Goncalves and Mogen families reserve right to sue Idaho city

The families of murdered University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen have filed paperwork reserving their right to sue the city of Moscow, Idaho.

Two notices filed with the city on May 3 and May 11, respectively, indicate that the Goncalves and Mogen families could bring lawsuits against Moscow and seek monetary damages.

The documents, first obtained by ABC News, do not say what wrongdoing the plaintiffs may allege. The notices also do not specify the amount of potential damages, leaving it as “undetermined at this time.”

Goncalves and Mogen, both 21, were among the four University of Idaho students savagely stabbed to death inside their off-campus rental home in the early morning hours of Nov. 13.

The other two victims were Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, both 20 years old.

After an intense manhunt lasting more than six weeks, police arrested Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old criminology PhD student at the nearby Washington State University and charged him with the murders.

Kohberger was taken into custody on December 30, after going on a cross-country road trip to Pennsylvania to spend the winter holidays with his family.

Shanon Gray, an attorney representing Goncalves and Mogen’s families, told ABC News that while his clients have yet to file any lawsuits, the notices protect their legal right to do so within two years.

“It’s a safeguard to protect the interests of the families, the victims and really the whole community around, because if something goes wrong, or was done improperly, then someone is held accountable for that,” the lawyer explained.

Gray revealed he had also filed notices reserving his clients’ right to sue the University of Idaho, Washington State University and the Idaho State Police.

The news comes a day after Kohberger was arraigned on four counts of first-degree murder and a charge of felony burglary.

When asked how he pleaded to the crimes during the long-awaited hearing, Kohberger “stood silent” in a courtroom packed with victims’ loved ones.

Second District Judge John Judge entered a not guilty plea on Kohberger’s behalf. He is set to stand trial on October 2.    

If convicted, Kohberger could face life in prison or the death penalty, should prosecutors choose to seek it — a decision they are required to make within 60 days.

Goncalves’ family, led by her father, Steve, and his attorney, Gray, have been very outspoken throughout the investigation and critical of the local police force, suggesting in an interview last year before Kohberger’s arreste Idaho authorities were “in over their heads.”