Idaho victim's mom got death threats during Kohberger trial. Who is sending those messages?

During the sentencing for Bryan Kohberger, Kaylee Goncalves' father, Steve, disclosed a threatening text received by his family.

Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the four University of Idaho students brutally murdered in 2022, shared a moment during the recent sentencing hearing for accused killer Bryan Kohberger.

Bryan Kohberger is is seen in the Ada County Courthouse after his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death nearly three years ago. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool) (AP)

Speaking with NewsNation’s ‘Banfield’ on Friday night, Goncalves revealed that his family received a disturbing text message threatening their lives while they were in court delivering statements.

“Sitting near you in court and watching you is a joke. You know that Bryan is innocent. … I am in contact with a lot of serial killers, including BTK, and I’ve been put in contact with a wannabe serial killer who is in Moscow, Idaho, and I have given him your address,” he told NewsNation. The reference to ‘BTK’ alludes to Dennis Rader, the notorious ‘Bind, Torture, Kill’ serial murderer.

Who is sending death threat messages to Kaylee Goncalves's family?

Goncalves confirmed that their attorney and investigators are investigating the threat. “The individual is not located in Idaho,” he said.

He also expressed frustration with lead prosecutor Bill Thompson’s decision to offer Kohberger a plea deal that removed the death penalty from consideration.

“By hiding those details of what happened to my daughter and the other victims, it gave fuel to these people. It gave them a wishful thinking that they were, like, defending a PhD grad … people don’t want to root for, like, a skinhead or a cop killer,” he said.

“I just don’t understand why Thompson would have wanted to protect him by hiding these details. And I know some of the other families have already changed their opinion of the deal, knowing all the facts that have come out, so I think it’s suspicious that he purposely never let this information out.”

“For the first time, we set the tone, and we wanted to have some power in that courtroom and dictate some things to him,” he shared.

“I felt great… the courtroom had a representation that was in harmony of our family.”