BOISE, Idaho — The families of all four University of Idaho murder victims sued on Wednesday the university attended by the man who killed their loved ones, alleging gross negligence, wrongful death and violations of federal education protections.

Led by Steve Goncalves, the father of victim Kaylee Goncalves, who pledged last year to file a lawsuit against Washington State University, parents for each of the four Moscow college students are also named plaintiffs in the civil case.

Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty in July to fatally stabbing the four students; he was a Ph.D. student of criminal justice and criminology in Pullman, Washington, at the time of the murders in November 2022.

The “plaintiffs seek to hold WSU liable for its own decisions and actions to remain idle in the face of known extreme and repeated instances of discrimination, sexual harassment and stalking by Kohberger occurring in its educational program,” read the 126-page complaint obtained by the Idaho Statesman from Skagit County Superior Court in Washington. “… That ultimately culminated in Kohberger stalking and murdering the decedents.”

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages.

WSU was obligated to control Kohberger as a student, employee, on-campus resident and school internet user, the complaint stated, asserting Title IX violations, for which a private party may sue. In addition to being a doctoral student in his first semester, Kohberger was a teaching assistant at the university and also lived in graduate student housing in Pullman.

Along with the 21-year-old Goncalves, the other victims were Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. All four U of I undergraduates were killed in the middle of the night at an off-campus home in Moscow. Kohberger, originally from eastern Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged with their deaths about seven weeks later.

Kohberger, now 31, agreed to a plea deal on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary to avoid the death penalty. He waived all rights to appeal and has no chance of parole, and was sentenced to four life terms plus 10 years, and more than $300,000 in fines, after admitting he killed the victims.

The judge in the criminal case ordered Kohberger to pay about $32,000 in restitution to the families and the Idaho victim’s compensation fund, plus $20,000 in civil damages.

‘Breakdown in accountability,’ lawsuit alleges

Reached Thursday by the Statesman, Steve Goncalves declined to comment about the lawsuit. The other named plaintiffs are Mogen’s mother, Karen Laramie; Kernodle’s father, Jeff Kernodle; and Chapin’s mother, Stacy Chapin.

The four families are represented by attorneys at Wagstaff & Cartmell in Kansas City, Missouri, with two attorneys in Tacoma, Washington — Thomas Vertetis and Chris Love — acting as co-counsel and named as the attorneys of record on the complaint.

“The information now coming to light paints a disturbing picture of institutional inaction in the face of repeated and dire warnings,” the families’ attorneys said in statement sent to the Statesman. “These failures were not the result of a lack of authority or available safeguards, but rather a breakdown in accountability and responsibility at critical moments.

“The victims’ families have come together with a shared purpose to seek transparency, accountability, and meaningful reform,” the statement continued. “This effort is not about vengeance or speculation. This is about ensuring that institutions entrusted with the safety of young people take threats seriously and act decisively when warning signs are present.”

Washington State University declined to comment Thursday, citing a legal matter.

In November, a university spokesperson provided the Statesman with a statement from WSU President Elizabeth Cantwell.

“My heart goes out to the families, friends, and entire community grieving this tragic loss of life,” Cantwell said. “We share in their sorrow and we recognize the profound pain and shock that this act of violence has caused. On behalf of WSU, I extend our deepest condolences and stand with all who are mourning.”

The lawsuit also alleges WSU was liable for claims of outrageous conduct and other forms of negligence. The complaint asserted Kohberger was subject to multiple WSU policies and procedures and the university was derelict in those responsibilities.

At least 13 formal complaints were filed against Kohberger during his single semester as a WSU student — each presented to university administrators, the complaint said. Their decision not to exercise the school’s authority represented “intentional violations” and “deliberate indifference” that spelled culpability for WSU, the families’ attorneys wrote.

“There was no indication that WSU acted on these formal complaints, or that it acted in an urgent and decisive manner commensurate with the imminent and serious threat that Kohberger posed,” the lawsuit read. “WSU failed to exercise its supervisory power and disciplinary authority over Kohberger, despite having repeated notice of the high risk of serious misconduct.”

Kohberger is incarcerated for the remainder of his life at Idaho’s maximum security prison south of Boise.

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