After nearly three years of uncertainty, an answer has emerged regarding the murders of four Idaho students.
On November 13, 2022, Bryan Kohberger entered the student residence at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, and killed four friends in their sleep.
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were found dead. However, the other two roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were left unharmed and seemingly unaware of the events unfolding within the home at the time.
A new Amazon docuseries, titled “One Night in Idaho: The College Murders,” has been released in four parts. It features accounts from the friends and family of the victims, shedding light on the aftermath of the tragic events.
The series provides insight into the challenges faced by the police, who were overwhelmed and operating with seemingly limited leads, as well as the harassment faced by the surviving roommates.
The docuseries also addresses a question that puzzled many when details emerged about the discovery of the four victims’ bodies.
Through first-hand accounts, viewers learn about the trauma experienced by the young adults who found their friends.
Hunter Johnson, a friend of Ethan Chapin, was contacted by Mortensen. She reported hearing strange noises that night and asked him to investigate.
Unaware of what he would encounter, Johnson entered the crime scene, discovering Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin had been stabbed to death.
He then placed a call to 911, describing the scene as involving an ‘unconscious individual’ inside the property.
This description led to some confusion and speculation, with some even suspecting Hunter of being the murderer.
When law enforcement arrived, they found four students had been murdered.
Amateur online investigators wrongly accused Hunter, labeling him the main suspect in the case.
The documentary reveals how Hunter Johnson shielded others from further trauma by withholding the graphic details and urging them to leave the premises while he informed the police.
His depiction of the bodies as ‘unconscious’ was an effort to spare his female friends from witnessing the horror firsthand.
A Reddit user shared: “HJ was the one who found Xana and it seems that he stopped the surviving roommates from seeing what he had seen.
“I used to be a 911 dispatcher and I could write a book about why it doesn’t surprise me at all that they initially said she was just unconscious.
“It’s very common for death calls, even when there are clear signs of death or murder.
“You have to understand that people calling 911 for a death are actively going through a severe trauma.”
Hunter Johnson reflected: “It felt like a movie, people thinking we were murderers.”
Bryan Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary related to the deaths. He pled guilty to murder on July 2, which removed the death penalty as a sentencing option.
His sentencing is scheduled for July 23.