Months after the brutal murder of four University of Idaho students, the friends who found the bodies have finally spoken out, recalling the events that unfolded in the early hours of November 13, 2022. Hunter Johnson and Emily Alandt, both in their early 20s, were summoned by two surviving roommates — DM and BF — to a home just steps off the university campus. Their actions that night would change everything.
Johnson, who was staying at Alandt’s off-campus apartment, described an unsettling sensation that urged him to lock the door. A rare occurrence for him, this feeling was accompanied by no audible cues, just an instinctual pull. His account was shared in an interview with People magazine, where he detailed the surreal realization that came with entering the house the following morning.
Upon arriving, they found a crime scene riddled with the aftermath of a horrific act of violence. The four victims — Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin — had been stabbed multiple times with a potentially lethal blade, as per authorities. The victims’ roommates were said to have witnessed the intruder briefly and failed to call emergency services immediately, instead waiting for him to leave before notifying Johnson.
The investigation, led by the Moscow Police Department and supported by state and federal agencies, eventually led to the arrest of Bryan Kohberger, who was identified through DNA collected from a knife sheath found near one of the victims. His vehicle, a white Hyundai Elantra, was also linked to the crime. Kohberger, who was studying for his Ph.D. in criminology nearby, has been in custody since December 30, when he was caught at his parents’ house in Pennsylvania, having driven home cross-country with his father.
Kohberger’s case has been a subject of intense public and media scrutiny, with his trial set to begin in August. If convicted of first-degree murder, he could have faced the death penalty. The families of the victims, however, have faced a prolonged period of uncertainty, with an initially anticipated trial that could have stretched through the fall delayed due to a surprise plea deal. The emotional toll on the survivors and the community is a stark reminder of the lasting impact of such a violent crime.