New Idaho college murders documents show some victims were 'unrecognizable,' fought back in 'intense struggle'
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When Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in an Idaho courthouse Wednesday, questions loomed over the emotional proceedings as they have throughout the case.
Kohberger had declined to say a word about his crimes after being lambasted by family and friends of the four University of Idaho students he'd murdered almost three years ago: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle.
But hours after the door closed on the case, the Moscow Police Department released around 300 documents related to the investigation, offering a window into what the agency learned about the brutal killings in 2022, which shook the community and the country, during the course of its investigation.
This is the first group of investigative records to be released since the killings occurred. Because of sweeping court orders, the case has largely been shrouded in secrecy for more than three years. The judge overseeing the case has announced that the public could expect to see in the coming weeks or months potentially thousands of additional documents related to the crime and investigation.
The newly released police documents revealed the horrifying extent of the crimes and an unnerving sighting by one of the victims' surviving roommates in the days leading up to the killings. They also indicate that at least one of the victims fought back intensely.
And they also reveal Kohberger's discussions with police after his arrest.
The crime scene
The kitchen door of 1122 King Road was ajar when officers arrived, and blood was smeared on the walls and floors, coating the four college students' belongings and pooling by their bodies, which were in different areas of the house, according to police reports released by police.
Some of the victims, who were stabbed multiple times, were covered in so much blood, officers responding to the home at first were not able to sort out what their additional injuries there might be. Their faces were so badly damaged as to be unrecognizable, according to the police report.
Kernodle had "defensive knife wounds" on her hands, the police report said. "It was obvious an intense struggle had occurred."
On the third floor, Kaylee and Madison lay together in a bed under a pink blanket that was "covered in blood." There was a "large pool of blood" near Kaylee's midsection, and blood spatters on the walls.
"Madison appeared to be laying up against Kaylee. Madison had what appeared to be wounds to her forearm and hands. Madison had a gash under her right eye which appeared to go from the corner of her eye to her nose. Kaylee was unrecognizable as her facial structure was extremely damaged," a report said.
According to the coroner's report, Ethan Chapin's "fatal injury was from a stab wound under his left clavicle which severed his subclavian vein and subclavian artery, and also his jugular vein was severed."
Kernodle's fatal injuries were stab wounds to her lung and heart. She had over 50 stab wounds, "mostly defensive," according to a report.
Both Mogen and Goncalves were stabbed in the lung and liver. Goncalves also had two brain bleeds and a stab behind her clavicle, which cut the vein and artery. She had over 20 stab wounds as well as injuries "connected with asphyxiation and blunt force trauma."
The coroner determined that the murder weapon "was not serrated, single edged, very sharp," and that a lot of force was used.
She would later also determine that the "shape and the size" of the KA-BAR knife Kohberger purchased on Amazon was "consistent as being the weapon which could have caused the injuries on all four of the victims."
The investigation
When investigators discovered that the tan leather sheath of a KA-BAR knife had been left behind at the crime scene, they canvassed the Moscow area to see where locally, if anywhere, the killer might have bought the knife. They visited numerous sporting goods and hardware stores to no avail, according to a police report.
Then at Walmart, while perusing knives on display, the investigator learned something else important: the Walmart employee helping him said that "about two to three weeks ago, a white college aged male, asked for a black ski-mask that would cover his face." She "was unable to provide much detail other than he was taller than she was and maybe had tan skin complexion," and that she told him they only had camo ski masks available. He then "walked away."
Surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen would later tell police on the night of the killings, she saw a male intruder clad all in black with a black balaclava ski mask on obscuring most of his face, but that she did think she saw his bushy brow.
After the killings, investigators also spoke with Kohberger's fellow students at Washington State University, where he had been pursuing his Ph.D. in criminology. A fellow teaching assistant said he "considered Kohberger a friend," and that he was "very intelligent but also selfish," and that Kohberger "would often mislead him when it came to their shared work and would have [him] complete work meant for Kohberger." Kohberger was also "frequently twenty minutes late to their classes."
The two also discussed "Kohberger wanting a girlfriend on many occasions," the fellow TA said. Kohberger also "liked to discuss his area of study which was criminal decision making and burglary type crimes," according to a report.
And the student also told investigators "about some injuries he witnessed on Kohberger's face and hands," and while he was "unsure of the date," he thought he had noticed the injuries "on two separate occasions in October and November of 2022." One was a "large scratch on Kohberger's face which [the student] described as looking like the scratches from fingernails." The student "also saw wounds to Kohberger's knuckles on two separate occasions," and when he asked Kohberger what happened, he "replied he had been in a car accident."
In an interview with surviving roommate Bethany Funke, police reported she described to investigators an unnerving incident early in November 2022 that she recalled Kaylee Goncalves had told her about.
Funke "talked about an incident with Kaylee who stated about a month ago she saw an unknown male up above their house to the south who was starring [sic] at her when she took Murphy (the dog) out to go potty," a police report said.
On the night of the killings, Funke said between 4:00 and 4:20 a.m. -- when prosecutors say the murders happened -- she "heard what she thought was a firework and saw a spark on the ground from under her door," and "then heard Murphy barking," according to a report.
Kohberger's arrest
When Bryan Kohberger was arrested on Dec. 30, 2022, he repeatedly probed investigators, asking why he was in custody and what they wanted to know from him, according to a police report. At the same time, he acted as though he had only peripheral knowledge of the quadruple homicide that had occurred in Moscow, Idaho, the month prior, according to the report.
Kohberger was brought to the Pennsylvania State Police barracks and put in an interview room, and made "small talk" with police, telling one detective that he looked "familiar," and "looked like someone he used to know."
Kohberger said he "understood why were [sic] engaging in small talk but would appreciate it if we explained to him what he was doing there."
The detective whose face he'd noticed asked, "Why he thought we were there?" To which Kohberger responded, he wanted the detective to tell him. The detective said we were there because of what occurred in Moscow but did not provide any further detail," a police report said. The detective then asked Kohberger, "if he watched the news," to which Kohberger responded, "I watch the news."
The detective said they were there because of "what happened in November just off the University of Idaho campus," and asked if Kohberger knew what that was. Kohberger replied, "Of course," elaborating when prompted that "it was the incident we had been investigating for 'how long has it been?'"
He said, "he was aware of a homicide because of a WSU alert he received," referring to Washington State University. He said he wasn't certain when he had gotten that alert. When asked by the detective if Kohberger "wanted to talk about that, Kohberger replied 'Well, I think I would need a lawyer.'" Kohberger then asked if we would explain to him what we were there for specifically and added he was tired, the police report said.
Investigators "had questions and things we hoped Kohberger would help us understand," the detective explained, to help their investigation into the killings.
"Kohberger sat back and said he had the utmost respect for law enforcement but stated it was a constitutional right to speak to an attorney," the police report said. But Kohberger "reengaged again and asked what questions we would have for him," the detective confirmed Kohberger understood his rights. Kohberger asked again, "What specifically we wanted to talk to him about and the reason?"
At other points in the chat, Kohberger talked about his interest in criminal justice, saying "he thought about being a police officer but did not want to make that commitment unless he was absolutely sure." When asked what led him down the road of becoming a professor, Kohberger said, "It was because he loved being in college and stated knowledge was far more important to him than money."
He also told police in the room that he was "raised Christian but was always a skeptic except when confronted with the beauty of the natural world."
According to the documents released Wednesday, Kohberger would be described by fellow inmates who encountered him in jail as "highly intelligent" and "polite," but that he had "annoying" habits: Kohberger, they said, "would wash his hands dozens of times each day and would spend 45 minutes to an hour in the shower," and would "be awake almost all night and would only take a nap during the day."
On one occasion, the fellow inmate said, he overheard Kohberger "video chatting with his mother (which [the inmate] said he did for hours each day) while [the inmate] was watching sports." The inmate, watching sports, said "'you suck' to one of the players on the team, at which point Kohberger immediately got up and put his face to the bars and aggressively asked if [the inmate] was talking about him or his mother. [The inmate] said this was the only time Kohberger lost his temper."
