University of Idaho Begins Demolition of Off-Campus House Where Students Were Fatally Stabbed, US

The University of Idaho is set to demolish the off-campus home where four students were tragically murdered last year. The property’s destruction is the latest in a series of demolitions involving homes connected to notorious killings. Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen were brutally stabbed inside the Moscow, Idaho rental on November 13, 2022, shocking the university and the community. The owner of the house donated it to the university, which initially planned to tear it down before the start of the new academic year. However, the demolition was postponed until this month due to the suspect’s trial preparations. Bryan Kohberger, charged with four counts of first-degree murder, is set to stand trial in the summer of 2024. Despite pleas from the families of the victims to preserve the house as potential evidence, neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys opposed the demolition as the house has significantly changed since the murders occurred. The university intends to replace the house with a memorial garden dedicated to the slain students. The destruction of homes associated with heinous crimes raises challenging questions for communities about how to honor the victims while promoting healing and moving forward. Notable examples include the demolition and reconstruction of Sandy Hook Elementary School following the tragic shooting in 2012, as well as the tearing down and rebuilding of the Beverly Hills property where Sharon Tate and four others were murdered by Charles Manson’s cult in 1969. Similar actions were taken in the cases of John Wayne Gacy’s home near Chicago and Fred and Rose West’s house of horrors in Gloucester, England. The Islandton, South Carolina property where Alex Murdaugh murdered his wife and son remains standing, as it served as a crime scene during the trial. Nevertheless, the estate was sold following Murdaugh’s conviction. It is crucial for communities to navigate these difficult decisions while respecting the victims, their families, and the need for collective healing.