Watch: Bryan Kohberger's Sister Mel Kohberger Breaks Silence on Idaho MurdersThe college where Bryan Kohberger studied criminology before murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022 is now facing a civil lawsuit. The families of murder victims Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, came together Jan. 7 to sue Washington State University for gross negligence and wrongful death. In a complaint obtained by the Idaho Statesman, the families accused WSU of violating Title IX-the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination at public universities-when the school allegedly remained "idle in the face of known extreme and repeated instances of discrimination, sexual harassment and stalking by Kohberger occurring in its educational program." Their lawsuit alleged professors were aware that Kohberger, who was a Ph.D. student and a teaching assistant in the school's Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology before the murders, had "developed a reputation for discriminatory, harassing, and stalking behavior," according to the New York Times.readIdaho Murder Case: Prosecutors Lay Out Gruesome Details of KillingsThe families argued the school's alleged lack of action against the convicted killer "ultimately culminated in Kohberger stalking and murdering the decedents," per the Statesman. A WSU spokesperson told E! News Jan. 9 in response to the lawsuit, "Our hearts remain with the families and friends impacted by this horrific tragedy. Because this is a legal matter, we are declining further comment at this time."Kyle Green-Pool/Getty ImagesKohberger, 31, is currently serving four consecutive life in prison sentences without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder. He confessed to killing Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle and Chapin after accepting a plea deal from prosecutors that spared him from the death penalty. Shortly after Kohberger's sentencing in July, authorities released findings in their investigation that the lawyers for the victims' families believe showed "a disturbing picture of institutional inaction in the face of repeated and dire warnings." "These failures were not the result of a lack of authority or available safeguards," their attorneys told the New York Times in a Jan. 8 statement, "but rather a breakdown in accountability and responsibility at critical moments." For more details about the case, read on.
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 she's not waking up," she said on the phone. "They saw some man in their house last night."Zach Wilkinson-Pool/Getty ImagesWho Is Bryan Kohberger and How Was He Found?Bryan Kohberger, who was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, was a doctoral candidate at Washington State University. Over one month after the bodies of Gonclaves, Mogen, Kernodle and Chapin were discovered, Kohberger was taken into custody Dec. 30 in Monroe County, Penn. He was extradited to Idaho J