Idaho Murders Update: Surviving Roommates’ Panic Evident In Texts And 911 Call

The brutal murders occurred on Nov. 13, 2022, when four students —Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin —were fatally stabbed in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho.

The attack sparked national attention and a months-long investigation. Authorities arrested Kohberger, a 28-year-old criminology Ph.D. student, in December 2022, charging him with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, according to CNN and 6ABC Philadelphia.

Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke are the two roommates who survived the killings unharmed.

“I’m freaking out,” was one of the texts Mortensen sent to Funke, according to unsealed court documents obtained by CNN. The roommates were identified by their initials in court records, with messages describing a masked man in black inside their house. Police believe it was around the time the students were killed.

Both women recalled seeing a masked man in the house

The conversation happened nearly eight hours before the roommates called 911 to report the killings, per CNN. The roommates had gone out for the evening and returned late to their shared home. The next day, police discovered four of them stabbed to death, with no signs of forced entry or struggle. Mortensen recounted what she heard that night to the police.

She recalled hearing what she thought was Goncalves playing with her dog around 4 a.m. and later reported hearing noises, including whimpering and a barking dog. Mortensen texted Goncalves and called her roommates but received no response, according to previously released court documents obtained by CNN.

Mortensen and Funke sent messages back and forth around 4:22 a.m., expressing confusion and fear. Mortensen mentioned seeing a man wearing a ski mask, and they continued stating how “freaked out” they were over the situation.

Kohberger’s trial is set for August

Several hours later, around 10:23 a.m., Mortensen again tried to contact Goncalves and Mogen but received no reply. Shortly after, Morgensen and Funke made a chaotic 911 call, during which they struggled to communicate with dispatchers, reporting 20-year-old Kernodle as unconscious.

According to court records, the dispatcher ended the call after officers arrived and didn’t document complete details of what happened. Prosecutors have confirmed they expect both roommates to testify at trial, which is scheduled for sometime in August.

Defense attorneys for the accused Kohberger, who has pleaded not guilty, have filed motions to remove the death penalty as an option, citing vast evidence that makes it impossible to review leading up to the trial.