Four University of Idaho students killed in mid-November
January 12, 2023
This past November, four University of Idaho students were killed in their off-campus apartment complex in the middle of the night. The quadruple homicide has taken over the nation with speculation and grief as the case is still being resolved and seeking justice for the deceased.
The four victims of this homicide were Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. All in their early twenties, these students were unfortunately attacked by stabbing around 2 am on November 13th, 2022. With no suspect in custody several weeks later, the case gained enormous attention through national news and social media, as everyone was eager for answers.
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“This whole situation is just horrible. It makes me a little more nervous considering I will be going to college next year, but I just hope these four students get justice, as well as the families”, said Ella Fernandez (‘23).
In the students’ resident, there were two other students also living in the apartment, Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen. They were reported to return home about an hour before the victims and were sleeping in the basement level of the complex the night of the tragedy. These two students were unharmed and called the Idaho police department eight hours after the crime was committed, requesting assistance for an “unconscious person” in the apartment.
Nearly seven weeks after the reported homicide, the Pennsylvania police department arrested 28-year-old Bryan Christopher Kohberger. Kohberger is a resident of Pullman, Washington, and also a doctoral student at Washington State University studying criminology. The police department has stated that Kohberger is currently the only suspect in the case, and they believe he will be the only one to be investigated.
Predator can get so close to their windows. These girls never had a chance. #IdahoStudents #Idaho4 #IdahoFour #MoscowMurders #IdahoMurders pic.twitter.com/15TUr3Nruh
— Nancy Grace (@NancyGrace) January 11, 2023
DNA played a huge part in the detainment of Kohberger, as the police found male DNA on a knife sheath that was left at the crime scene. Police began tracking a white Hyundai Elantra, caught on video by security cameras at various relevant times throughout the night, leading them to Kohberger, whose car matches the security camera film. Later, they recovered Kohberger’s DNA, yielding a positive match with the DNA recovered on the knife sheath. Before arresting Kohberger, police also tracked the times of his cell phone use on the day of the crime. His phone was reportedly offline during the time of the stabbing, but then later online at the scene of the crime the next morning. All of these corroborating factors led to the arrest of Kohberger.
The alleged murderer will be held on pretrial hearing on January 12th, and reports indicate that Kohberger plans to plead not guilty. For this tragedy, the families and friends of the four victims continue to be restless for justice and answers, echoed by the many questions circulating on social media platforms throughout the nation.
“I have been following this case by the hour since it was all over my social media, and I am so intrigued to see what happens in Kohberger’s trial. Whether he is guilty or not, I just hope that everyone involved finds peace from this tragedy”, says Abby Hamilton (‘23).