Frantic text messages between two housemates who survived the massacre that left four University of Idaho students dead have been made public as murder suspect Bryan Kohberger prepares for trial.
The exchange between Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke took place around the time prosecutors believe Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin and Madison Mogen were killed in the bedrooms of their off-campus Moscow home on Nov. 13, 2022.
The text messages begin around 4:22 a.m. with Mortensen expressing concern to Funke over noises heard in the house and that one of their roommates, who’d recently returned from a night out, couldn’t be reached.
“No one is answering,” Mortensen wrote. “I’m really confused.”
“Ya dude WTF,” Funke replied. “Xana was wearing all black.”
Mortensen then admitted to Funke that she’s “freaking out” after seeing what she thought was a man in the home wearing something resembling a ski mask. Funke then tells Mortensen to “run” to her room so they don’t have to be alone.
Further calls to the other roommates continued to go unanswered.
Roughly six hours later, at 10:23 a.m., Mortensen texted Goncalves and Mogen asking if they’re awake. Both women, along with the other two victims, are believed to have been stabbed to death by that time.
A transcript of the surviving roommates’ 911 call, made shortly before noon, was also released with the filing. It depicts panic as Mortensen and Funke pass the phone back and forth while speaking to the dispatcher, telling them that 20-year-old Kernodle was unconscious after a night of drinking. But they also say they “saw some man in their house last night.”
First responders soon arrived and discovered the four students slaughtered inside. There were no signs of forced entry or damage to the home.
Prosecutors are asking the court to admit the text messages as evidence, saying it provides a timeline that helps put Kohberger at the scene.
Following a six-week, cross-country manhunt, Kohberger — a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University — was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania that December. He’s pleaded not guilty to the murders. His trial is scheduled to begin in August.
An Idaho judged ruled in September that Kohberger’s trial would take place in Boise rather than in Moscow, where media attention and statements made by local leaders could impair the defendant’s ability to a fair hearing.
If convicted, Kohberger, now 30, could be sentenced to death. His attorneys argued this week that because of his recent autism diagnosis, the death penalty should be taken off the table.