Idaho murder victim's family hires local attorney amid frustrations with police probe
Moscow, Idaho, police haven't publicly named a suspect in the college coed massacre
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FIRST ON FOX: The father of Idaho victim Kaylee Goncalves has hired a local attorney amid a souring relationship with police and concerns over missteps in the quadruple homicide probe.
The family recently retained Shanon Gray, of Gray Law Criminal Defense, whose cases have ranged from kidnappings to drunken driving arrests.
Gray, who began his career as a prosecutor in the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office, recently moved from Portland, Oregon, to Moscow, Idaho, Kaylee's father Steve Goncalves told Fox News Digital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I have a lawyer for a reason," Goncalves said in an exclusive interview Sunday. He added that he rarely communicates with police directly anymore. "They talk to my lawyer now," he added.
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Steven Goncalves, his wife Kristi Goncalves, and their murdered daughter, Kaylee Goncalves. (Ted Warren via AP/Instagram)
Gray also has a website called Wake Up Parents! in which he can be booked as an expert speaker on the pitfalls of social media.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Mr. Gray has an extensive knowledge of the law and the effects of social media on juveniles and has made a vow to alert parents to the enormous amount of danger social media can expose to their children," the site says.
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The attorney will now be assisting Goncalves, who has publicly shared his frustration with the pace of the investigation into his daughter's murder, which has entered its fourth week without a suspect.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The four victims of a quadruple homicide near the University of Idaho are Maddie Mogen, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves. (Instagram: @maddiemogen, @kayleegoncalves, @ethanchapin4)
The grieving father told Fox News Digital in a Dec. 6 interview that he hoped an attorney could pressure police to disclose more details about the case.
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, her best friend Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Nov. 13. Police have yet to publicly identify a suspect or recover the fixed-blade knife they believe was used in the attack.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The home where four University of Idaho students were murdered Nov. 13. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Goncalves says he has also hired a private investigator in the hopes he can help solve the baffling murders.
The gumshoe is a former cop with 50 years of experience and an 87% success rate, according to Goncalves.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Moscow Police Department, working alongside the Idaho State Police and the FBI, has struggled to deliver a cohesive message.
Police initially said that they believed at least one of the victims was targeted before backtracking on the claim. The next day, they reversed course again, asserting that the attack was targeted.
"There seems to be confusion everywhere you look," Goncalves said during the Dec. 6 interview. "It's just absurd the kind of stuff that’s going on right now."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Goncalves' attorney didn't immediately responded to a request for comment. The Moscow Police Department didn't immediately return a request for comment.
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The Moscow Police Department is asking that the public call in tips at 208-883-7180, email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us or submit digital media here.