The University of Idaho Murders: A Comprehensive Timeline and Overview

In November 2022, the tranquility of Moscow, Idaho, a typically serene college town, was shattered by the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students. The victims, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, and Xana Kernodle, all bright and promising young individuals, were found stabbed to death at a rental home near the university campus. The event sent shockwaves through the community, a place unaccustomed to such violence, as it had been five years since the last reported murder.

The aftermath of the tragedy saw investigators meticulously processing the crime scene, piecing together fragments of evidence in an attempt to understand what transpired within the walls of the King Road residence. Simultaneously, families, friends, the university, and the entire Moscow community grappled with profound grief and disbelief.

After nearly seven weeks of intense investigation, authorities apprehended Bryan Christopher Kohberger in Pennsylvania. Kohberger, a 28-year-old doctoral student in criminal justice at Washington State University (WSU), located just across the state line and less than 10 miles from Moscow, became the prime suspect in the case.

The Investigation Unfolds

The arrest of Kohberger was followed by the release of court documents that shed light on the extensive police investigation. The evidence presented included DNA samples recovered from the crime scene and linked to Kohberger, surveillance footage capturing key moments, cell phone tracking data tracing his movements, and evidence obtained from a search of the trash at his family’s Pennsylvania residence.

As of March 2025, Kohberger remains in custody without bail at the Ada County Jail in Boise, Idaho. He is awaiting a jury trial currently scheduled for August.

Kohberger’s Background and Education

Before his arrest, Bryan Kohberger’s background was revealed to be one of academic pursuit. He obtained an associate’s degree in psychology from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania in 2018. Subsequently, he graduated from DeSales University in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with a bachelor’s degree in 2020 and later completed graduate studies, earning a Master of Arts in criminal justice.

DeSales University, a Catholic Salesian community, expressed its devastation at the tragedy in a public statement, acknowledging Kohberger’s past connection to the institution. In the summer of 2022, Kohberger moved to Pullman, Washington, to begin his doctoral program at Washington State University, a decision that would place him in close proximity to the University of Idaho and the events that would unfold.

The Evening Before: Reconstructing the Victims’ Movements

Investigators meticulously pieced together the movements of the victims in the hours leading up to their deaths. According to the Moscow Police Department, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle attended a party at Chapin’s fraternity house, Sigma Chi, on campus between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. PST. Later, between 10:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m., Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were at The Corner Club, a popular sports bar in Moscow.

Around 1:00 a.m., the two surviving roommates had arrived home and gone to sleep. Unbeknownst to them, tragedy was about to strike, and they would remain asleep throughout the ordeal.

Goncalves and Mogen, after leaving The Corner Club, stopped at the "Grub Truck" food truck and then obtained a ride home from "a private party," according to police reports. All four victims were back at the rental house, where Mogen, Goncalves, and Kernodle resided, by 1:45 a.m.

The Discovery and the 911 Call

The horror of the situation was not discovered until later in the morning. Just before noon, the two surviving roommates woke up and, believing that one of the victims on the second floor had simply passed out, invited friends over to help. A 911 call was placed from one of the roommate’s cellphones, reporting an unconscious person.

Authorities arrived at the residence at 11:58 a.m. and found the four students, each having suffered multiple stab wounds, on the second and third floors. The Latah County Coroner determined that the victims were likely asleep when the attacks occurred, although some showed signs of defensive wounds. The autopsy reports indicated that there was no evidence of sexual assault.

The Search for the Elantra and the Arrest

On November 19, authorities appealed to the public for any video footage of the area surrounding the King Road home on the night of the murders. On November 25, the Moscow Police Department requested local law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for white Hyundai Elantras. Four days later, WSU police officers located a white Elantra registered to Bryan Kohberger.

On December 7, police publicly announced that they were interested in speaking with the person who owned a white Hyundai Elantra seen in the vicinity of the crime scene. As the investigation intensified, hundreds of students gathered for a vigil to honor the four victims, an event filled with grief and calls for healing.

On December 15, Moscow police revealed that they were sorting through registrations for 22,000 registered Elantras from the model years 2011 to 2013. Kohberger’s sedan was captured by a license plate reader in Loma, Colorado, on December 13, further solidifying the timeline of his movements.

The car was stopped by law enforcement in Hancock County, Indiana, on December 15. On December 16, surveillance video captured the car in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania.

On December 30, the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police arrested Kohberger on a fugitive-from-justice warrant at a home in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Moscow police and Latah County prosecutors held a news conference later that day to announce the arrest.

Following the arrest, prosecutors and police continued to solicit information from the public, urging anyone with details about Kohberger or the case to contact the designated tipline.

Legal Proceedings and Evidence

Kohberger made a brief appearance before a judge in Pennsylvania, where he declared his mental competency and waived his right to an extradition hearing. He was subsequently flown to Idaho, where he was formally charged with the murders.

Officials released a 19-page statement of facts outlining the basis for the arrest warrant. The statement detailed a timeline of events inside the King Road residence and revealed that DNA found on a knife sheath at the crime scene was linked to DNA collected from Kohberger’s family home in Pennsylvania.

Kohberger was arraigned on charges of first-degree murder and burglary. His defense attorney entered a "not guilty" plea on his behalf. A preliminary hearing was initially scheduled for June 26 but was later vacated.

Idaho prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty in the case, citing the weight of the evidence.

The initial trial date was set for October 2, 2023, but Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial in August, citing the complexity of the case.

During winter break at the University of Idaho, the demolition of the King Road home, the site of the murders, began, despite objections from some of the victims’ family members.

The Idaho Supreme Court granted a request from Kohberger’s defense attorneys to move the trial venue to Boise, Idaho, in Ada County, and to transfer Kohberger to the custody of the Ada County Sheriff.

A judge denied motions by defense attorneys to strike the death penalty.

Idaho Judge Steven Hippler ruled that DNA evidence from the knife sheath, as well as records from Kohberger’s cell phone and online accounts obtained through search warrants, could be presented at trial.

New Details Emerge

In March of 2024, more information was released to the public. Details revealed that the two surviving roommates were, contrary to earlier reports, not simply asleep but were experiencing panic and fear as they believed a shadowy figure was present in the home on the night of the killings. Authorities also released details of the 911 call.

Prosecutors in Latah County, Idaho, requested permission from a judge to present evidence of Kohberger’s online shopping patterns at trial, including evidence that he purchased a military-style knife, a sheath, and a sharpener on Amazon months before the murders.

Kohberger’s jury trial, expected to last three months, is scheduled before Judge Steven Hippler.