Intro
The first notion of the romanticization of true crime can be traced all the way back to 1888, with Jack the Ripper in the Whitechapel District of London. However, it wasn’t until the 1970s and 1980s in the United States that the term serial killing was coined. It wasn’t until murderers like Ted Bundy, the Zodiac Killer, Gary Ridgway, and Jeffrey Dahmer that the media became ensconced with notions of killers. Supporters came out in droves, people used serial killing to further narratives and careers, and completely romanticized murder. What may have started as morbid curiosity has transformed into the blatant consumerization of humanity’s most heinous acts. Though the number of active serial killers in the United States has dwindled since the late twentieth century due to forensics, behavioral-psychology analysis, a plethora of interstate camaraderie, and work by police forces and the FBI, the mania has not faded. Now more than ever, cases are mainstreamed, headlined, practically written in the stars on the newest killer or deviant. Most recently, the 2022 Idaho Murders have wormed their way into the mouths of podcasters, coded onto the walls of news platforms, and videos spiraling out of control on social media platforms. In an age of technology, security home systems, and swift law enforcement, many believe they’re impenetrable. So when the quadruple homicide shocked the Moscow community, it garnered significant media attention.
The Crime Itself
The murders occurred at an off-campus house at the University of Idaho in 2022. Housemates Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xane Kernodle, 20, and Xane’s partner Ethan Chapin were all found dead. There was no suspect to point fingers at, and the murder weapon – suspected to be a large fixed-blade knife – wasn’t on the premises. It would be almost seven weeks until the police would arrest a criminal justice doctoral student in Pennsylvania for the murders.
To put together a complete timeline, at 9 P.M. on November 13th, 2022, Kernodle and Chapin were at Sigma Chi, a fraternity, partying. The same night, Goncalves posted on her Instagram story, claiming, “One lucky girl to be surrounded by these people every day.”
Just an hour after Kernodle and Chapin went to Sigma Chi, Goncalves and Mogen headed to a sports bar called the Corner Club at 10 P.M.. Goncalves and Mogen were then glimpsed on a food truck’s livestream at roughly 1:30 A.M., getting food. Investigation revealed that Kernodle and Chapin returned to the house at 1:45 A.M., with Mogen and Goncalves arriving at 1:56 A.M.. The two surviving roommates had also gone out and came back at 1:00 A.M., then at 11:58 A.M., a 911 call was dispatched on one of the other housemates’ cellphones, asking for assistance for an “unconscious person”. It was revealed at 4 A.M that night, Kernodle had received her DoorDash order, and just minutes after, Kohberger broke in through the kitchen door. He reportedly went to the third floor, stabbing Mogen and Goncalves. At 4:17 A.M, security footage displayed Goncalves’ dog barking and sounds of struggle. It’s assumed Kernodle, who lived on the second floor, was awake when Kohberger murdered Goncalves and Mogen, and as Kohberger was either coming down the stairs or leaving, he ran into Kernodle and killed her as well. He then killed Chapin, who was in Kernodle’s room. Court documents revealed that just prior to 4:30 A.M, the surviving roommates were quickly growing frantic as the victims were no longer answering. The roommates described the perpetrator as roughly 5’10”, with an athletic build and bushy eyebrows, as seen in an affidavit.
Four days after the murders, preliminary autopsies came back showing they were killed via extensive stab wounds, dying roughly at 4:00 AM. The police issued a statement on the 18th claiming there were no signs of sexual assault, and that despite some of the victims bearing defensive wounds, they were most likely asleep at the time of the murders. Flash forward to December 6th, 2022, the case was frustratingly going nowhere; however, the police were insistent on not wanting to jeopardize the case by involving the media. The next day, officials started looking for a 2011 white Hyundai Elantra; However, they did not implicate the owner of the Hyundai. Finally, on December 30th, roughly a month and a half after the murders, Bryan Christopher Kohberger was arrested. Kohberger is 28 and was a doctoral student at Washington State University. He was apprehended 2500 miles from the house, in northeastern Pennsylvania. DNA evidence played a key role in linking him to the attacks on November 13th, and he was subsequently charged with four counts of first-degree homicide and burglary. They discovered male DNA – Kohberger’s DNA – on a knife sheath, tying him to the crime scene along with his car and the use of a cellphone that night.
The Trial
Early on in the trial, Kohberger waived extradition and agreed for the case to be set in Idaho. Idaho is one of the 27 states in America that still have the death penalty in place for especially heinous crimes. He made his first appearance in Idaho’s justice system for a bail hearing, which was swiftly denied, and a pretrial hearing was anointed for the 12th. From January 18th of 2023, to February 28th, 2023, the results of search and seizures at both Kohberger’s apartments and his family’s home were made public, revealing medical gloves, flashlights, hair strands, a stained pillow, and more. Roughly two weeks later, data from Apple and Amazon pulled by investigators was made public as per court documents. Additionally, bank information and social media details were sanctioned. Roughly a month later, one of the surviving roommates quelled a subpoena to appear in court, however agreed to speak with defense counsel. On May 16th, the Latah County grand jury officially indicted Kohberger on the four first-degree murder charges and burglary, with a trial being set on October 2nd after Kohberger’s not guilty plea. On June 26, 2023, the prosecution revealed their desire to pursue the death penalty due to the brutal nature of the crimes, despite the fact that Idaho had not executed someone since 2012. On July 25th, the defense attempted to wave away the indictment on account of a biased or not entirely convinced jury. Come late August, Kohberger waived his Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial as his lawyers attempt to squash the looming death penalty over the case. They also attempt to ban cameras in the courtroom. Come December 15th, the Latah County district court dismisses the attempts to halt the indictment due to a lack of admissible evidence and or prosecutorial misconduct. Finally, a year later, they agreed on a trial date on June 27th, 2024, for June 2025. Then, in September of 2024, the prosecution attempted to claim that Kohberger’s constitutional rights were being violated in the quest for the death penalty. On September 12th, 2024, the Idaho Supreme Court had the trial moved to Boise, 300 miles away from Latah County. The new District Court Judge in charge of the case, Steven Hippler, decreed the case would begin on August 11th, 2025, and would likely last around three months. On November 20th, Hippler said the death penalty would play a role in the case. The prosecution attempted to deny this in March of 2024, claiming that Kohberger showed mannerisms of those on the autism spectrum, and putting him to death would violate the 8th amendment of cruel and unusual punishment. In April, Hippler pushed back on this notion, saying the death penalty would still play a role if Kohberger were found guilty. After more severe pushback from the prosecution and many motions to file for extra time, it seemed like the case would rage on for ages. However, on June 30th, Kohberger accepted a guilty plea deal that would ensure at least one life sentence. On July 2nd, he officially pleaded guilty, claiming he intentionally killed the four victims brutally; however did not provide a motive. On July 23rd, Kohberger was sent to prison for four consecutive life sentences without the eligibility for parole and another ten years for burglary. Recently, he was put in solitary confinement in Idaho’s maximum security prison.
Conclusion
The 2022 Idaho Murders have made a lasting impact on families, media, law enforcement, and thousands of college students. It’s likely Kohberger will never reveal his true motives for killing four innocent young adults, and his face will be long cemented in people’s nightmares. However it is important to understand that Kohberger should not be sensationalized, nor turned into a pithy ghost story. He is simply a young man who committed heinous and cruel actions, and was caught. Kohberger is better forgotten than hounded for years, praised for intellect, and leaving a bitter taste in parents’ mouths as they help their children move into dorms. The purpose behind this article was to not mystify Bryan Kohberger or to cause people to go down the rabbit hole of his mind, but to remember the victims whose lives were senselessly taken away the night of the murders. Ethan Chapin was a sports and tourism management major, Xana Kernodle and Madison Moegen were marketing majors, and Kaylee Goncalves was planning her post-graduation Europe trip before they were all murdered. It is better to remember the kindness and ambition of the victims than the rancor of Koghberger, who will spend the rest of his life rotting in prison due to his own decisions and mistakes.
Works Cited
Idaho student murders: A timeline of the killings and …CBS Newshttps://www.cbsnews.com › 48 Hours