The Timeline Of The Idaho Murders That Took The Lives Of 4 College Students

In the small college town of Moscow, Idaho, the unthinkable happened in November 2022. Four college students, all ages 20 or 21, were brutally murdered in their off-campus home in the early hours of the morning. These violent killings shook the entire community and even resulted in many students fleeing campus to remain safe. Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves are the college students who were allegedly stabbed to death in their sleep. It took police seven weeks to finally arrest a suspect associated with these killings, leaving many family members and friends furious at how long it took to find him.

The suspect is Bryan Christopher Kohberger. He's a 28-year-old PhD student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, which was several miles away from the victims' University. He completed a bachelor's degree in 2020 and finished his graduate studies in June 2022 at DeSales University in Pennsylvania. The motive of these brutal murders is still unknown, but it seems as if he premeditated this murder for quite some time and perhaps stalked the victims before he allegedly killed them. The frightening story has captivated the attention of the entire country, leaving many with questions about what really happened and why it took so long to apprehend the suspect. Here is the timeline of the Idaho murders, in addition to some information that was recently discovered.

Saturday, November 12

All four of the students went out on Saturday night to enjoy themselves. Kaylee and Madison went to a bar in Moscow called Corner Club from 10 p.m to 1:30 a.m. while couple Ethan and Xana went to a house party at the fraternity house Sigma Chi from roughly 8 or 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Their appearance was corroborated by various other people who saw them out that night, as reported by the police. Both pairs stayed out late that night, well past midnight.

Ethan and Xana arrived to the apartment around 1:45 a.m. Ethan didn't live there; he was just staying over with his girlfriend for the night. Xana ordered DoorDash around 4 a.m. to the house. Kaylee and Madison were spotted at Grub Truck at 318 S Main, a local food vendor, at 1:40 a.m. and they were driven home around 1:45 a.m. It's not clear what time all four went to sleep that night, but presumably it was quite late and perhaps into the early morning.

Sunday, November 13

The police believe the murders took place between 4-4:30 a.m. An affidavit shows that Xana was using TikTok around 4:12 a.m. There were two surviving roommates in the house who were unharmed and not considered to be involved with the killings. One of them says she thought she heard Kaylee say something similar to "There's someone here" around 4 a.m., but when she looked outside of her bedroom she didn't see anything.

The police believe the murders took place between 4-4:30 a.m.

"She opened her door a second time when she heard what she thought was crying coming from [Xana] Kernodle's room," court documents read. "Then said she heard a male voice say something to the effect of 'it's ok, I'm going to help you.'"

The roommate opened her door again to see what was happening outside of her room and that's when she saw a man that she didn't recognize walking past her in black clothes with a mask on. He walked toward the glass sliding door. She was in "shock" and felt "frozen" in place. He was described as roughly 5'10 and "not very muscular... with bushy eyebrows." At 4:17 a.m., a security camera less than 50 feet away from Xana's bedroom recorded "distorted audio" of a barking dog and something that sounded like a whimper and a thud.

Later that morning, the two surviving roommates were concerned that one of their roommates was unconscious so they called 911 and asked for assistance. That's when the authorities found all four of the college students deceased from what looked like stab wounds.

Security footage determined that a white Hyundai Elantra had driven by the house three times until arriving again at 4:04 a.m. Later, authorities discovered that Kohberger's phone was turned off between 2:47 a.m. and 4:48 a.m., presumably to hide his exact location. Police determined that the students were likely asleep when they were attacked and there was no sign of sexual assault.

Friday, November 25

Police attempted to look into claims that Kaylee had a stalker, but they weren't able to verify this information or identify anyone in particular. They also determined that the driver who brought Kaylee and Madison home was not involved with the crime, nor were any of the roommates in the home when the 911 call was made. By this date, there were 113 pieces of physical evidence collected and obtained by the Idaho State Police. Brad Little, governor of Idaho, sent $1 million in funding to be used for the investigation.

Wednesday, November 30

A candlelight vigil was held at the University of Idaho for grieving families, friends, and classmates. Local police asked Moscow residents to keep an eye out for any white Elantras in order to gather information about where the suspect might be. Kaylee's father expressed his frustration at the fact that there wasn't much information coming from the police. "I have to assume and hope that this is all part of their plan and ... they've got this all figured out," he said. "I know that there's some really good, hard-working guys and girls that are on this case that I've met. And they looked me in the eyes and they told me straight-out that they're working and they're doing everything in their power."

At the vigil, Ethan's mother said she is "eternally grateful" for all the time she had with her son, encouraging others to "spend as much time as possible" with the people you love most.

Friday, December 15

After telling the public that the investigation "is not cold," police stopped Kohberger for a traffic violation in Indiana. Allegedly, he and his father were driving cross-country to their family's home in Pennsylvania and they were stopped while driving near Indianapolis. Kohberger was driving the car and they were stopped two separate times, once for speeding and once for tailgating.

"The Trooper, having learned the two had been stopped minutes before by a Deputy from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, who he knew was working just down the interstate from him, used his discretion and released the two men with a verbal warning," the state police said.

More than a month after the students were murdered, Kohberger was finally arrested in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania.

Friday, December 30

More than a month after the students were murdered, Kohberger was finally arrested in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. He is being charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. Authorities said they used forensic analysis to connect Kohberger to the murders.

"No arrest will ever bring back these young students. However, we do believe justice will be found through the criminal process," Moscow Police Chief James Fry said.

Thursday, January 5

Kohberger was extradited from Pennsylvania to Idaho the day prior, and on January 5th he appeared in court for the first time in an orange jumpsuit. Kaylee's parents were in attendance. Court documents were also released on this day, sharing some details of the investigation that were previously unknown. DNA was found in a knife sheath at the crime scene that had a strong match to some trash at the Kohberger family residence in Pennsylvania. Kohberger had applied for an internship at the Pullman Police Department, which is several miles away from the University of Idaho, and stated in his essay that he had a desire to help rural law enforcement collect and analyze technological data.

Kohberger had a special interest in criminology.

Additional Findings in the Idaho Murders

Apparently, Kohberger had a special interest in criminology and he studied with Katherine Ramsland, a forensic psychologist who wrote "How to Catch a Killer" and "The Mind of a Murderer." He spent much of his education researching the psychology of criminals when they commit crimes. It was also discovered that Kohberger drove past the victims' home several times on the night of the murders, and around 4:20 a.m. that night, the white Elantra was captured speeding away from the scene of the crime. Police report that Kohberger may have also returned to the home later that morning, around 9 a.m. His phone was detected in Moscow near the scene of the crime and remained there for about nine minutes. Idaho prosecutors have turned over hundreds of discovery documents to Kohberger's defense team. He is currently being held on four counts of first-degree murder and burglary without bail.