On November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students—Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20—were murdered in an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho. Goncalves, Mogen, and Kernodle were roommates, and Chapin, Kernodle’s boyfriend, was staying there on the night of the attack.
For Moscow, which had not seen a murder since 2015, the killings seemed incomprehensible. There were no indications of forced entry into the residence, and authorities didn’t find the murder weapon—believed to be a fixed-blade knife. Police initially stated these were targeted killings but couldn’t name a suspect. Eventually, though, the investigation led to police across the country to primary suspect Bryan Kohberger.
It’s been nearly three years since the 30-year-old was arrested and charged with the gruesome stabbing deaths. His motive is still unknown, and the suspected murder weapon, a KA-BAR knife, hasn’t been recovered.
Kohberger seemed poised to defend his innocence at trial this August, but now the case is nearing an abrupt conclusion in light of Kohberger’s surprising decision to admit to the killings. As part of an agreement with prosecutors, Kohberger officially pleaded guilty on Wednesday and is expected to receive four consecutive life prison sentences for the killings.
Here is a full timeline of the Idaho student murders and significant moments in the case from the earliest days of the investigation to Kohberger’s unexpected eleventh hour plea deal.
The Idaho Student Murders
November 13, 2022: The 4 Idaho students are killed
Around 1:45 a.m., Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin return to Kernodle’s home at 1122 King Road. Around 1:56 a.m., a private individual drops Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves off at the King Road house. At approximately 4 a.m., Kernodle receives a DoorDash order. Twelve minutes later, she’s using the TikTok app on her phone.
Between 4 a.m. and 4:25 a.m., Goncalves and Mogen are killed in a bedroom on the third floor of the house. Kernodle and Chapin are murdered in a bedroom on the second floor. Two other roommates are home but not attacked.
At 11:58 a.m., a 911 call made from the phone of one of the surviving roommates comes in about an unresponsive person at the King Road residence. Responding authorities discover the dead bodies. A knife sheath is found on the bed where Goncalves and Mogen lie.
November 17, 2022: Autopsy results indicate the students were sleeping when they were attacked
The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office conducts autopsies on the victims. The Latah County Coroner shares initial information that all four were stabbed multiple times. The coroner stated the victims were likely asleep when they were attacked, though some had defensive wounds. None of the victims show signs of sexual assault.
November 20, 2022: Police publicly clear the unharmed roommates from the suspect list
During a press conference about the investigation, Moscow Police Capt. Roger Lanier mentions the two unharmed roommates—later named as Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke—were home at the time of the murders. He says neither is considered a suspect.
According to an affidavit of probable cause released on January 5, 2023, a roommate, identified as D.M., told authorities she woke up in her second-floor bedroom around 4 a.m. on November 13 when she heard noise coming from upstairs. A short time later, she thought she heard Goncalves say, “There’s someone here.” She then heard crying from the direction of Kernodle’s room and heard a male voice say, “It’s okay, I’m going to help you.”
D.M. next opened her door and saw a man dressed in black with a mask over the lower part of his face. She describes him as “5-foot-10-inch or taller, male, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows.” D.M. says she was frozen with shock as this unknown man walked past her toward a sliding glass door at the back of the house. She then closed and locked her bedroom door.
November 25, 2022: Authorities seek a white sedan seen in the area around the time of the murders
Moscow police ask area law enforcement to be on the lookout for a 2011 to 2016 white Hyundai Elantra. This request comes after neighborhood surveillance videos show a white sedan driving by the dead-end street where the victims lived several times between 3:29 a.m. and 4:04 a.m. on November 13. The vehicle was then seen quickly driving out of the area at approximately 4:20 a.m. A forensic examiner identifies the make, model, and possible year of the vehicle.
The Search for Bryan Kohberger
November 29, 2022: Kohberger becomes a person of interest
Washington State University police inform Moscow police that a 2015 white Hyundai Elantra is registered on their campus. The car is registered to Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student in criminology. Washington State University is in Pullman, Washington, eight miles from Moscow.
Later, a Moscow police officer reviews Kohberger’s Washington state driver’s license photograph. Kohberger’s appearance matches that of the unknown man D.M. saw on November 13.
December 23, 2022: Authorities obtain Kohberger’s cell phone records
Moscow police are granted a warrant to track Kohberger’s cell phone. The phone was in Pullman around 2:47 a.m. on November 13. At the time of the murders, Kohberger’s phone wasn’t connected to any network, which can happen when a phone is turned off or in airplane mode. At approximately 4:48 a.m. on November 13, Kohberger’s phone reconnected to the cell network at a ___location south of Moscow.
Cell phone records also reveal Kohberger’s phone was close to the crime scene between 9:12 a.m. and 9:21 a.m. on November 13. Historical ___location data indicates Kohberger’s phone had been near the King Road residence 12 times before November 13. These visits go back to at least August 2022.
December 27, 2022: Kohberger returns to his parents’ Pennsylvania home
Kohberger, who has driven his Elantra to his parents’ home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, is under surveillance. Authorities collect trash from the northeastern Pennsylvania home and send the items to Idaho to try to retrieve a DNA sample.
December 28, 2022: DNA links Kohberger to the murders
The Idaho State Lab compares DNA obtained from the trash to DNA found on the knife sheath left at the crime scene. A DNA profile from the Pennsylvania trash shows a near certain probability of a familial match on the sheath through Kohberger’s father. Later samples taken from Kohberger after his apprehension provide a “statistical match.”
December 30, 2022: Police arrest Kohberger in Pennsylvania
In a pre-dawn raid, Kohberger is arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania. He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
The Charges Against Kohberger
January 3, 2023: Kohberger agrees to return to Idaho
Kohberger appears in court in Pennsylvania. He agrees to be extradited back to Idaho, where a judge has issued a gag order that bars attorneys and officials from discussing the case with the public.
January 4, 2023: The suspect is booked into Latah County Jail
After arriving in Idaho via plane, Kohberger is booked into Latah County Jail, which is connected to the Latah County Courthouse in Moscow.
January 5, 2023: A judge orders Kohberger to be held without bail
Kohberger appears before Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall, who orders him to be held without bail. He returns to court for a second appearance on January 12 with his lawyer, public defender Anne Taylor.
May 17, 2023: A grand jury charges Kohberger with murder
Prosecutors take the case before a grand jury, forgoing a preliminary hearing. The jury returns an indictment for Kohberger with the same charges as announced in December: four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
At his ensuing arraignment, Kohberger chooses to stand silent and doesn’t enter a plea, prompting a judge to enter a “not guilty” plea on his behalf.
December 28, 2023: The scene of the crime is demolished
The University of Idaho demolishes the off-campus home where the murders took place despite pushback from the families of Goncalves and Kernodle, who argued the residence could be a source of evidence during Kohberger’s trial. “While we appreciate the emotional connection some family members of the victims may have to this house, it is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue,” University of Idaho President Scott Green says.
Preparing for the Death Penalty Case
September 9, 2024: The trial is moved from Moscow to Boise
An Idaho Second District judge approves a change of venue from Moscow to Boise, Idaho, for Kohberger’s trial, citing extensive media coverage of the case and statements from public officials suggesting his guilt that might lead to an unfair trial.
November 20, 2024: A judge allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty
The district court judge overseeing the trial rules that prosecutors can seek the death penalty against Kohberger if he’s convicted. The move rejects the defense’s argument that Idaho’s methods of capital punishment are unconstitutional and keeping Kohberger on death row would be “dehumanizing.”
March 14, 2025: More details emerge about the 911 call
Audio from the 911 call on the day of the killings is released. During the exchange, a caller reports that a 20-year-old woman is passed out and not waking up and that unspecified roommates “saw some man in their house last night.”
April 24, 2025: The judge confirms the death penalty as a possible punishment
Judge Steven Hippler rejects another appeal to remove the death penalty from the case. Kohberger’s legal team had argued that his recent diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder “reduces his culpability, negates the retributive and deterrent purposes of capital punishment, and exposes him to the unacceptable risk that he will be wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death.”
Kohberger pleads guilty
June 30, 2025: Prosecutors say Kohberger accepted a plea agreement
A letter sent to victims’ families reveals Kohberger has accepted a plea deal that will prevent him from receiving the death penalty in the case. He’s expected to plead guilty to all four counts of first-degree murder as well as one count of burglary at a hearing. Kohberger will also waive his right to appeal if the agreement is confirmed.
July 2, 2025: Kohberger confesses to the Idaho student murders
As Judge Steven Hippler reads off the charges, Kohberger pleads guilty to all five counts and is convicted of quadruple murder and burglary. Prosecutors provide more details from the case, revealing Kohberger’s car had been “pretty much disassembled” internally and cleaned before its seizure and that nothing of value was found inside his “spartan” apartment. They also reveal the knife Kohberger used in the murders has yet to be found.
Hippler schedules Kohberger’s sentencing for 11 a.m. ET on July 23. The victims’ families will be allowed to give impact statements at that time. The judge can choose an alternative sentence to the plea agreement, which stipulates four life sentences running consecutively for each murder, but Kohberger can’t petition for such terms.
Sara Kettler is a Connecticut-based freelance writer who has written for Biography.com, History, and the A&E True Crime blog. She’s a member of the Writers Guild of America and also pens mystery novels. Outside of writing, she likes dogs, Broadway shows, and studying foreign languages.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
