Idaho college murders

Fall 2022

During the fall 2022 semester, five female University of Idaho students resided in a rented off-campus house in the rural college town of Moscow, Idaho.

The three-story residence featured six bedrooms, with two located on each floor.

November 2022

In the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death in a shared rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho. Two of the victims, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, lived in the house and worked at the same local restaurant. The third victim, Kaylee Goncalves, had recently moved out but was back visiting to attend a nearby party. The fourth victim, Ethan Chapin, was Kernodle’s boyfriend who was staying over that night. Two other female roommates also lived in the house but were not attacked.

November 2022

The two surviving roommates reportedly returned home by 1 a.m. Initial reports indicated both were in their beds on the ground floor during the killings, were neither attacked nor held hostage, and did not wake up during the incident. However, the probable cause affidavit later revealed that one of the surviving roommates had been sleeping on the second floor, the same floor as Kernodle and Chapin, before being awakened by what sounded like Goncalves and her dog. She later heard a roommate say something like “there’s someone here.” She initially believed it was Goncalves who said this, though investigators suggested it might have been Kernodle, as a forensic download of Kernodle’s phone showed she was on TikTok at 4:12 a.m.

The surviving roommate mentioned she opened her door twice in quick succession; on the second time, she heard what sounded like crying coming from Kernodle’s room and a male voice saying, “It’s okay, I’m going to help you.” Security cameras near the residence recorded the sounds of whimpering, a loud thud, and a dog barking repeatedly around 4:17 a.m. The surviving roommate claimed she opened her door a third time and saw a figure dressed in black clothing with a mask covering his mouth and nose walking toward her. She did not recognize the man, who walked past her and exited through the sliding glass door. The roommate said she then entered a “frozen shock phase” and locked herself in her room.

The four victims were stabbed to death in their beds on the second and third floors of the residence. They were neither gagged nor restrained, but the walls were spattered with blood. Mogen and Goncalves were found together in Mogen’s bedroom, while Kernodle and Chapin were discovered in Kernodle’s room.

Before the 911 call was made, the surviving roommates reportedly summoned friends to the house, believing one of the second-floor victims was unconscious and not waking up. At 11:58 a.m.—more than seven hours after the homicides are believed to have occurred—someone at the residence used a surviving roommate’s phone to call 911, requesting help for an “unconscious person.” While the identity of the caller was not released, police confirmed that the caller was not a suspect. When police arrived, they found the door to the home open, with no signs of forced entry or damage inside, and nothing appeared to be missing. The two surviving roommates and other friends of the victims were present when the police arrived.

All four victims were pronounced dead at noon. Detectives believe the murders took place between 4 a.m. and 4:25 a.m. During their search of the residence, officers found Goncalves’s dog—whom she shared with her ex-boyfriend—alive and unharmed on the third floor.

Timeline of Events: Idaho College Murders

In the early morning of November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students were found fatally stabbed at an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho. On December 30, Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.

November 12, 2022

Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle attend a party at the Sigma Chi fraternity house from 8 PM to 9 PM.
Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen go to a local bar called The Corner Club between 10 PM and 1:30 AM.

November 13, 2022

1:40 AM: Goncalves and Mogen are seen at a food truck before getting a ride home from a “private party” driver.
1:45 AM: All four victims are back at the King Road house. Two other roommates, who were not harmed, were also at home.
2:47 AM: A phone belonging to one of the surviving roommates showed activity on TikTok.
4:00 AM to 4:25 AM: Multiple calls are made from Goncalves’ phone to her ex-boyfriend; similar calls are made from Mogen’s phone.
Around 4 AM: Authorities believe the killings took place sometime after 4 AM.
9:00 AM: One of the surviving roommates wakes up and notices the door to Goncalves and Mogen’s room closed, but assumes they are asleep.
11:58 AM: A 911 call is made from one of the surviving roommates’ phones, reporting an unconscious person. Officers arrive to find the four victims dead.

November 17, 2022