Unsealed Court Documents Reveal Chilling Details in University of Idaho Student Murders Case

On Thursday, important court documents were unsealed related to the murder case involving four University of Idaho students who were tragically killed in their off-campus home in November 2022. These newly revealed texts and 911 transcripts offer chilling insights into the survivors' experience during those intense early morning hours.

The incident occurred on November 13, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho, leading to the deaths of roommates Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and their classmate Ethan Chapin, who was Kernodle's boyfriend. The victims were discovered stabbed to death in the house they shared near campus.

Surviving roommates, identified in documents as B.F. and D.M., communicated via text messages between 4:22 a.m. and 4:24 a.m. on the day of the murders. Unanswered calls from D.M. to her roommates were placed between 4:19 a.m. and 4:27 a.m. with D.M. expressing confusion in the messages, notably stating, "No one is answering" and "I'm rlly confused rn."

Further messages revealed D.M.'s increasing panic concerning an apparent intruder, describing a figure wearing what seemed "like a ski mask," prompting B.F. to urge her to flee to a safer location downstairs. Both roommates eventually sheltered together downstairs until later in the morning when emergency services were called.

More than five hours later, at approximately 10:23 a.m., D.M. again reached out via text to inquire about her roommates' safety, urgently messaging, "Pls answer". At noon, a frantic 911 call was made after Kernodle could not be awakened, with multiple people anxiously speaking to responders during the call. One caller mentioned that a roommate had been intoxicated the night before and was not responding.

The suspect, Bryan Kohberger, a 30-year-old former Ph.D. student, was arrested almost seven weeks after these fatal events. Police linked Kohberger to the crime scene via DNA found on a knife sheath, eventually charging him with four counts of murder and burglary. Kohberger declined to verbally enter a plea during his earlier court appearance, resulting in the court entering a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

Both surviving roommates, who previously reported seeing a masked figure at their residence that morning, are expected to testify at Kohberger's trial. This disclosure follows recent judicial reminders to attorneys against the excessive sealing of court documents, highlighting the right of public access to such information under the First Amendment.

Kohberger’s trial is set to start on August 11, with the newly unsealed details potentially serving as significant evidence during litigation.