Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

“She Was Unrecognizeable”: New Horrific Details Emerge About Idaho Students In Fatal Attack
Bryan Kohberger wearing an orange prison jumpsuit in court as unsealed docs reveal gruesome crime details after sentencing.
User submission
3

“She Was Unrecognizeable”: New Horrific Details Emerge About Idaho Students In Fatal Attack

21

ADVERTISEMENT

New details are emerging about the horrific scene that unfolded in an off-campus Idaho University apartment where Bryan Kohberger took the lives of four young people.

Kohberger was recently sentenced to four consecutive life sentences for taking the lives of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in 2022.

Highlights
  • New details are emerging about the passing of four university students in Idaho after they were fatally stabbed by Bryan Kohberger.
  • Police say Kaylee Goncalves was barely recognizable after being so brutally attacked.
  • Despite the four consecutive life sentences, Kohberger never provided a motive, leaving families with unanswered questions.

Police say one of the victims, Xana Kernodle, had put up a fight when she encountered Kohberger. Another, Kaylee Goncalves, was so brutally attacked that she was unrecognizable to the surviving roommate.

One of the most disappointing moments of Kohberger’s recent court appearance was that he never said why he did it, leaving the question of motive still unanswered. 

BP Daily - Your Source for Unbiased Reporting

    Kaylee Goncalves had defensive wounds, suggesting she put up a fight

    Bryan Kohberger in an orange prison jumpsuit seated in court as unsealed docs reveal gruesome crime details after sentencing.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: Kyle Green-Pool / Getty Images

    Bryan Kohberger in a padded vest, posing for a mugshot against a cinder block wall after unsealed crime documents.

    Image credits: Monroe County Correctional Facility

    Trigger warning: This article contains details of violence that may be distressing to some

    On the night of November 13, 2022, Bryan Kohberger broke into an off-campus house at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, and fatally attacked four college students: Ethan Chapin, 20, his girlfriend Xana Kernodle, 20, and her roommates Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21. 

    Police say 30-year-old Kohberger fatally stabbed the four students with a hunting knife, then slipped away. Two other women living at the house survived unharmed.

    Police vehicles and officers at a snowy crime scene with yellow tape after unsealed docs reveal details about Bryan Kohberger.

    Image credits: AlexisMcAdamsTV / X

    ADVERTISEMENT

    In unsealed documents detailing the barbarous incident, police believe Kernodle might have encountered Kohberger immediately after or while he was taking the lives of her two roommates

    Police say a chase likely ensued in which Kernodle ran down from the third story of the home where her roommates had been sleeping, to the second story, where her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, was still asleep.

    Group of young people smiling and posing together in casual clothes on a covered porch during daytime.

    Image credits: kayleegoncalves / Instagram

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Police say a struggle ensued. In a report, police wrote that Kernodle put up “an intense struggle” as she was found with deep defensive wounds between her fingers.

    Defensive wounds often occur during violent crimes, including homicides, r*pes, and other assaults. 

    According to the journal, Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology from the year 2023: “Most such wounds are found on victims’ forearms and palms of hands,” the journal said, “as victims attempt to raise their arms and hands to block the attack.”

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Some of the victims’ faces were so badly brutalized that they were unrecognizable

    Three young adults smiling in casual settings, unrelated to unsealed docs after Bryan Kohberger's sentencing details.

    Image credits: kayleegoncalves / Instagram

    Amanda Littleton’s comment reacting to gruesome details revealed in unsealed docs after Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing.

    Comment on Jersey Shore Inside Info page expressing sorrow over tragic details revealed in unsealed docs about Bryan Kohberger crime.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Police also released additional gruesome details about how Kohberger was so brutal with his victims that they were left unrecognizable. 

    According to People Magazine, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves were both stabbed so many times that their surviving roommate, Dylan Mortensen, initially misidentified the two young women when officers arrived on the scene.”

    Graduate in white dress and orange sash holding decorated cap in front of Post Falls High School, unrelated to unsealed docs or crime details.

    Image credits: xanakernodle / Instagram

    The Associated Press says police found that blood had been ”pooled on bed comforters, covered floors, and was splattered on walls.”

    Dylan Mortensen, who was one of two surviving roommates, explained the horrific details of the night, saying that she heard a commotion on the third floor, which moved to the second floor.

    Young couple smiling and hugging outdoors in front of a colorful wall, unrelated to unsealed docs after Bryan Kohberger crime

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: xanakernodle / Instagram

    Eventually, the commotion stopped, and she heard an unknown man’s voice say, “You’re gonna be fine. I’m gonna help you.” 

    Police say Mortensen then waited a few more minutes before opening her door.

    That’s when she saw a tall, slim person with a black ski mask slip out of the house’s sliding glass door on the second floor.

    Mortensen said the person was carrying a package, which could have been the fast food order that had just arrived for Kernodle.

    Some victims’ families aren’t happy with Kohberger’s plea deal of life in prison

    Bryan Kohberger in an orange prison jumpsuit seated in a courtroom during sentencing for his crime case.

    Image credits: KTVB / YouTube

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Screenshot of a social media comment stating he should have gotten the chair, related to Bryan Kohberger's crime details.

    Facebook comment by Sarah C Holzknecht describing a person’s lifeless black eyes like a doll’s eyes, relating to Bryan Kohberger crime details.

    Eventually, DNA found on a knife sheath at the crime scene led police to arrest Kohberger.

    During the three years of investigation and trials, Kohberger’s fate remained up in the air until a plea bargain was agreed upon earlier this month.

    Five young women posing outdoors, smiling in bright sunlight, unrelated to unsealed docs or Bryan Kohberger crime details.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: maddiemogen / Instagram

    Media reports that: “The deal involves Kohberger pleading guilty to four counts of m*rder in exchange for the government not pursuing the d*ath penalty.”

    But the lack of execution was not the outcome some of the victims’ families had hoped for.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Two women smiling and hugging on a wooden deck, unrelated to unsealed docs after Bryan Kohberger's sentencing details.

    Image credits: xanakernodle / Instagram

    During the sentencing, when the victims’ families were allowed to make statements to Kohberger, who did not respond or show any emotion, the mother of Kaylee Goncalves, Kristi, said she was disappointed that Kohberger would not face the firing squad as she had hoped.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    “You may have received As in high school and college, but you are going to be getting ‘big Ds’ in prison,” Gonclaves’ sister said, referring to potential violence that Kohberger might experience while in prison.

    “I respectfully decline”: Kohberger did not give a motive for his actions

    Two women in formal dresses holding bouquets outdoors, unrelated to unsealed docs after Bryan Kohberger crime details.

    Image credits: kayleegoncalves / Instagram

    Despite the small feeling of closure the victims’ families might have gotten knowing the person who took their children’s lives will spend his life behind bars, there is one question that will haunt them forever: why did he do it? 

    During the sentencing, Kohberger was asked by the judge if he would like to make a statement about why he chose those particular victims, to which he replied: “I respectfully decline.”

    Two young women smiling outside a building, unrelated to unsealed docs after Bryan Kohberger's sentencing details.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: xanakernodle / Instagram

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Experts have said in other news articles that Kohberger’s motive should have been part of the plea deal. 

    But it seems it was not.

    Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD inspector, told Fox News that: “If they don’t get the why, this is the most incomprehensible deal of all time.”

    Netizens offer support for the victims’ families saying Kohberger should be punished to the full extent of the law

    Comment by Melissa Basham expressing distress about gruesome crime details revealed in unsealed Bryan Kohberger documents.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Comment from Michell Cathline Page stating Straight Demon from Hell on a social media post about Bryan Kohberger crime details.

    Comment by Suzy Mayfield expressing hope Bryan Kohberger receives deserved prison sentence after unsealed docs reveal crime details.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Comment by Maura Dusk reading The guy is insane in a social media post about Bryan Kohberger's crime details.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Facebook comment expressing sorrow for victims and families after unsealed docs reveal gruesome details about Bryan Kohberger’s crime.

    Comment by Yvonne Hulet criticizing Bryan Kohberger, calling him soulless after sentencing details revealed.

    Screenshot of a social media comment discussing defensive wounds related to Bryan Kohberger crime details revealed.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Screenshot of a social media post showing emotional text about Bryan Kohberger's crime details revealed in unsealed documents.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Screenshot of a social media comment praising the sisters, related to unsealed docs after Bryan Kohberger's sentencing.

    Comment from Amanda Addams about sentencing, mentioning families and baseball bats, related to Bryan Kohberger crime details.

    Comment expressing sadness and frustration about the world and mentioning a poor girl in a social media post.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Comment by Harry Berthlett expressing opinion, with reactions, related to Bryan Kohberger crime details.

    Comment by Tamara De Longe stating the look of evil, reflecting reactions to unsealed documents after Bryan Kohberger's crime details.

    Comment by Greg Ory asking for Alligator Alcatraz in a social media post with 181 reactions visible.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Comment by Jorge Trevilla stating should have been electric chair with a chair emoji, discussing Bryan Kohberger crime details.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Comment by Charmon Stevens Collins discussing a disconnect described as shark eyes in a social media post.

    Facebook comment by Dominika Kowalska stating this is the case when one bullet is an answer, referencing Bryan Kohberger crime details.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Screenshot of a social media comment by Tamara Ellzey mentioning a welcome home party planned for Bryan Kohberger.

    Poll Question

    Total votes ·

    Thanks! Check out the results:

    Total votes ·

    11Kviews

    Share on Facebook
    Donata Leskauskaitė

    Donata Leskauskaitė

    Author, Community member

    Read more »

    Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

    Read less »
    Donata Leskauskaitė

    Donata Leskauskaitė

    Author, Community member

    Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

    Julie Christine Noce

    Julie Christine Noce

    Author, Community member

    Read more »

    Hola! I’m a Julie, a giant panda currently living in the lush green bamboo groves of Barcelona. I spend my days lounging in the shade, munching on snacks, and trying to avoid becoming an Instagram influencer. Life’s good. BP is my absolute favorite place to find funny, weird, and heartwarming stories. I especially love the animal content (have you seen the dog wearing a panda costume? 🤣 You know he didn't put that on himself! Oh humans) I might be a panda, but even I get bored sometimes—so BP to the rescue! 🐼💻✨

    Read less »

    Julie Christine Noce

    Julie Christine Noce

    Author, Community member

    Hola! I’m a Julie, a giant panda currently living in the lush green bamboo groves of Barcelona. I spend my days lounging in the shade, munching on snacks, and trying to avoid becoming an Instagram influencer. Life’s good. BP is my absolute favorite place to find funny, weird, and heartwarming stories. I especially love the animal content (have you seen the dog wearing a panda costume? 🤣 You know he didn't put that on himself! Oh humans) I might be a panda, but even I get bored sometimes—so BP to the rescue! 🐼💻✨

    What do you think ?
    ExistentialSoup
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My friend’s daughter was a victim. I think he deserved the death penalty.

    greenideas
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Like the judge said, there is no reasonable answer as to why he did it - it was senseless. I highly recommend listening to the entirety of Alivea Goncalves' victim impact statement. It was powerful, starting with the loud "Sit up straight when I'm talking to you!". The other families talked about forgiveness and pain, but she brought out his greatest insecurities and shone a light on them.

    KrazyChiMama
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If this case interests you I suggest watching the documentary on Peacock. This guy shouldn’t be allowed to live after what he did to those kids in my opinion.

    Gozer LeGozerian
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think him being in prison for the rest of his life is worse than death, don't worry about it

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    ExistentialSoup
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My friend’s daughter was a victim. I think he deserved the death penalty.

    greenideas
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Like the judge said, there is no reasonable answer as to why he did it - it was senseless. I highly recommend listening to the entirety of Alivea Goncalves' victim impact statement. It was powerful, starting with the loud "Sit up straight when I'm talking to you!". The other families talked about forgiveness and pain, but she brought out his greatest insecurities and shone a light on them.

    KrazyChiMama
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If this case interests you I suggest watching the documentary on Peacock. This guy shouldn’t be allowed to live after what he did to those kids in my opinion.

    Gozer LeGozerian
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think him being in prison for the rest of his life is worse than death, don't worry about it

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    You May Like
    Related on Bored Panda
    Popular on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda
    ADVERTISEMENT