Documents recently made public may provide insight into the murder of four Idaho University students.
In November 2022, Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were all killed in their residence.
Bryan Kohberger was later identified as the perpetrator and received four consecutive life sentences for his first-degree murder charges. He avoided the death penalty by entering into a plea agreement with the prosecutors.
The plea agreement meant the case did not proceed to a trial.
Even though Kohberger is currently incarcerated, the motive behind the murders remains unclear, as he has not disclosed his reasons.
Bill Thompson, the chief prosecutor, suspects that Kohberger’s intended target might have been either Mogen or Goncalves.
In the weeks before the murders, Goncalves had informed friends about an ‘unknown male’ seen staring at the house.
However, prosecutors noted the absence of any evidence indicating Kohberger’s direct contact with the home or any relationship with the victims. A newly available interview with a survivor might suggest otherwise.
Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke were also in the house during the incident but were not harmed by Kohberger.
These two individuals were crucial witnesses in the case. Mortensen, in particular, recalled hearing Kohberger mention Goncalves’ name.
According to unsealed documents acquired by PEOPLE, Idaho State Police (ISP) Tpr. Jeffory Talbot documented in his report after speaking with Mortensen: “Sometime in the early morning hours, [Mortensen] was awoken and opened her room door [redacted] and heard a male say, ‘It’s okay Kaylee, I’m here for you,’ and crying.”
Mortensen recounted to the police that she was still processing the shock of the event but was certain about hearing the killer mention Goncalves’ name.
“She advised she knows what she heard, especially about hearing who she believed was Kaylee crying and the male voice telling her he was there for her,” Det. Victoria M. Gooch stated in a separate report.
It is believed that Mortensen’s life was spared because she saw Kohberger on the night of the murders.
The lead prosecutor in the case previously remarked: “From what Dylan described, I have a hard time imagining that the killer did not see Dylan.
“At that point, he’d been in the house probably longer than he planned, and he had killed more people than he planned.
“It wouldn’t surprise us that the killer was scared at that point and decided they had to leave, not knowing if law enforcement already had been called.”
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