On November 13, 2022, four college students were found stabbed to death in their apartment in the college town of Moscow, Idaho, with only two surviving roommates who were unharmed.

The victims were Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. Like most college students, they were out late on a Saturday night on campus, and returned home early that morning. The official timeline states in court documents that police believe that the murders occurred between 4:00 and 4:25 a.m. Police were keeping their eyes open for a white Hyundai Elantra that was spotted near the crime scene. One of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves, even expressed her concerns earlier about beliefs she had a stalker. 

On December 17, police arrested 28-year-old Ph.D. student Bryan Kohberger in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at his parents home, who had the car they were searching for. Kohberger was studying criminology at Washington State University. Many thought that this could have contributed to his motive behind the crime or assisted him, but attorney and criminology professor from Western Connecticut University, Dr. Casey Jordan, stated, “I can guarantee you that nothing he learned in his classes helped him if indeed he did factually commit these crimes, to commit these crimes or to try to get away with it.”

Social Media has been flooded with theories surrounding the case. One in particular that caused much controversy being that the surviving roommates were involved. What led people to believe this disturbing statement was the fact that police weren’t called until eight hours after the crime was committed at 11:58 a.m. Statements later came out that one of the roommates had been awake during the time and heard what sounded like an upstairs roommate playing with the dog. Minutes later she opened her door and heard what sounded like a male voice saying, “It’s OK, I’m going to help you.” Security cameras from a home nearby picked up what sounded like sobs and a dog continuously barking at 4:17 a.m. At 4:20 a.m. the white Hyundai Elantra was seen on surveillance leaving the neighborhood at high speeds. 

One of the most shocking things from this case by far is that one of the surviving roommates saw the killer while she was standing in the doorway to her room. She described him as a “Figure clad in black clothing with a face mask on.” He left the home using the sliding glass door. Allegedly, his phone was tracked back to the house around 9 a.m., which would mean that he went back to the house or just drove past after he had committed the crime. 

Recently there’s been speculation involving whether there were two or more suspects involved in the murders. Allegedly, Kohberger denies he is guilty and says he knows who committed the crime and is willing to tell, although there will not be a trail for his next hearing until June 26.