Watch: Bryan Kohberger Said Kaylee Goncalves' Name During Idaho Murders, Police Documents RevealMaryann Kohberger had a peculiar message exchange with her son. Four days after Bryan Kohberger murdered four University of Idaho students in November 2022-for which he's serving four consecutive life sentences-his mom had reached out with information about one of his victims, Xana Kernodle, according to a forensic expert who examined his phone and hard drive. "Nov. 17th stands out a little bit," Jared Barnhart, who led the forensic team alongside Heather Barnhart, explained on the Sept. 2 episode of NewsNation's Banfield. "He had more mother interaction that day than normal, which was a lot. He was on the phone with her for hours that day." "That night, he received a link from his mom, and the link was to a news article basically describing how Xana had bruises on her body and how she had put up such a fight," he continued. "There was no response, no text back." Jared revealed that looking at the timeline of their exchange, Bryan-who was arrested in December 2022 for the Nov. 13 murders of Xana, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, and Ethan Chapin, 20-and Maryann were also "actually speaking on the phone." readBryan Kohberger Murders: Victims' Families File Lawsuit Over Crime Scene Photos"They were talking about the Idaho murders on that night," the Head of CX Strategy and Advocacy at Cellebrite explained, "and then the next morning, there's just kind of nothing." After the messages, the mother-son duo didn't discuss the case further. Instead, Jared noted that Maryann texted Bryan about a seemingly unrelated incident, about a girl who was "very sweet to the older lady customers" at a coffee shop. "I have no idea what that is," Jared added, "but there's just no context between talking about the murders the night before and then this thing the next morning." The tech expert then laid out a possible explanation for the disjointed message exchange. "There's also this complicating factor that they're on the phone all the time," he told host Ashleigh Banfield, "and so the context could just be a voice call that we don't have the words for."Kyle Green-Pool/Getty ImagesAlthough Maryann hasn't spoken out since her son's conviction, she did make an appearance at his July 23 sentencing, which took place weeks after Bryan pleaded guilty to the crimes in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table as a possible sentence. As Maddie's dad Ben Mogen read his victim statement, she began sobbing in the courtroom. While Bryan remained emotionless, Ben said, "Maddie was my only child that I ever had. It was just the only great thing I ever really did, and the only thing I was really ever proud of." "She did encourage me to-not just to do my best-but to live on," he explained. "I went through a lot of issues with addiction and with substance abuse. When I wasn't wanting to live anymore, she was what would keep me from just not caring anymore and knowing that she was out there and that she was just such a beautiful person." For a closer look at Bryan Kohberger's sentencing, keep reading.
InstagramWho Were Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle?Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, were University of Idaho students who lived in an off-campus apartment. On Nov. 12, 2022-the night before their bodies were found-Goncalves and Mogen were at a nearby sports bar, while Kernodle and Chapin were at the latter's fraternity party. By 2 a.m. on Nov. 13, the four roommates and Chapin were back at the three-story rental house. Goncalves was a senior majoring in general studies at the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. She was expected to graduate in December before heading to Austin, Texas, for a job at a marketing firm, her friend Jordyn Quesnell told The New York Times. Mogen, who was studying marketing, was best friends with Goncalves since the sixth grade. She had plans to move to Boise after graduation, family friend Jessie Frost shared with The Idaho Statesman. Kernodle was a junior majoring in marketing, the University said at the time. She and Chapin-who majored in recreation, sport and tourism management-had been dating since the spring, the roommates' neighbor Ellie McKnight told NBC News.
InstagramWere There Any Survivors?Two roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, had been home at the time of the murders. In text messages that were unsealed March 6, 2025, Mortensen and Funke tried contacting their roommates on Nov. 13 after the former saw a masked man moving through the house, according to documents obtained by E! News. "No one is answering," Mortensen texted Funke at 4:22 a.m. "I'm rlly confused rn." She continued to reach out to their roommates, urging them to respond. "Pls answer," she texted Goncalves at 4:32 a.m. and again at 10:23 a.m. "R u up??" At 11:58 a.m., a 911 call was placed after Kernodle was found unrespons