In the early morning hours of that Sunday, a brutal attack shattered the community’s sense of safety. Four University of Idaho students, Madison “Maddie” Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, were found stabbed to death in their beds at an off-campus residence on King Road.

The viciousness of the crime sent shockwaves not only through Moscow but across the nation, triggering one of the most intensely followed murder investigations in recent American history.

As news of the quadruple homicide spread, fear descended upon the college town. Students fled campus in droves. Parents worried about their children’s safety. For weeks, the community lived in a state of anxious uncertainty as investigators worked to piece together what had happened and, most importantly, who was responsible.

The case would eventually take a turn that added another layer of unsettling complexity. Seven weeks after the murders, authorities arrested a suspect who seemed to embody a particularly disturbing irony: a 28-year-old PhD student in criminology from nearby Washington State University.

Bryan Kohberger, a man studying the very nature of criminal behavior, now stood accused of committing a crime of shocking brutality.

For the families of Maddie, Kaylee, Xana, and Ethan, the arrest marked just the beginning of a long road toward justice. For investigators, it represented the culmination of painstaking detective work using both traditional methods and cutting-edge technology. And for the public, it raised haunting questions about what could drive someone dedicated to understanding crime to allegedly commit such a horrific act.

As the case inches toward trial in summer 2025, nearly two and a half years after that fateful November morning, newly released evidence continues to emerge, offering greater insight into the events, the investigation, and the complex legal proceedings that have followed.

This is the story of four young lives cut tragically short, the community forever changed by violence, and the twisting path that led investigators to the doorstep of a criminology student who now faces the ultimate judgment for his alleged actions.

The Final Night

Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were inseparable, lifelong best friends whose bond had carried them through childhood into their early twenties. At 21, both were firmly embedded in the vibrant social scene of the University of Idaho. Xana Kernodle, 20, was equally engaging and full of life, dating 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, a triplet who had enrolled at the university alongside his brother and sister. These four young people, with their bright smiles and promising futures, could never have imagined that the evening of November 12, 2022, would be their last.

Saturday night began like countless others on a college campus. Kaylee and Maddie decided to spend the evening together, as they so often did. The pair headed to the Corner Club, a popular bar in downtown Moscow, ready to unwind after a week of classes and responsibilities. Meanwhile, Xana and Ethan attended a fraternity formal at the Sigma Chi house, where Chapin was a member. It was a night of celebration, laughter, and the kind of ordinary college experiences that form the cornerstone of university memories.

The off-campus house at 1122 King Road, where Kaylee, Maddie, and Xana lived with two other female roommates, would serve as the backdrop for the evening’s tragic conclusion. Notably, Ethan didn’t live at the residence but had planned to stay overnight with Xana. The three-story home, situated in a neighborhood popular with university students, stood just a short distance from campus, close enough to walk but far enough to feel a step removed from university life.

As the night progressed, security cameras and electronic records would later help investigators piece together the victims’ movements. Around 1:40 a.m. on Sunday, November 13, surveillance footage captured Kaylee and Maddie at a local food vendor known as the Grub Truck, grabbing some late-night food after leaving the Corner Club. The young women then used a private ride service, arriving back at the King Road residence by approximately 1:45 a.m.

Around the same time, Xana and Ethan also returned to the house after their night at the Sigma Chi fraternity event. All four victims were now inside the residence, along with the two other roommates who had also been out separately in Moscow that evening and had returned home.

The digital footprint of that night reveals that life continued normally inside the house for some time after everyone had returned. Cell phone records would later show that Xana received a DoorDash food delivery around 4:00 a.m. Phone data also indicated she was likely still awake and using TikTok at approximately 4:12 a.m., a small detail that would later help investigators narrow down the horrific timeline of events.

What none of the four friends could know was that they were being watched. Outside the house, a white Hyundai Elantra was making multiple passes by the residence, beginning at 3:29 a.m. The vehicle would be captured on surveillance cameras from nearby homes, making three separate passes before stopping in front of the house at 4:04 a.m., then performing a three-point turn before passing by once more.

These ordinary moments; returning home from a night out, scrolling through social media, receiving a late-night food delivery, would be the final peaceful acts of four young lives. In the predawn darkness of a quiet college town, someone was about to transform their ordinary night into an extraordinary tragedy that would captivate and horrify the nation.

The Murders

Between 4:00 a.m. and 4:25 a.m. on November 13, 2022, a predator moved through the house on King Road. What happened inside those walls would later be described by investigators as a brutally efficient attack that left little opportunity for resistance. The victims, likely ambushed in their rooms, were stabbed multiple times with what police described as a large military-style knife.

Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen were found in a bedroom on the third floor of the home. Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were discovered on the second floor. Autopsy reports would later reveal that all four had suffered multiple stab wounds to the chest and upper body, with at least one victim showing defensive wounds, a silent testament to a brief, desperate struggle against their attacker.

Perhaps most chilling was what didn’t happen that night. There were no signs of forced entry, suggesting the killer may have entered through an unlocked door or had some familiarity with the residence. Nothing appeared to be stolen. There was no evidence of sexual assault. The two other roommates, later identified as Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, somehow remained unharmed despite being present in the house during the attack.

One of these surviving roommates would later provide investigators with a critical eyewitness account. According to police reports, Dylan heard what she thought was Kaylee playing with her dog on the third floor. She later heard crying coming from Xana’s room and a male voice saying, “It’s okay, I’m going to help you.” At approximately 4:17 a.m., a nearby security camera picked up distorted audio of what sounded like voices or whimpering followed by a loud thud.

Most disturbingly, Dylan reported coming face-to-face with a masked man dressed in black inside the house. A figure who then walked past her and out the sliding glass door. Her description of this individual, particularly noting his “bushy eyebrows,” would later become a significant element of the investigation.

Left behind at the bloody scene was a single, crucial piece of evidence: a tan leather Ka-Bar knife sheath bearing the United States Marine Corps symbol. The sheath was found on Madison Mogen’s bed, next to her body. The murder weapon itself was nowhere to be found.

By 4:20 a.m., security footage captured a white Hyundai Elantra speeding away from the area. The brutal attack was over, but the nightmare for the Moscow community and the victims’ families was just beginning.

The Immediate Aftermath

The horror of what transpired in the early morning hours remained undiscovered for nearly eight hours. A series of panicked text messages, recently unsealed by the court, reveal the confusion and fear that followed for surviving housemates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke.

Between 4:19 a.m. and 4:21 a.m., Dylan attempted to call several of her roommates. When they didn’t answer, she texted Bethany Funke at 4:22 a.m telling her, “Someone’s in the house.” The exchange continued with Dylan describing “a man in a ski mask,” while Bethany urged her to “come to my room.”

It wasn’t until approximately noon that a 911 call came from the residence. The call, described in court documents as chaotic with multiple people speaking, was placed by a male friend who had come to the house and discovered Xana’s body. Initially believing someone was simply “passed out” from drinking, the caller soon realized the gravity of the situation.

“There’s blood everywhere,” the caller told the dispatcher. “We need police right now.”

When Moscow Police Department officers arrived at 1122 King Road around 4:00 p.m., they encountered a scene of unimaginable brutality. The community’s reaction was immediate. As news of the quadruple homicide spread, fear permeated the college town. Many University of Idaho students, unwilling to remain in an area where a killer was at large, packed their belongings and left campus.

The families of the victims, thrust into a nightmare no parent should ever face, quickly grew frustrated with what they perceived as a stalled investigation. In those early days, with limited information released to the public, speculation ran rampant both online and throughout the community.

Moscow Police held their first press conference on November 16, but with few concrete details to share, their statements did little to calm growing fears. By November 23, police admitted they were investigating “hundreds” of tips suggesting one of the victims may have had a stalker, though they couldn’t immediately verify these claims.

As Thanksgiving approached, the university town that should have been preparing for holiday celebrations instead found itself in the grip of collective anxiety. While investigators methodically gathered evidence behind the scenes, the public faced an unsettling reality. A brutal killer remained at large, identity unknown, motives unclear, and the possibility of further violence hanging like a shadow over a once-peaceful community.

As November turned to December, the Moscow community continued to reel from the shocking violence that had claimed four young lives. Families mourned, students lived in fear, and a killer walked free. What no one outside the investigation knew was that behind closed doors, a complex web of evidence was being methodically assembled. Evidence that would eventually lead authorities to a suspect hiding in plain sight.

The hunt for the Moscow killer was about to enter its most critical phase, one that would expose an alleged killer from the most unexpected of backgrounds.

PART TWO COMING SOON