Four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed in November 2022, and the case has captivated the nation ever since. Nearly two months after the murders, suspected killer Bryan Kohberger, a then 28-year-old man from Pennsylvania, was arrested on a murder warrant. Kohberger was initially set to begin his trial in October 2023, but the trial was postponed. After multiple delays, Kohberger’s trial was scheduled to begin in August 2025, but he entered a guilty plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
For a full timeline and updates on the case, keep reading.
Idaho College Students Are Murdered
On November 13, 2022, University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle were found dead in their shared off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. Authorities revealed that the young adults were most likely murdered while they were asleep.
Hours before they were stabbed, Goncalves and Mogen went out to a local club, while Ethan and Xana attended a fraternity party at Sigma Chi.
Were There Any Survivors?
There are two survivors from the murders: roommates Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen. Mortensen reportedly claimed that she saw the killer on November 13. She described the murderer as “a figure clad in black clothing and a mask” and locked herself in her bedroom upon seeing him walk through the house.
Bethany initially fought a legal request for her to testify in court. Meanwhile, Kohberger’s defense team was pushing for her to appear in the Idaho courtroom because they believed Funke’s testimony could exonerate Kohberger. However, she eventually agreed to testify from Nevada during Kohberger’s preliminary hearing in Idaho.
Bryan Kohberger Identified As a Suspect
Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in 2022, will appear in court today.
The trial will have “a new venue, a new mugshot, and a new judge … over concerns about jury impartiality,” ABC News’ @KaynaWhitworth reports. pic.twitter.com/D5dzBlxMIx
— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) September 26, 2024
One month after their deaths, police identified Washington State criminology Ph. D student Kohberger as a suspect. He was arrested and charged in Pennsylvania with four counts of first degree murder and felony burglary. Police explained that they connected Kohberger to the crime scene with forensic analysis on a leather knife sheath. The DNA closely resembled to that of Kohberger’s, officials said.
Bryan Kohberger Goes to Trial
During his January 2023 preliminary hearing, Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial, and the trial was initially scheduled to take place on June 26. A jury officially indicted Kohberger with four counts of murder in the first degree in addition to felony burglary. He pleaded not guilty at the time.
Kohberger’s court date was eventually postponed to October 26. His defense team is reportedly arguing that the grand jury’s indictment lacked sufficient evidence connecting Kohberger to the crime scene and that the jurors were biased in their decision.
Bryan Kohberger’s Alibi Revealed
In August 2023, Kohberger’s defense attorneys came forward with his alibi, for which he claimed he was on a drive at the time of the murders.
“Mr. Kohberger has long had a habit of going for drives alone,” court documents for Kohberger’s alibi read. “Mr. Kohberger is not claiming to be at a specific location at a specific time; at this time, there is not a specific witness to say precisely where Mr. Kohberger was at each moment of the hours between late night November 12, 2022, and early morning November 13, 2022.”
Bryan Kohberger’s Trial Was Moved
In September, 2024, a judge moved Kohberger’s trial because of alleged “prejudicial” media coverage that could potentially “compromise a fair trial.” Kohberger’s team had requested to move the case out of Latah County due to the “inflammatory” publicity he has received.
“Considering the undisputed evidence presented by the defense, the extreme nature of the news coverage in this case, and the smaller population in Latah County, the defense has met the rather low standard of demonstrating ‘reasonable likelihood’ that prejudicial news coverage will compromise a fair trial in Latah County,” the Idaho judge wrote in a statement, per CNN.
DNA Evidence Ruling
In January 2025, Kohberger’s defense team wanted to get certain DNA evidence made public as they raised concerns about how law enforcement focused on him, according to ABC13 Eyewitness News.
Roommate Text Messages Revealed
On March 6, 2025, text messages between the two surviving roommates—Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen—in the off-campus home where four University of Idaho students were murdered in 2022 were revealed, shedding more light on the timeline of events.
One roommate, identified by the initials D.M. in court documents, texted after 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2022, saying they were “freaking out” about possibly seeing a man in the house wearing what appeared to be a ski mask. This exchange occurred nearly eight hours before the roommates called 911 to report the unconscious body of Kernodle at the residence.
A recently unsealed defense motion in March 2025 reveals that Kohberger’s attorneys are seeking to have the death penalty removed from consideration, citing his diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The motion references an evaluation by a neuropsychologist who determined that Kohberger “continues to exhibit all the core diagnostic features of ASD currently, with significant impact on his daily life.” The defense further argues that executing him would violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on “cruel and unusual punishment.”
Bryan Kohberger Accepts Guilty Plea Deal
On July 1, 2025, Kohberger accepted a plea deal to evade the death penalty in the case. According to a letter sent to the victims’ families obtained by CBS News, the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office indicted that attorneys for Kohberger said he accepted a plea deal.
The letter noted that Kohberger agreed to plead guilty to all counts against him and that he would be sentenced to “four consecutive (back to back) life sentences on the four murder counts.” Additionally, the letter read that if Kohberger “enters guilty pleas as expected” at an upcoming court hearing, the “anticipate that this case will be set for sentencing in late July. If defendant does not enter guilty pleas as expected, we are prepared to proceed to trial as planned.”
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