Mother of murdered University of Idaho student Xana Kernodle fight to keep rental home where she and three others were slaughtered standing until suspect Bryan Kohberger goes to trial: Demolition is set for December 28

Crucial evidence in Bryan Kohberger's trial could be destroyed if the house where he allegedly murdered four University of Idaho students is demolished by the college in ten days' time, relatives have warned.

The mother of murdered student Xana Kernodle, 20, has added to the growing pressure on college bosses to halt the bulldozers.

Kohberger is due to stand trial next year for the murders at the three-story rental home in Moscow, Idaho, but the university plans to destroy the 'grim reminder' on December 28.

Now Xana's mother Cara Northington has added her name to a petition demanding jurors be allowed to visit the scene of the crime.

'My daughter was murdered in that house, and there is no way they should be destroying any evidence,' she wrote on change.org.

The college community was horrified by the brutal murder of the four housemates in the early hours of November 13, 2022.

Kohberger, a PhD criminology student at nearby Washington State University, was arrested during a raid on his parents' home in Poconos Mountains, Pennsylvania, on December 30.

Investigators allege he broke into the students' home at around 4am, fatally stabbing Kernodle and her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20, as the couple slept on the second floor.

They also found DNA they believe is his on a knife sheath in the third-floor bedroom where Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Maddie Mogen, 21, were found dead.

The rental was gifted by its owner to the college in the aftermath of the killings and its president Scott Green has insisted on the need to tear it down, branding it a 'grim reminder of the heinous act that took place there'.

'While we appreciate the emotional connection some family members of the victims may have to this house, it is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue,' he said.

The college plans to create a memorial garden designed by its own architecture students in its place, but experts have backed the families' concerns.

'Being able to visit the crime scene in certain cases is extremely important,' said local defense attorney Edwina Elcox whose clients have included Idaho 'cult mom' killer Lori Vallow.

'Video and pictures can help, but may not accurately depict the scene in the way an in-person visit can do,' she told Fox News.

'The house should be preserved until the trial concludes or Kohberger pleads guilty.'

'I don't see why the house needs to be demolished before the trial,' added retired NYPD Sergeant Joseph Giacalone, now an adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

'I understand the school wants to 'move on,' but walking the jury through the crime scene when you have it is important to give them a perspective that photos just can't do.'

FBI investigators returned to the house at the end of October to take precise measurements of each room for 3D modeling that can be presented to the jury when the case eventually goes to trial.

The move would allow jurors to be spared a visit to the house that was said to be 'dripping in blood' and might have been off limits if Kohberger's attorneys believed it would prejudice his defense.

The defense team too was granted permission earlier this month to take photographs, measurements and possibly gather drone footage at the site as they prepare for the trial.

And more than 1,200 people have signed the petition warning that demolition 'could potentially hinder a fair path to justice'.

'It's critical that all evidence remains intact until after his trial concludes,' the organizer wrote.

Kohberger has been locked up at the Latah County Jail since his arrest, with prison sources telling DailyMail.com he spends his time obsessing over TV coverage of the case and has turned to God – meeting with a local pastor every Sunday.

His defense team previously revealed that they would be contesting the notion that Kohberger's DNA was left at the scene on the knife sheath, claiming that DNA from three other as yet unidentified men was also found.

'One of the most important parts of this case is that DNA, and what we know is that this is a party house,' defense attorney Jack Rice told a documentary earlier this month.

'We know that there are hundreds of kids in this house – it could have even included him,' he added.

'And the thing is, if he was in this house, are you suggesting that these four know everybody who's been there? I doubt that.'

'All of sudden, you might have a completely different trial.'

Neighbor Jeremy Reagan agreed that there were 'constantly people in and out of the home'.

But he added that the parties had slowed down before the murders took place.

'They did have more stuff going on there, but they were definitely nowhere near as loud, as crazy,' he added.

Since his arrest, it has emerged that loner Kohberger had battled heroin addiction in his teens and early twenties and was banned from a bar near his parents' home due to his creepy behavior towards women.

Police sources have since said that following his move to Pullman, Washington, to pursue his criminology studies, he applied to work for the Washington State University police department – but was turned down.

Fellow students said he took an unusual amount of interest in the Moscow murder case and described his 'sexist' attitude towards women in his classes.

As a result of his 'rude behavior' towards women and his penchant for grading them differently, he was fired by his professor at the WSU criminology department John Snyder on December 19 – just days before his arrest for murder.

A Dateline report provided further evidence of his bizarre behavior with a female friend at WSU claiming he broke into her home a month before the murders and moved her possessions about to make her feel 'uneasy'.

She also said she had asked him to set up security cameras to help her catch the person who had moved her belongings – only to belatedly realize he was the culprit and, chillingly, had enjoyed access to the footage.

Kohberger is believed to have meticulously planned the murders of Madison, Kaylee, Ethan and Xana, with a probable cause affidavit noting that he had repeatedly visited the area around their home prior to the killings.

The document also he was seen in the home by surviving housemate Dylan Mortensen, 19.

According to the document, Mortensen and fellow survivor Bethany Funke heard something of what happened, with Mortensen telling cops she heard Goncalves say 'there's someone here' at approximately 4am.

Ten minutes later, she heard a thud and crying from Xana's room and a male voice saying 'it's ok, I'm going to help you'.

At 4.17am, a dog was captured barking loudly on a neighbor's security camera, and at around the same time, Mortensen said she opened her bedroom door again and saw a tall male with bushy eyebrows leaving through the sliding glass doors at the back of the home.

She described how she had been 'frozen in shock' as the black-clad male walked towards her and said she locked herself in her room after he left.

A shoe print was later found outside her door.

The affidavit also reveals that Kohberger's white Hyundai Elantra was captured on camera near the scene before being seen driving rapidly away from the home towards Pullman at approximately 4.20am.

Police rapidly connected the vehicle to Kohberger and noted the similarity between his appearance and Mortensen's description of the intruder at the rental home.

Kohberger's legal team have hinted at him having an alibi but have not yet revealed what that is.

'Evidence corroborating Mr Kohberger being at a location other than the King Road address will be disclosed pursuant to discovery and evidentiary rules,' attorney Anne Taylor said in July.