Watch: Why Bryan Kohberger Left Roommate Dylan Mortensen Alive, According to Idaho ProsecutorNewly released police reports are giving insight on how Bryan Kohberger may have entered the house where he killed four college students without being detected. Before Kohberger murdered four University of Idaho students at an off-campus home in November 2022, there were several strange instances involving victim Kaylee Goncalves' dog Murphy, her friends told authorities in investigation documents publicly released in July. Bethany Funke-one of the two surviving roommates who lived in the house-told police Goncalves had described to her an incident that occurred weeks before the murders, during which the the 21-year-old saw an unknown male figure near the home "staring at her when she took Murphy out to go potty." Goncalves' ex-boyfriend also told a similar story to investigators, saying that Goncalves "saw a shadowy figure behind the house" while out walking with the goldendoodle. Around the same time, Murphy started running away from home, Goncalves' friends said in Moscow Police Department reports. One friend, whose name was redacted, told authorities that Murphy "ran up into the bushes behind the house on several occasions and would not return when called."readWhy Bryan Kohberger Left Roommate Dylan Mortensen Alive, According to Idaho ProsecutorAnother friend recounted to police that Murphy ran off into the woods during a Halloween party at the house. She said partygoers "heard noises" similar to the sound of someone "moving through the woods on foot" when they tried to call for Murphy, per a police report. That friend also told investigators that she and Goncalves once came back to the house to find "the rear side door standing open and Murphy was missing." Though Murphy was eventually located, she said Goncalves was "concerned about someone being behind the house when Murphy would behave in this manner." The encounters have sparked speculation as to whether it could have been Kohberger trying to secretly befriend Murphy, so that the dog would not bark when he entered Goncalves' home to commit his crimes. Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Images; InstagramIn the police reports, investigators did not say if they linked Kohberger to these incidents. However, prosecutor Bill Thompson said in a recent hearing that Kohberger's cell phone did ping a cell tower near Goncalves' residence in July 2022. Ultimately, Kohberger confessed to fatally stabbing Goncalves-as well as Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20-as part of a plea deal. He was officially sentenced to life in prison for the murders on July 23. "If you were really smart, do you think you'd be here right now?" Goncalves' sister Alivea Goncalves told Kohberger in a statement during his sentencing. "You didn't win. You just exposed yourself as the coward you are." For more about the Idaho murders case, 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 unresponsive, per an additional motion obtained by E! News. A woman named A1 in the transcript described the current situation to the operator. "One of the roommates who's passed out and she was drunk last night and s