Kohbergera graduate student at nearby Washington State University, is scheduled to stand trial in the case in October on four counts of first-degree murder. Not guilty pleas have been entered on his behalf.
Officials said neither the prosecution nor the defense objected to the destruction, although some family members of the victims spoke publicly. expressed his disappointment that it would be demolished, citing the possible probative value of the home.
Last week, university officials said they were focused on removing personal items from the home and making them available to the victims’ families.
“We know that these personal items are incredibly important in the healing process,” school spokeswoman Jodi Walker told CNN on Friday. Walker did not know what would be done with the land the off-campus house sits on. A memorial is is expected to be built on campus.
“The scene has been substantially altered from its condition at the time of the crimes, including removal of relevant property and furniture, removal of structural elements such as wallboard and flooring, and extensive chemical application creating a potential health hazard . These are some of the reasons why we have concluded that “jury opinion” would not be appropriate,” said Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson.
The Goncalves family doesn’t want the house destroyed until after Kohberger’s trial is over, their attorney Shannon Gray told CNN last week.