Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves’ father denies calling Moscow police ‘cowards’

‘I want kids to understand that this is such a big case that these guys have their hands full,’ Steve Goncalves said of police

The grieving father of one of the slain University of Idaho students has denied calling Moscow Police “cowards” and insisted that he does support the law enforcement officers who are working to catch his daughter’s killer.

Kaylee Goncalves’ father Steve Goncalves, one of the most vocal family voices in the media, told Fox News on Saturday that he understands that investigators “have their hands full” with the case.

It marked a change of tune for the father, who has repeatedly criticised police in the five weeks since Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found brutally stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.

“I want kids to understand that this is such a big case that these guys have their hands full,” he said.

“I wanted to go out there and tell everyone that the Goncalves’ family supports the local police officers so much so that we want them to be able to work on this case.”

Mr Goncalves went on to address “rumours” that he called law enforcement officers “cowards” saying that he was actually referring to “a lawyer who was standing in between what the officers would like to release and what is actually being released” when he made those comments.

The comments came during an interview last week where Mr Goncalves told Fox News that Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt had described the victims’ wounds as “big open gouges”.

“I got outraged by them not just coming out and saying this was a woman or a man because they should know by the amount of strength it took to deliver the injuries,” Mr Goncalves said in the interview published on 12 December. “They’re just being cowards.”

In his latest interview with the outlet released Saturday, Mr Goncalves also addressed surveillance video which purportedly showed his daughter and Mogen walking through downtown Moscow discussing a mystery individual named “Adam” just hours before they were brutally murdered.

The video was taken from an unnamed resident’s surveillance camera and provided to Fox News by a Facebook group devoted to solving the case.

It shows two women with a man who appears to be the same individual who the two best friends were with when they stopped by late-night food spot the Grub Truck in the early hours of 13 November.

Police have already ruled out the man – known in social media circles as “hoodie guy” – as a suspect in the murders.

In the video, a voice believed to belong to Goncalves asks: “Maddie, what did you say to Adam?”

“Like, I told Adam everything,” a second female voice responds.

It is not clear who the man named Adam is but Goncalves’ grieving father said he is not a suspect in his daughter’s homicide.

Mr Goncalves told Fox News that investigators were already aware of the footage and that the mystery man named Adam is not connected believed to be connected to the killings.

“We’ve had that film for a while. I believe the business reached out to us directly after they had given it to police,” he said.

He added: “We did the obvious due diligence and we looked into that and it was pretty clear that this individual is not part of the investigation as far as [being] a suspect.”

Mr Goncalves said it was “comforting” to see his daughter and her friend enjoying their last night together.

“It’s kind of comforting as it’s just two girls having a good time talking... and just being girls on their way to the Grub Truck,” he said.