The father of Kaylee Goncalves, who was killed in Idaho, has spoken out about a surviving roommate who “froze” in panic and didn’t dial 911 when she saw the alleged murderer.
On November 13, Bryan Kohberger is charged with fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in their off-campus residence.
One of the two surviving roommates, known only as D.M., recently came forward and admitted to police that she had heard “weeping” coming from victim Xana Kernodle’s room the night of the murders.
That evening, Kernodle, 20, her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, and her two housemates Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, died.
Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s father, told NBC that he considered D.M. to be “another victim of this atrocity.”
On the murderous night, D.M. was dozing off in one of the second-floor rooms.
After overhearing more screams, D.M. swung her door open a third time, and that’s when she went into a state of shock after she spotted a “masked man in black clothing” in the hallway.
D.M., who was in a “frozen shock phase,” told investigators that the masked suspect walked past her and toward the back sliding door of the home.
The surviving roommate then locked herself in the room.
“I still think that she’s just a girl that was scared, froze up,” Goncalves told the outlet.
He added: “She’s just a girl that was scared… until I know better. that’s how I’m gonna treat it.”
Goncalves said that he has questions about what occurred after D.M. locked her door, but that those will be answered as the investigation continues.
“My heart goes out to her, and she came up to me in different celebrations of life,” Goncalves said.
“And she showed herself to me that she didn’t behave in a fashion of somebody who was involved in something like this.”
After the murders, police were called later that day, shortly before 12pm.
“You got to remember these two girls were so upset that when they went outside after seeing this… it wasn’t very legible,” Goncalves said about the 911 call.
“They couldn’t quite understand what these girls were seeing.”
He added: “One passed out. And the other one was hyperventilating that the message wasn’t clear enough for the operator,” in reference to the call.
The surviving roommates are not involved in the crime, according to police.
At Kohberger’s court appearance on Thursday, Goncalves said to TODAY that the alleged murderer never turned to look at him.
“I was hoping for that,” Goncalves said.
“You know, he’s going to avoid me for a while, but he’s definitely going to have to deal with the effects of the aftermath.”
This was the first time family members saw Kohberger in person.
Previously, Goncalves said he wanted to look Kohberger in the face during his court hearings.
“This guy’s gonna have to look me in my eyes multiples times, and I’m going to be looking for the truth,” Steve told ABC News.
“That’s really what I’m going to be looking for,” he said.
Steven told NewsNation: “There is going to be someone there looking him in the face and letting him know this is not going away anytime soon.”
“This is just the beginning,” he added.
