Parents of University of Idaho victim request donations to attend Boise murder trial
The parents of Madison Mogen, one of the four University of Idaho students fatally stabbed nearly two years ago, are asking for donations to help pay for them to attend the Boise trial next summer for the man charged with murdering their daughter.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Karen and Scott Laramie, of Coeur d’Alene, to defray costs for travel, food, lodging and lost wages so they can be there in person at the courthouse located more than 400 miles south from their home. The fundraising goal is set at $45,000. A GoFundMe spokesperson verified for the Idaho Statesman that the funding page for the Laramies is legitimate.
A separate GoFundMe drive, which the service also said is authentic, was established earlier this month for Mogen’s biological father, Benjamin Mogen, for the same purpose. So far, 570 donors contributed to surpass its initial fundraising goal of $15,000, which was increased to $17,500.
Mogen, 21, was raised by Karen, her mother, and Scott Laramie, her stepfather. She also kept up her relationship with her biological father, who also lives in Coeur d’Alene.
The other three victims in the November 2022 attack at an off-campus house in Moscow were Mogen’s best friend, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; housemate Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington. Chapin was Kernodle’s boyfriend and staying over for the night.
Trial expected to last 3 months
The defendant, Bryan Kohberger, 29, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. At the time, he was a graduate student at nearby Washington State University just over the Idaho-Washington border.
A Latah County grand jury unanimously indicted Kohberger on the five charges on the basis of probable cause. At his arraignment, a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
Kohberger’s defense argued he would face bias from a local jury that would deny him a fair trial if it remained in the community where the crime occurred, and a Latah County judge agreed to move the trial out of Moscow. Now the victims’ families that want show up in person are forced to travel from North Idaho or Washington to attend.
The Idaho Crime Victims Compensation Program does not reimburse families of victims who must travel to attend a trial following a venue change, Darci Anderson, the statewide program’s bureau chief, previously told the Statesman. In addition, the Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association does not provide funds for such purposes, an organization representative said in an email to the Statesman.
The Latah County Prosecutor’s Office, which is leading the prosecution of Kohberger, declined to comment to the Statesman, citing the case’s gag order against any statements about the high-profile case outside of the court record.
The Goncalves family was first to request public donations for trial expenses through a GoFundMe page. More than 1,000 donors have contributed almost $65,000, which exceeded the original goal of $50,000.
Earlier this month, the Goncalveses posted to their dedicated Facebook page an email from a victims advocate through the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office confirming for them that no financial assistance is available to victims’ families for travel to an out-of-county trial.
Whereas Benjamin Mogen told the Statesman he, his wife, Korie Hatrock, and some of his other family plan to attend just the victims’ impact portion and sentencing, if Kohberger is convicted, the Goncalveses have said they plan to be there for the entirety of the trial. The Laramies also indicated in the GoFundMe page that they would be there for the full duration of Kohberger’s trial.
“Their attendance is important to represent Maddie during the proceedings and potentially give victim impact statements,” the page reads. “We ask for your kindness in this impossibly difficult time to help them fill the financial gaps. Any donations not used for these expenses will help raise funds for memorial scholarships.”
Kohberger’s capital murder trial is expected to last at least three months. It is scheduled to start with jury selection on July 30, 2025, and run until Nov. 7, 2025 should he be convicted beyond a reasonable doubt and it requires sentencing.
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Parents of University of Idaho victim request donations to attend Boise murder trial."
