- 4 University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death in their home on Nov 13, 2022.
- 2 young women that lived on the first floor were unharmed in the attack.
- A man named Bryan Kohberger has been charged with the murders of all 4 students.
- Kohberger reportedly had made at least 12 trips to the home’s location going back to Aug 2022.
- A survivor of the night stated that she saw the killer fleeing the scene of the murder.
The night of November 13, 2022 seemed like every other night in the college town of Moscow, Idaho – College parties, drinking, and making memories. As the night came to a close, however, and many students were retiring to their sorority houses and shared rentals to sleep off their night of partying, no one could have imagined that a predator was lurking in their college community with one goal in mind – to take life. Tragically, this monster would succeed in his endeavor when he found his way into the home of Kaylee Goncalves (21), Madison Mogen (21), and Xana Kernodle (20). He would not only take the lives of these three women, but also Mogen’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin (20), who was spending the night. Below, we will explore photos of the simple Idaho residence that became the scene one of Moscow, ID’s most horrific crimes and learn more about the victims and who they were before their lives were so unjustly taken. Continue reading for an in-depth look at the Moscow Idaho university murders and more.
Where Did Moscow Idaho Quadruple Homicide Take Place?
The quadruple murder of Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin and Madison Mogen occurred at this 6 bedroom, 2,175 square foot home at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho.
In these rare photos, we see the 1122 King Road home prior to the horrific events that occurred on Nov 13. Upon entering the front door, you’re instantly greeted with the first downstairs bedroom on the right. The bathroom, utility room, and second bedroom are all located in the hallway on the left.
These two downstairs bedrooms were likely where survivors, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funk, were sleeping when the crimes occurred.
Going upstairs to the second floor, you’ll find the living room. As cheerful and trendy as it is here with the “Good Vibes” sign, colorful artwork, and comfortable couch, it’s hard to believe something so terrible would eventually take place here.
The second floor was where the bodies of both Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were discovered.
Down both the left and right hallways off the living room are where the second floor bedrooms are located. One of these rooms belonged to Xana, while the other was likely a vacant space.
Just outside one of the second floor bedrooms is the kitchen and another flight of stairs leading to the third floor.
The kitchen features a sliding glass door that leads out onto the backyard patio. Some have questioned whether this is where the assailant entered the home, though this is strictly hearsay. Police have stated that there was no sign of forced entry into the property.
Upon climbing the second floor stairs, you’ll find the third floor landing as well as a bathroom and two bedrooms.
The third floor plays host to both a standard sized room and master suite that opens onto a balcony. This is where Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were located by authorities. Both were said to be sharing Mogen’s bedroom, possibly the master suite, at the time of their murder.
In the backyard, we see the home’s small patio on the ground floor and balcony on the floor above it. The property was due to undergo an extensive clean-up by Disaster Response and handed back to the owner but cleaning plans were halted following the arrest of a prime suspect in the murders.
What Happened at the House On King Road?
November 13, 2022 started out as any other night for college students in Moscow, Idaho. Mogen and Goncalves had been hanging out at the Corner Club, Kernodle and Chapin were attending a party at Sigma Chi house, and Mortensen and Funk were also enjoying a night out at the time.
Mogen and Goncalves had stopped in Downtown Moscow at a Grub truck to pick up food, as seen on the truck’s live Twitter stream (pictured far right). They would go on to take a sorority driving service back home. The women arrived home at 1:56 am.
Chapin and Kernodle had returned home as well from the sorority party at around 1:45am. The earliest to arrive home that night, however, were the two surviving women who had returned to 1122 King Road at 1:00am.
At around 4:00am, the assailant managed to gain entry to the property and proceeded to stab all 4 victims to death with a fixed-blade knife. Some speculate that the murderer could have already been hiding in the home before its residents arrived, but nothing has been confirmed.
The murders occurred between 4:00am and 4:25am that morning. Kernodle had made a DoorDash order at around 4:00am, explaining why Kernodle had defensive wounds from the attack as she was still awake.
One of the survivors of the invasion said that she had awoken at 4:00am to what she believed to be the sound of Goncalves playing with her dog in the 3rd floor bedroom. Shortly thereafter, she states that she believed she heard Goncalves say “there’s someone here,” though authorities speculate this could also have been Kernodle. Kernodle’s phone records indicate she was on the platform, TikTok, at around 4:12am.
The roommate says that she checked outside of her room but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She would later check again after hearing what she thought was sobbing coming from Kernodle’s room. It was at this time that she heard a man’s voice possibly saying “it’s ok, I’m going to help you.”
Believing that she heard crying again, the roommate checked outside of her door and it was at this point that she saw a masked man exiting the house.
The man reportedly walked right past her door and proceeded to exit the home via the back sliding glass door. The fear and shock of the encounter led the young woman to lock herself in the room at that time.
At 11:58am on Nov 14, police received a 911 call from an unknown friend of the two surviving women stating that one of their roommates was passed out on the second floor. It had been 8 hours at this point since the murders took place.
It was upon the police’s arrival to the home that the gruesome reality of the situation was discovered.
Moscow Idaho Murder House Evidence
- While the murder weapon itself was not located at the scene, police did locate a knife sheath, on Mogen’s bed, that was brought in for DNA testing.
- Additionally, it was reported that a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra was spotted near the crime scene at the time of the murders. Surveillance in the area shows this vehicle drive by the residence 3 times before finally entering the area on the 4th time around.
- A shoe print, believed to be the killer’s, was also found just outside one of the surviving women’s windows on the first floor.
- At around 4:17am, a security camera located less than 50 feet from Kernodle’s bedroom picked up audio of a dog barking followed by a loud thud.
Moscow Murder Suspect Arrested: How Was Bryan Kohberger Caught?
Police traced the suspicious Hyundai Elantra back to Pullman, Washington and found it belonged to a man named Bryan Kohberger. Kohberger has been living in Pullman while attending Washington State University.
Kohberger was a Ph.D. student at WSU in the school’s department of criminal justice and criminology at the time of the slaying. His campus is less than 10 miles from the town of Moscow, Idaho.
Upon looking further into Kohberger, police discovered he had just received a new license plate only 5 days after the murder.
Phone records taken from Kohberger also show that he was near the students’ home at least 12 time prior to the murder – going as far back as August, 2022. The records indicate he would generally always be in the area early in the morning or late at night.
On the night of the murders, however, Kohberger had turned off his phone between the hours of 2:47am and 4:48am – indicating he was likely trying to conceal his location. His final visit to the home, according to phone records, was between 9:12am to 9:21am on the morning of the murders.
Bryan Kohberger DNA Match
Upon testing the knife sheath found at the scene of the crime, The Idaho State Lab managed to extract a single source of male DNA located on the sheath’s button snap. Police then obtained trash from Kohberger’s family home in PA and used DNA from those contents to compare with the DNA found at the scene.
The DNA found on the sheath matched the DNA of Kohberger’s biological father – giving police all they needed to make an arrest. Bryan was taken into custody on December 30, 2022, by Pennsylvania police on 4 counts of first degree murder and burglary charges. Kohberger was later extradited to Idaho where he remains in police custody.
Remembering Moscow Idaho Students
One of the most important things to remember about this case is that these young adults were more than just names on paper. These were four ambitious people that had their whole lives ahead of them.
They were REAL people and they should be remembered for far more than just being victims of homicide. With this in mind, let’s take a look at who Kaylee, Xana, Ethan, and Madison were in life instead of only focusing on their deaths.
Kaylee Goncalves
Kaylee Goncalves (21) was majoring in general studies in the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences. When speaking of Kaylee, Goncalves sister said that she was a “fighter through and through” as well as “dedicated, outspoken, motivated, and full of life.”
Kaylee was also known by her co-workers for being incredibly kind, encouraging, and a joy to work with. Alex Paul, one of her former co-workers at Panera Bread, said that Goncalves ensured that he had a safe space while at work after coming out as gay and facing cruel comments from a customer.
Another co-worker, Lillian Brennan, recalled how Goncalves had came in for coffee on her day off and, realizing Brennan was overwhelmed, stayed to help her through the shift.
Xana Kernodle
Xana Kernodle (20) majored in the College of Business and Economics. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and graduated from Post Falls High School in 2020 before becoming a student at University of Idaho.
Maya Hippenstiel, a friend of Xana’s for the last 4 years, said she was “the life of every party in more ways than one” and would “fill any room with light and laughter.” She also described Xana as loving and compassionate as well as extremely driven and goal-oriented.
Hippenstiel set up a GoFundMe shortly after Xana’s death to help pay for funeral costs and provide some relief to the family. The GoFundMe page can be found here.
Ethan Chapin
Ethan Chapin (20) was a Washington native and played basketball at Mount Vernon High School prior to graduating in 2021.
Like their brother, Ethan’s triplet siblings, Maizie and Hunter, were also enrolled at the University of Idaho.
Stacy Chapin, Ethan’s mom, said “Ethan was literally the greatest kid and his smile would light up every room! More importantly, he was a triplet and his brother and sister need all of the strength and prayers possible because they were best friends.”
Ethan had planned to major in recreation, sport, and tourism management. He became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity after joining U of I. Ethan’s fraternity brothers started a GoFundMe on behalf of the Chapin family – found here.
Madison Mogen
Madison Mogen (21) was a senior marketing major at U of I and had plans to move to Boise, ID following her graduation that would’ve taken place this spring.
Mogen worked at the Mad Greek in Moscow as a server alongside her roommate, Xana Kernodle. Her skills in marketing and social media even saw Mogen managing the Mad Greek’s social media pages.
The restaurant created a post via their Facebook to remember both women, saying “Xana and Maddie have been servers here for several years and brought so much joy to our restaurant and all of those they encountered.”
A combined GoFundMe was created for Goncalves and Mogen for their families. Both girls had been best friends since childhood. Their GoFundMe page can be located here.
What Will Happen to Moscow Idaho Crime Scene House?
The owners of the home on 1122 King Road have yet to state what they plan on doing with the home following the quadruple homicide that took place there.
Sources
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/idaho-quadruple-murder-suspect-initial-court-appearance/42407089
https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article268777972.html
https://www.kuula.co/post/NWF5Q/collection/79sT0
https://abcnews.go.com/US/idaho-murders-suspect-bryan-kohberger-arrives-idaho-face/story?id=96177551