Bryan Kohberger Trial: 911 Call From Idaho Murders Released

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Bryan Kohberger Trial: 911 Call From Idaho Murders Released

Audio from the aftermath of the University of Idaho murders has come to light after more than two years.

A 911 call placed hours after roommates Madison MogenKaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle—as well as Kernodle's boyfriend Ethan Chapin—were killed in November 2022 offers insight into the tragedy ahead of suspect Bryan Kohberger’s upcoming murder trial.

During the call, which was placed at 11:55 a.m. local time on the morning of Nov. 13, an emergency dispatcher attempted to gather information from a distraught young woman.

“Something just happened in our house,” the woman told the dispatcher in audio obtained by E! News. “We don’t know what.”

Following a brief exchange about the address of the incident, a second woman described the scene at the time of the call.

“One of our, one of the roommates is passed out,” she told the dispatcher, “and she was drunk last night and she’s not waking up.”

The second woman added, “Oh, and they saw some man in their house last night.”

From there, the first woman returned to the line and attempted to recount the events of the night before. However, the dispatcher pressed her to confirm if someone was indeed unconscious.

“Come on… we gotta go check,” she told another person at the scene. “We have to.”

After a brief pause, more tears could be heard on the call.

Monroe County Correctional Facil/UPI

“Is she passed out? What’s wrong?” the woman asked. “She’s not waking up.”

Kohberger is accused of killing the four students during the early hours of Feb. 13 in what police described as an "isolated, targeted attack" committed with "an edged weapon such as a knife.”

Prior to the release of the 911 call, prosecutors in the case filed a motion Feb. 24 for the recording to be admitted into evidence, according to court documents obtained by E! News. In the filing, prosecutors said that while the defense previously described the call as “improperly admitted hearsay,” the call falls within hearsay exceptions in the state of Idaho.

Kohberger, who was charged with four counts of first-degree murder, pled not guilty in May 2023 and could face the death penalty if convicted. His trial is set to begin Aug. 11.

For more details on the murders, keep reading.

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Who Were Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle?

Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, were University of Idaho students who lived in an off-campus apartment. 

On Nov. 12, 2022—the night before their bodies were found—Gonclaves and Mogen were at a nearby sports bar, while Kernodle and Chapin were at the latter’s fraternity party. By 2 a.m. on Nov. 13, the four roommates and Chapin were back at the three-story rental house.

Goncalves was a senior majoring in general studies at the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. She was expected to graduate in December before heading to Austin, Tex., for a job at a marketing firm, her friend Jordyn Quesnell told The New York Times.

Mogen, who was studying marketing, was best friends with Gonglaves since the sixth grade. She had plans to move to Boise after graduation, family friend Jessie Frost shared with The Idaho Statesman.

Kernodle was a junior majoring in marketing, the University said at the time. She and Chapin—who majored in recreation, sport and tourism management—had been dating since the spring, the roommates’ neighbor Ellie McKnight told NBC News.

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Were There Any Survivors?

Two roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, had been home at the time of the murders. In text messages that were unsealed March 6, 2025, Mortensen and Funke tried contacting their roommates on Nov. 13 after the former saw a masked man moving through

the house, according to documents obtained by E! News.

"No one is answering," Mortensen texted Funke at 4:22 a.m. "I'm rlly confused rn."

She continued to reach out to their roommates, urging them to respond. "Pls answer," she texted Goncalves at 4:32 a.m. and again at 10:23 a.m. "R u up??"

At 11:58 a.m., a 911 call was placed after Kernodle was found unresponsive, per an additional motion obtained by E! News. A woman named A1 in the transcript described the current situation to the operator.

"One of the roommates who's passed out and she was drunk last night and she's not waking up," she said on the phone. "They saw some man in their house last night."

Zach Wilkinson-Pool/Getty Images

Who Is Bryan Kohberger and How Was He Found?

Bryan Kohberger, who has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder, was a doctoral candidate at Washington State University. Over one month after the bodies of Gonclaves, Mogen, Kernodle and Chapin were discovered, Kohberger was taken into custody Dec. 30 in Monroe County, Penn. He was extradited to Idaho Jan. 4.

As for how authorities connected him to the killings? DNA was found on a knife sheath that was left at the crime scene, prosecutors revealed in June 2023 court documents, per NBC News.

When the DNA didn't match anyone in the FBI database, authorities ran the DNA through public ancestry websites to create a list of potential suspects, according to the filings. After learning that Kohberger had driven to his parents' home in Monroe County, local officials then went through their trash and found DNA that tied him to that found on the sheath.

Photo by Ted S. Warren-Pool/Getty Images

What Is Kohberger’s Defense Arguing?

At the moment, a motive for the attack has not been detailed and a gag order prevents many involved in the case from speaking publicly, NBC News reported. However, the unsealed documents provided some insight into their arguments.

Kohberger's attorneys argued in a motion obtained by E! News to strike the death penalty that Kohberger—who could face the death penalty if found guilty on all counts, a judge ruled in November 2024—has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and that executing him would violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on "cruel and unusual punishment."

His defense argued that Kohbereger "displays extremely rigid thinking, perseverates on specific topics, processes information on a piecemeal basis, struggles to plan ahead, and demonstrates little insight into his own behaviors and emotions."

"Due to his ASD, Mr. Kohberger simply cannot comport himself in a manner that aligns with societal expectations of normalcy," the motion said. "This creates an unconscionable risk that he will be executed because of his disability rather than his culpability."

Ted S. Warren - Pool/Getty Images

Where Does the Case Stand Today?

Kohberger had a judge enter a not-guilty plea to the first-degree murder charges on his behalf after remaining silent at his May 2023 arraignment. Although his trial was set to begin Oct. 2, 2023, Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial in August 2023. 

His new trial date—which will take place in Ada County, more than 300 miles from Latah County, where the killings took place—is set to begin Aug. 11, 2025.

Latah County Judge John Judge ruled in favor of the transfer request made by Kohberger's defense in September 2024 based on "presumed prejudice" if the trial remained in Latah County. 
Ada County Judge Steven Hippler—who is now presiding over the case—denied the defense's request to suppress key DNA and other evidence, including cell phone and email records, surveillance footage, past Amazon purchases and DNA evidence in the trial.

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