August 9, 2023 • 37 mins
In the early hours of November 13th, 2022, four University of Idaho students in the prime of their lives, were found brutally stabbed to death in an off-campus residence. The news of the murders sent shockwaves through the close, tight-knit community of Moscow, Idaho.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
We are following breaking news out of North Idaho.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
The Mosco Police Department says they responded to reports of
an unconscious person on King Road around noon today. When
they got there, they found four people dead inside the home.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
The bodies of three women and one man, all twenty
one or under, were found together. Victims were attacked with
a large knife.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
This is a massacre.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
There's no other way to say it.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
This is the Idaho Massacre. A production of KT Studios
and iHeartRadio, episode one Murders on King Road Courtney Armstrong,
a television producer at KT Studios, with Stephanie Leidecker, Jeff Shane,
and Connor Powell.
Speaker 5 (00:54):
Upon further investigation, officials found.
Speaker 6 (00:57):
Four people dead.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
The university sent an alert asking students to stay away
from the area and to shelter in place.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
The killings, the first murders in the city of Moscow
in years, terrified the small, close knit community. On November thirteenth,
twenty twenty two, the normally idyllic college town of Moscow, Idaho,
was shaken by the news of a gruesome murder. Just
before noon on Sunday morning, a nine on one dispatcher
(01:27):
received a call from a six bedroom house on eleven
twenty two King Road. The callers at one of their
roommates was unconscious. Emergency personnel rushed to the house. The
three story rental property was tucked away on a quiet,
dead end street. It was just feet from the University
of Idaho's fraternity row and its scenic tree lined campus.
(01:51):
Inside the house was described as a bloodbath the next day.
Blood could be seen seeping through the walls and was
visible from the street. The four victims were all close
friends and students at the University of Idaho. Kaylee Gonsalvez,
Madison Mogan, and Xana Cernodle all lived together in the
(02:12):
house on King Rhoad. Ethan Schapin was Xana Cernudle's boyfriend
and was visiting for the night.
Speaker 7 (02:19):
The reality is there's still a person out there who
committed four horrible, horrible crimes.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Here's Stephanie and Jeff.
Speaker 8 (02:27):
I think, like so many people, this case hit us,
particularly because of the sheer magnitude of violence and tragedy
that occurred in this house. You know, you have these
four young people who were so full of life and
had seemingly everything going for them, and it was taken
so quickly and so violently that it just, at least
for me personally, seems so unimaginable, Like the whole country.
Speaker 9 (02:49):
We were absolutely horrified when news broke of this case,
and we immediately started digging in. And yes there was
a lot of coverage at the start, but our goal
here is hopefully to go a bit deeper into the case. Thankfully,
a massacre so large it's incredibly rare, but whoever did
this is essentially a great white shark of murderers. This
(03:11):
was such an overkill. The exterior of the house walls
were literally bleeding. What kind of maniac would do this?
Speaker 8 (03:22):
We really felt like as true crime producers, we wanted
to focus our attention on the facts and really put
everything in one place and make it manageable for people,
because there are so many mistruths and headlines out there
that aren't necessarily even fact checked, and so as a team,
we really want to dive into this case and explore
what's true and what's not.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
The University of Idaho is a classic red brick campus
nestled in the green Rolling Hills in the northwestern corner
of the state. It is situated in the small rural
agricultural community of Moscow, Idah home before it was a
crime scene. The house at eleven twenty two King Rhade
was at the center of university life and home to
(04:07):
five female roommates, Kayleie Gonsalvez, Madison Mogan, Xana Kernodle, Dylan
Mortensen and Bethany Funk. Just hours before the gruesome killings,
twenty one year old senior Kayleie Gonsalvez posted a photo
to social media showing all of the roommates and Xana's
(04:27):
boyfriend Ethan Chapin during happier times.
Speaker 6 (04:35):
One lucky girl to be surrounded by these people every day,
she wrote.
Speaker 9 (04:40):
When you look at some of the photographs that have
been generated on social media or that we've seen on
the news, for example, they look so happy and they
literally look as though they're on the cover of a magazine,
like a j crue Ad or a gap ad.
Speaker 8 (04:53):
Kaylee was the blonde, twenty one year old senior from Rathtroom, Idaho,
who had majored in general studies. She had act She
just graduated and was not officially living in the house
on King Road, only back to visit for the weekend.
She had been a member of Alpha Fi sorority and
was a hard working student. She was actually on the
verge of moving to Austin, Texas, where she was going
to work at a tech company, and she had just
(05:14):
bought this shiny new Range Rover to make the drive.
She was in town to show her friends the new car.
Kaylee and Fello Victim Madison Mogan had grown up together
in northern Idaho, and the pair had been inseparable ever
since sixth grade. They were more like sisters than friends.
Speaker 9 (05:30):
That's what makes this even more unimaginable. Their family said
that they spent all of their time together. Imagine that,
best friends since sixth grade, and they kind of look
like sisters. Madison, who went by the name Maddie, was
twenty one years old at the time of her death.
She was also a marketing major. Maddie was known for
(05:50):
her hilarious sense of humor. She was extremely bubbly, and
she loved the color pink. I'm looking at a photo
of her right now, and she's wearing this bright pink dress.
She has long blonde hair, slightly wavy, and she is
just smiling ear to ear. She also worked as a
waitress at the Mad Greek restaurant, with her other roommate victim,
(06:12):
twenty year old Xana Kernodle. Xana was also a stunning brunette.
She was also very sporty. According to her friends, Xana
played volleyball, track, and even soccer in high school. She
was a junior at the University of Idaho at the
time of her death. They are dear friends. They're sorority girls,
(06:33):
they work together, and all three of them, by all accounts,
who are very close.
Speaker 8 (06:39):
Xanna was dating twenty year old Ethan Chapin from Conway,
Washington at the time of her death. Ethan was a
freshman at the University of Idaho and a triplet who
his siblings also went to school at Idaho, and he
was very close with them and his fraternity brothers. But
really the relationship that mattered to him most was his
with Xana. While they were young, they had truly found love.
(07:01):
They were spending time together outside of schooled in the
summer with each other's families, and Xana's dad described their
relationship as one of deep importance and seriousness, and despite
losing their lives at a young age, he said he
was happy that Xana and Ethan had found each other
and at least were together when they died.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
The night of Saturday, November twelfth started like most weekend
nights for the friends. Living at eleven twenty two King Road.
Xana Kronodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin spent the evening
partying at the nearby Sigma Chi fraternity house. Kaylee Consalvus
and Madison Mogan were seen at the local sports bar.
The pair left around one thirty in the morning, stopping
(07:45):
at a local food truck. Surveillance photo in a social
media stream from food truck captured Kaylee, Maddie and another
friend ordering food around one forty am.
Speaker 10 (07:58):
Welcome back to day. Hi, yep, so what you want
to do is well actually.
Speaker 9 (08:19):
Cool?
Speaker 10 (08:19):
Thank you absolutely.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
Police determined Maddie and Kaylee arrived home at one fifty
six am. Based on new digital evidence collected by investigators,
Ethan and Xanna are believed to have arrived just ten
minutes beforehand.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Around four in the morning, please say, Xana received a
food order from door Dash. A little while later, one
of the surviving roommates, Dylan Mortensen, was woken up by
a sound. She thought it was Kaylee playing with her dog.
Speaker 11 (08:47):
She was on the same floor as two of the
victims who were killed, Xana Cernadl and Ethan Chapin, telling
police she was woken by a noise at four am,
hearing Kaylee say something like there's someone here.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
She peeked outside her door but didn't see anything.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
At four to twelve am, Xana Stilloach was scrolling through
the social media app TikTok. Just a few minutes later,
Dylan told police she once again heard a noise.
Speaker 11 (09:15):
She heard crying from Xanna's room, followed by a male
voice saying it's okay, I'm going to help you.
Speaker 5 (09:21):
She later opened her door again after hearing crying coming
from Xana Kernodle's room. This time she saw a dark
figure standing there.
Speaker 11 (09:28):
She opened her door and stood frozen as a man
wearing black clothing and a mask that covered the person's
mouth and nose walking towards her, describing him as five
ten or taller, not very muscular, but athletically built, with
bushy eyebrows.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
Terrified, she remained frozen in place as the suspect walked
past her and left out the sliding glass door behind her.
Speaker 11 (09:51):
Authority say that roommate was in shock.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
After looking through surveillance footage and hearing the surviving victim's statements.
Investigators say they believe the murders took place between four
and four twenty five am.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Eight hours after the killings, police were called to the
house on King RhoD When they arrived, they found a
gruesome scene four people, all brutally repeatedly stabbed death. Kaylee
Gonsalvez and Madison Mogan were killed in the bed they
were sharing on the third floor. Ethan Chapin and Xana
(10:26):
Kernodle were found dead in her room. Ethan's throat was
sliced nearby. His girlfriend, Xana Kernodle was found with multiple
defensive wounds to her hands and arms. Three days after
the murder's, investigators briefed the public.
Speaker 12 (10:47):
The results of autopsies indicated that the four were stabbed
multiple times and were likely asleep during the attack. Some
had defensive wounds, and there was no sign of sexual assault.
We have heard mention that Kaylee stated she may have
had a stalker. Detectives have been looking into that and
to this point have been unable to corroborate the statement.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
According to investigators, there was no sign of forced entry
and there was no murder weapon left at the scene.
Speaker 12 (11:17):
We continue looking for what we will leave to be
a fixed blade knife used in the murders.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
However, the killer did leave one key piece of evidence behind.
Speaker 5 (11:27):
When inspecting the house for the first time, officers noticed
a tan leather knife sheet lying on the bed where
Keiley and Madison were found.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Investigators also said they had ruled out several people.
Speaker 12 (11:39):
We do not believe the following individuals were involved. The
two surviving roommates, the male scene in a grub truck
video circulating on the internet, a private party who drove
Kayley and Madison home, any of the individuals who spoke
to the dispatcher on the nine one one call. We're
(12:00):
also aware of a male whom Madison and Kaylee had
called several times the morning of November thirteenth, and we
did not suspect that individual.
Speaker 5 (12:10):
The question remaining who entered the residents later that night
to carry out these grisly murders.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Let's stop here for a break. We'll be back in
a moment. Joseph Scott Morgan is a forensic expert at
Jackson State University and is a former senior investigator for
the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office in Atlanta, Georgia. He
(12:39):
spoke to producer Jeff Shane and Stephanie Leidecker about the
crime site and the events of the morning of November thirteenth.
Speaker 13 (12:48):
I think the watchword here is intimacy. These kids that
are in the middle of college careers that are partying,
they're going to Greek parties, or they're preparing for a graduation.
You know, it's a very protected environment. The thing you've
got to worry about the most, probably in this location,
is are you going to get another parking ticket by
the police.
Speaker 9 (13:09):
There's also this layer of presumed safety when we're off
in college, right, it's this bubble and it's supposed to be.
It's horrifying to know that that level of safety isn't real.
Speaker 13 (13:21):
You're not thinking, you know, this is the apocalypse coming?
Am I going to be slaughtered in my bed? Intimacy
ends and begins with a perpetrator. He's intimate with them.
They don't have an awareness of his intimacy.
Speaker 8 (13:34):
But what do you think happened in those sixteen minutes
when he came into the house.
Speaker 13 (13:38):
There's two ground levels, so you have a parking pad
that's in the rear of the building where you would
enter in to the area that many people would say
first floor, and I've heard some people say basement, and
it's where there's a key there's a keypad, and according
to everyone that I have heard talk about this to
this point, many people knew the code on the keypad. Okay,
(13:59):
but I don't think he entered through that location. He
entered on what would be referred to as the second
ground floor, which is there's kind of a field behind
that extending outward away from the home that has kind
of a brush line on either side. It's sufficient enough
for concealment, so if the house is all ablaze in light,
(14:20):
you could stand out there on the second level and
stay back in this wooded area and see everything that's
going on. It has been stated that that second floor
entrance is actually the sliding glass door, and of course
the darkness of night, you can stand there and you
can watch everything that goes on if you're not illuminated,
if you're not standing under some kind of artificial light outside,
(14:44):
and every single movement you can track, you know, looking
through that sliding glass door in the other associated windows,
you can see when a light comes on upstairs, and
you can't see anything that's going on on that bottom level,
but you can see right into the second floor. So
once the lights had died down and the perpetrator would
(15:04):
have had knowledge that that back door, the glass door
was commonly left unlocked, which is an interesting point, I think,
because that again goes to an intimacy and a familiarity,
doesn't it. So when the perpetrator makes entrance painting the picture,
when you make entrance to that sliding glass door, it's
(15:24):
kind of like a great room, if you will, kind
of an open people used term open floor plan. You've
got an area over to the right where I think
that you know, there might be some seating. Over to
the left is kind of a dining kitchen area. It'd
be a great place to gather if you were having
friends over. You know, people could come over, interior guests
(15:45):
could spill out onto the little landing there outside the door.
Speaker 8 (15:48):
What else can you tell us about the house?
Speaker 13 (15:50):
We know that there were loud parties there because there
had been noise complaints in the past. But when you
walk in, if you go back to your right as
you're walking through that sliding last door, there's bedrooms down
that way, but he bypasses those and proceeds upstairs to
the third floor. Well, you've got one bedroom that is occupied,
(16:12):
another one that is unoccupied, and the one that is
occupied are that room is actually occupied the night of
killing by two friends. And when I say friends, I
mean friends as close as two friends could possibly be.
We're talking about two young ladies that had actually grown
up together. They decided to go to u of I
(16:33):
together because of this childhood bond that they had developed.
One of the victims was preparing to graduate. As a
matter of fact, her stuff was already out of her bedroom.
She had come back to visit, and because there was
no other place to sleep, they'd been out that night.
So when they get back to this home, they're upstairs.
And remember anybody that's in that backyard and they're waiting
(16:55):
and they're watching. They could see movement of two people,
perhaps these two young ladies, as they went past the
sliding glass doors and then went up. Maybe there was
a light that went on upstairs, and when the light
finally went out upstairs, perhaps that's the moment time when
you know to move. You've been thinking about this, you've
been planning it, you're very excited about the opportunity that
(17:18):
you're going to have to wreak havoc.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
For any friends or family connected to the victims, the
following will be difficult to hear.
Speaker 13 (17:27):
You make the entrance through the house and you walk
down the hall, you turn, you go up the staircase,
and there they are before you. They're laying in bed. Now,
was there an awareness that he had entered the room.
Was there a scream, shout, or anything like that. It's
hard to tell right now at this point, but it
would appear that they were essentially killed where they were
(17:48):
laying in that bed. They didn't move out of the bed,
and this would have been a vicious attack. And even
with alcohol in their systems, they're not blind drunk. There
would have been knowledge on their part and awareness that
there was an attack underway. And it's not just any
kind of attack. It's not like someone's being shot. You're
(18:08):
talking about a milled edge weapon that's made for combat,
and it's been driven multiple times into each one of
their bodies. There would have been screams, there would have
been discomfort, there would have been cries, and there would
have been blood. That bed itself, the walls around it,
probably would have been a wash in blood. There would
(18:30):
potentially have been so much blood it would have soaked
through the mattress and dripped through on the surface below.
Depended upon where they're stabbed and how many times they
were stabbed. What about the killer, the perpetrator, the person
that did this would have been effused with blood as well.
They would have had blood certainly on their upper body,
(18:51):
contact points on their hands, front end, back Palmer aspects.
Just imagine a traditional sewing machine needle going up and
down like this, and every time the knife is drawn away,
the surface of this blade is covered in blood. It's
going to be cast onto that person. Perhaps not to
(19:12):
mention the adjacent surfaces, whether it's the ceiling or the walls,
because it's dynamic. It's not like you're driving this knife
into an inanimate object. These are living, breathing human beings
that are reacting to pain. So they're going to be
turning and twisting and jostling and trying to get away
from the pain because their pain centers are alerted. That's
what happens with stab ons. People can be shot and
(19:34):
literally not be aware that they're shot. People are aware
when they're stabbed or they're cut, and so it's a
reactive kind of thing like this that's going on. And
it's not just once or twice, it's multiple times. That's
why I believe that that area is going to be
supersaturated in blood. There's going to be a tremendous amount
of trace evidence that's up there, blood evidence that's left behind,
(19:56):
and then in this frenzy, for whatever reason, the sheath
is left behind. So it's unknown in this period of
time what the perpetrator does in this environment. Does this
subject linger over the bodies or is it containment and
I'm leaving. It would seem containment and leaving, But there's
a problem. When he begins to x fill out of
(20:20):
the house to leave to most probably exit the same
way in which he came in. He meets up with
young man that is with his girlfriend in her bedroom downstairs.
Meets this young man at the door. He's a tall
young man and according to reports, when he meets up
with this perpetrator, the perpetrator cuts his throat. You got
(20:45):
to think about that just for a second. This edge
weapon is driven across the anterior aspect of his neck
and his throat is cut right there. Again, blood. So
if you take that biological element and comingle it with
the two victims upstairs, and now you've gone into another
bedroom on the second floor, and you've killed first this
(21:05):
young man who's found dead, Apparently in the doorway. They
were alerted somehow, they were up. We know that the
young lady that was in there was actually on her
phonel Tiktoket. After this young man was killed, the perpetrator
went into the bedroom.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Joseph Morgan is referring to Xana Kernodle and Ethan Japin.
Speaker 13 (21:22):
And this young lady that he killed in there after
he'd just killed her boyfriend. She certainly had an awareness
and you know how I know she fought back. It
stated that she had sustained sharp force injuries to her hands,
multiple and to her arms. As a matter of fact,
the injuries on her hands were so deep that they
cut the tendons on her hands. That's an indication that
(21:45):
she's grabbing the blade and that the blade is actually
as she grabs a blade, she's trying to fend it off,
and as she grabs a blade's blade is being drug
through her hand in order to generate this kind of injury.
After if what we believed sequencing is right after stabbing
so many times, you know, I think everybody can understand
(22:05):
knives get dull. Right, So you're talking about butchering three
other adults, and by the time you get to the
fourth adult, the knife still has enough of an edge
on it that it's going to cut through the hand,
which the texture of our hands is. It's rough. As
the reason they sell is handloation right to soften our hands.
Our hands are rough, and not just cut the surface
(22:28):
of the hands, but to cut down to structural elements
within the hand, to cut through them, to slice through them.
This knife was very, very sharp and had been prepared,
probably for this specific intention. I don't know. Maybe the
person had taken it and maybe they had a grinding stone,
Maybe they took it to someplace to have it sharpened,
or maybe they just sat alone in their apartment somewhere
(22:48):
and used a whetstone and just sharpened it over and
over and over again until they felt like it had
enough of a sufficient edge. After that is perpetrated, it's
my belief that the perpetrator exits the same way that
they came in. Now, did they have to reopen the
door That's key because what did we talk about. This
(23:11):
individual would have been covered in blood, and if that's
the case, did they put their hand on the handle
of the door to pull it aside in order to
exit out of the house, or did they leave it
open knowing that that's the position that they were going
to exit from that way you don't have to touch
any other surfaces. Would this individual have been thinking that
many moves ahead or did they run the risk of
(23:34):
after they had all of the blood on them, did
they pull it aside where they were wearing gloves or
if they were wearing gloves, wear these blood saturated gloves,
wear these clothes. You know what happened to them? Were
they thrown away.
Speaker 6 (23:46):
In the trash?
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Here's Stephanie.
Speaker 9 (23:52):
I think it's just important to know. Which is why
the reason that it's so important that we have you
talk to us about this particular case is really because
there's so and which crossover, in my opinion, between this
case and the piked and massacre, specifically the overkill. The
idea of ordinary people who just look like a neighbor
(24:12):
who has opportunity somehow actually is the boogeyman. Are there
any other similarities in your opinion.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Here again, Joseph Scott Morgan.
Speaker 13 (24:26):
I worked in the morgue for many, many years, a
long time. I've seen more blood than most people can imagine.
And I have finished my day up in a morgue
and I've been covered in blood. And that's under a
very controlled, non pressure situation using the correct tools. Mind you,
how much more so with somebody that has never been,
to the best of my knowledge, around this kind of gore,
(24:48):
this level of violence. How are they going to get
out of this environment and not be covered in blood?
They don't. I wouldn't think that they would have the
same level of skill, certainly as a surgeon. It's certainly
not some that works in my field in forensics, working
in the morgue, where all we do is dissections day
in and day out. I can't imagine that they could
(25:09):
escape that scene without having blood from just covering certainly
the anterior aspect of their body.
Speaker 11 (25:18):
This morning, students on Edge at the University of Idaho.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
The news of the murders and shockwaves through the community.
In the immediate days after the discovery of the four bodies,
authorities issued multiple conflicting statements about whether or not there
was a continued threat to the public.
Speaker 11 (25:35):
An alert was sent to you and I telling students
to stay away from the area and to shelter in place,
and it has since been lifted.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
They insist there was no water threat to the public,
yet there has still been no arrest.
Speaker 9 (25:47):
Police investigating the mysterious murders of four Idaho college.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Students now say the threat to the community may not
be over.
Speaker 7 (25:55):
The reality is there's still a person out there who
committed four horrible, horrible crime.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
I felt like a lot of the residents, some of
them were concerned, but a lot of the students left
and they didn't come back. They decided to take their
classes remotely, and they went home before Thanksgiving break. You know,
people were on edge. It really scared a lot of
people wondering who on earth would do something like this
(26:21):
and why.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
That is Anteonette Levy Anjenette is a reporter with the
Law and Crime Network. She was on the ground in
Moscow after the murders and spoke to producer Jeff Shane.
Speaker 8 (26:38):
You were in Moscow following the murders.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
What was it like When you go to Moscow, Idaho,
It's just this quiet college town. Not much happens there.
The police department is tasked basically with keeping college kids safe,
making sure they're not doing anything too crazy while they're drinking,
and it just kind of shatters this sense of security
that people living there had, especially among the college students.
(27:03):
So many of them, even when I went there, were
staying in their dorms and what have you to finish
their classes remotely, because that's one of the things the
university did was offer the kids remote classes so they
wouldn't have to go out and about. Well, this was ongoing,
so I think it put a lot of pressure on
the Moscow Police department. They brought in the Idaho State Police,
(27:24):
they brought in the FBI to assist. This was too
big for them, and you know, to their credit, they
realized that, but it would be too big for a
lot of departments, even departments that are used to handling
homicide investigations. You have four kids, that's four cell phones,
that's four distinct crime scenes within one home, and video
(27:44):
from all over to analyze. So this was a big task.
Speaker 8 (27:48):
How quickly do you think that they realized when you
see a crime scene of this magnitude, this is a
big deal. I does that happen immediately.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
You think, oh, I think they knew that walking into it.
I think the minute they saw the amount of blood
in the house, and everything we had heard was that
there was a tremendous amount of blood in this home.
We're talking about one of the victims, Sana Carnodle. Her
father told a news outlet in Arizona that she fought,
so she fought her attacker. There were defensive wounds.
Speaker 8 (28:19):
We're talking about people.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Being stabbed in different parts of their torsos and other locations.
That's a lot, a lot of blood. And plus they
laid there for hours until someone was called, until nine
when one was called. So that's a lot of time
for someone to lay there and basically bleed out.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
But the gruesome details of the murder and the confused
messages from public officials only stoked concerns.
Speaker 6 (28:44):
These posts on the university's Facebook page. Why is there
not a huge manhunt going on and killers still at large?
How can you reassure us the kids are safe?
Speaker 11 (28:53):
The school posting this notice on social media Monday, writing,
increased security will be on site for the remainder of
the semester.
Speaker 14 (29:00):
The search for a killer now in its third week,
police say they still have no suspect or murder weapon
in the deaths of four Idaho college students.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Let's stop here for another break. As investigators cataloged hundreds
of pieces of evidence and sorted through thousands of tips,
the University of Idaho held vigils and a memorial service
to remember Kaylee, Madison, Xana and Ethan Well.
Speaker 4 (29:34):
Hundreds gathered today in Post Falls for a memorial service
for Kaylee, Madison, Xana, and Ethan.
Speaker 15 (29:48):
The world is a darker place without them, but the
light of their the light of their love and memories
will always guide us all.
Speaker 14 (29:57):
Anyone who knew Kaylee would tell you the same thing
to nowhere was to love her. Her love for life
and everyone in it was so inspiring. She made it
a priority to make everyone feel so important and so loved,
which is such a very rare and beautiful trait.
Speaker 16 (30:16):
There was never a day that she didn't want to
race her brother because she was determined that girls were
faster than boys, or that she didn't want to go
bug her little sisters and and you know, make sure
they knew that she was older and they were the
little sisters. Kaylie huge part of her family, the dynamics
(30:44):
of her family woman.
Speaker 15 (30:45):
Seen Mattie has cheerly been a blessing in our lives
watching her girl and mature and to the amazing woman
she become, cheery, priceless in our hearts.
Speaker 13 (30:59):
She was the to us.
Speaker 15 (31:01):
Favorite memory for me. He was watching the game with
her and every time the Steelers scored, I'd pick her
up and he said, I hold her than high in
the air. And when we celebrate together, and she'd always
just laugh so hard at that, we just crack up
and have a great time.
Speaker 12 (31:20):
Sanna, you will not be forgotten.
Speaker 14 (31:22):
You have impacted so many lives and have given people
so much love. I hope I can make you proud
and try to leave an impact on this world and
on people like you did.
Speaker 17 (31:31):
If you knew Ethan, he was never angry about anything.
You would never get upset. He had such an infectious
smile and a charismatic personality.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
Nearly three weeks after the murders, we still do not
have a suspect profile at this time.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
For twenty four days, the investigation seemed to be making
little progress. Family media publicly criticized investigators.
Speaker 4 (32:03):
I do not feel confident, and that's why I hate
to be that guy, but everybody has a job and
a role to.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Play in this. This is my rule as a parent. Then,
on December seventh, police announced a break in the investigation.
Speaker 4 (32:19):
Breaking news into in the investigation into the murders of
the four University of idahos students.
Speaker 11 (32:24):
Just within the last hour, Moscow police have released the
first potentially significant information regarding evidence connected in this case.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
Detectives announced just minutes ago that they are interested in
talking to the person or people in a white twenty
eleven to twenty thirteen Pondai elektra.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
Moscow police said a white Alancha car was seen near
the home on King Road during the early hours of
November thirteenth.
Speaker 4 (32:49):
Mosco police say the person or people in that car
may have critical information regarding the case.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
But behind the scenes, the investigation had discovered other potentially
important evidence. This included a single piece of male DNA.
It was found on the button snap of the tan
knife sheath found on the bed where Kailee and Madison
were killed. Though they didn't announce it publicly, police were
(33:22):
on the brink of an arrest.
Speaker 5 (33:26):
We have breaking news and the murders of four Idaho
college students.
Speaker 11 (33:30):
Forty eight days after those gruesome murders, authorities making an arrest.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
In the early morning hours of Friday, December thirtieth, Approximately
fifty officers and FBI agents stormed a single family home
in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains.
Speaker 7 (33:45):
In conjunction with the Pennsylvania State Police, the Federal Bureau
of Investigation detectives arrested twenty eight year old Brian Christopher
Coleberger in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, on a warrant for murder of
ethan Zana Madison and Kayley.
Speaker 11 (34:08):
This morning, authorities putting a face to the fear.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
According to police, Coberger's home in Pennsylvania had been under
surveillance for days. In the driveway a white Hondai Atlanta,
exactly like the one investigators had been looking for.
Speaker 11 (34:24):
Police linked Coburger to the crime in part through DNA
technology and tracked through his car.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
Brian Coberger grew up in Pennsylvania and dreamt of being
a police officer.
Speaker 11 (34:35):
In a chilling twist, police say, the alleged killer studies
criminology at Washington State University in Pullman.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
In the fall of twenty twenty two, Coburger began a
PhD program in Pulman, Washington. This was just eight miles
from the home on King Road where Madison, Kaylee, Xanna
and Ethan were murdered.
Speaker 8 (34:56):
He's being very calm, He's very aware, he understands the proceedings.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
Coberger indicated to his Pennsylvania attorney, Monroe County public Defender
Jason Labar, that he was innocent.
Speaker 8 (35:09):
Brian was very shocked by his arrest.
Speaker 13 (35:11):
Did not know why they were there.
Speaker 17 (35:13):
But Brian indicated me that he was eager to be exonerated.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
Some of those who know Brian Coberger were shocked at
the arrest. Others weren't surprised.
Speaker 18 (35:24):
But she said to me, did you hear about Brian?
Speaker 15 (35:27):
And I'm like, I don't know what.
Speaker 9 (35:28):
You're talking about.
Speaker 12 (35:29):
She said, turn on the news and then I was like.
Speaker 18 (35:31):
Oh my god. But with that said, I was shocked,
but it made sense.
Speaker 3 (35:43):
More on that next time. For more information on the
case and relevant photos, follow us on Instagram at Kat
Underscore Studios. The Idaho Mascer is produced by Stephanie Leidecker,
Jeff Sheen, Connor Powell, Chris Bargo, Gabriel Kiss and me
Courtney Armstrong editing and sound designed by Jeff Toi music
(36:06):
by Jared Aston. The Idaho Massacre is a production of
iHeart Radio and Katie's Studios. For more podcasts like this,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
Speaker 18 (36:23):
I'm Diana. You may know as Body Moving, My Friend
and I. John Green were featured in the Netflix documentary
Don't f with Cats. On our new podcast, True Crimes
of John and Deiana were turning our online investigative skills
to some of the most unexplained, unsolved, and most ignored cases.
Speaker 13 (36:41):
Please say.
Speaker 8 (36:41):
Thirty three year old bride Again was shot dead.
Speaker 13 (36:43):
Gunned down in front of his two year old daughter.
Speaker 9 (36:46):
Detectives confirmed that it was a targeted attack.
Speaker 17 (36:49):
It appears to be an execution style of assassination.
Speaker 18 (36:52):
This is very active, so we have to be careful.
Speaker 16 (36:55):
I've heard that there's a house that has some bodies
in the basement.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
I knew, I just knew.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Move wrong.
Speaker 7 (37:01):
Maybe there's something more sinister at play than just one
young girl going missing.
Speaker 8 (37:06):
If you know something, heard something, please it's never too
late to.
Speaker 10 (37:11):
Do the right thing.
Speaker 18 (37:13):
This is True Crimes with John and Deanna.
Speaker 8 (37:15):
The production of kt Studios and iHeartRadio.
Speaker 15 (37:20):
Justice is something that takes different shapes or formed
We are following breaking news out of North Idaho.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
The Mosco Police Department says they responded to reports of
an unconscious person on King Road around noon today. When
they got there, they found four people dead inside the home.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
The bodies of three women and one man, all twenty
one or under, were found together. Victims were attacked with
a large knife.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
This is a massacre.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
There's no other way to say it.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
This is the Idaho Massacre. A production of KT Studios
and iHeartRadio, episode one Murders on King Road Courtney Armstrong,
a television producer at KT Studios, with Stephanie Leidecker, Jeff Shane,
and Connor Powell.
Speaker 5 (00:54):
Upon further investigation, officials found.
Speaker 6 (00:57):
Four people dead.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
The university sent an alert asking students to stay away
from the area and to shelter in place.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
The killings, the first murders in the city of Moscow
in years, terrified the small, close knit community. On November thirteenth,
twenty twenty two, the normally idyllic college town of Moscow, Idaho,
was shaken by the news of a gruesome murder. Just
before noon on Sunday morning, a nine on one dispatcher
(01:27):
received a call from a six bedroom house on eleven
twenty two King Road. The callers at one of their
roommates was unconscious. Emergency personnel rushed to the house. The
three story rental property was tucked away on a quiet,
dead end street. It was just feet from the University
of Idaho's fraternity row and its scenic tree lined campus.
(01:51):
Inside the house was described as a bloodbath the next day.
Blood could be seen seeping through the walls and was
visible from the street. The four victims were all close
friends and students at the University of Idaho. Kaylee Gonsalvez,
Madison Mogan, and Xana Cernodle all lived together in the
(02:12):
house on King Rhoad. Ethan Schapin was Xana Cernudle's boyfriend
and was visiting for the night.
Speaker 7 (02:19):
The reality is there's still a person out there who
committed four horrible, horrible crimes.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Here's Stephanie and Jeff.
Speaker 8 (02:27):
I think, like so many people, this case hit us,
particularly because of the sheer magnitude of violence and tragedy
that occurred in this house. You know, you have these
four young people who were so full of life and
had seemingly everything going for them, and it was taken
so quickly and so violently that it just, at least
for me personally, seems so unimaginable, Like the whole country.
Speaker 9 (02:49):
We were absolutely horrified when news broke of this case,
and we immediately started digging in. And yes there was
a lot of coverage at the start, but our goal
here is hopefully to go a bit deeper into the case. Thankfully,
a massacre so large it's incredibly rare, but whoever did
this is essentially a great white shark of murderers. This
(03:11):
was such an overkill. The exterior of the house walls
were literally bleeding. What kind of maniac would do this?
Speaker 8 (03:22):
We really felt like as true crime producers, we wanted
to focus our attention on the facts and really put
everything in one place and make it manageable for people,
because there are so many mistruths and headlines out there
that aren't necessarily even fact checked, and so as a team,
we really want to dive into this case and explore
what's true and what's not.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
The University of Idaho is a classic red brick campus
nestled in the green Rolling Hills in the northwestern corner
of the state. It is situated in the small rural
agricultural community of Moscow, Idah home before it was a
crime scene. The house at eleven twenty two King Rhade
was at the center of university life and home to
(04:07):
five female roommates, Kayleie Gonsalvez, Madison Mogan, Xana Kernodle, Dylan
Mortensen and Bethany Funk. Just hours before the gruesome killings,
twenty one year old senior Kayleie Gonsalvez posted a photo
to social media showing all of the roommates and Xana's
(04:27):
boyfriend Ethan Chapin during happier times.
Speaker 6 (04:35):
One lucky girl to be surrounded by these people every day,
she wrote.
Speaker 9 (04:40):
When you look at some of the photographs that have
been generated on social media or that we've seen on
the news, for example, they look so happy and they
literally look as though they're on the cover of a magazine,
like a j crue Ad or a gap ad.
Speaker 8 (04:53):
Kaylee was the blonde, twenty one year old senior from Rathtroom, Idaho,
who had majored in general studies. She had act She
just graduated and was not officially living in the house
on King Road, only back to visit for the weekend.
She had been a member of Alpha Fi sorority and
was a hard working student. She was actually on the
verge of moving to Austin, Texas, where she was going
to work at a tech company, and she had just
(05:14):
bought this shiny new Range Rover to make the drive.
She was in town to show her friends the new car.
Kaylee and Fello Victim Madison Mogan had grown up together
in northern Idaho, and the pair had been inseparable ever
since sixth grade. They were more like sisters than friends.
Speaker 9 (05:30):
That's what makes this even more unimaginable. Their family said
that they spent all of their time together. Imagine that,
best friends since sixth grade, and they kind of look
like sisters. Madison, who went by the name Maddie, was
twenty one years old at the time of her death.
She was also a marketing major. Maddie was known for
(05:50):
her hilarious sense of humor. She was extremely bubbly, and
she loved the color pink. I'm looking at a photo
of her right now, and she's wearing this bright pink dress.
She has long blonde hair, slightly wavy, and she is
just smiling ear to ear. She also worked as a
waitress at the Mad Greek restaurant, with her other roommate victim,
(06:12):
twenty year old Xana Kernodle. Xana was also a stunning brunette.
She was also very sporty. According to her friends, Xana
played volleyball, track, and even soccer in high school. She
was a junior at the University of Idaho at the
time of her death. They are dear friends. They're sorority girls,
(06:33):
they work together, and all three of them, by all accounts,
who are very close.
Speaker 8 (06:39):
Xanna was dating twenty year old Ethan Chapin from Conway,
Washington at the time of her death. Ethan was a
freshman at the University of Idaho and a triplet who
his siblings also went to school at Idaho, and he
was very close with them and his fraternity brothers. But
really the relationship that mattered to him most was his
with Xana. While they were young, they had truly found love.
(07:01):
They were spending time together outside of schooled in the
summer with each other's families, and Xana's dad described their
relationship as one of deep importance and seriousness, and despite
losing their lives at a young age, he said he
was happy that Xana and Ethan had found each other
and at least were together when they died.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
The night of Saturday, November twelfth started like most weekend
nights for the friends. Living at eleven twenty two King Road.
Xana Kronodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin spent the evening
partying at the nearby Sigma Chi fraternity house. Kaylee Consalvus
and Madison Mogan were seen at the local sports bar.
The pair left around one thirty in the morning, stopping
(07:45):
at a local food truck. Surveillance photo in a social
media stream from food truck captured Kaylee, Maddie and another
friend ordering food around one forty am.
Speaker 10 (07:58):
Welcome back to day. Hi, yep, so what you want
to do is well actually.
Speaker 9 (08:19):
Cool?
Speaker 10 (08:19):
Thank you absolutely.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
Police determined Maddie and Kaylee arrived home at one fifty
six am. Based on new digital evidence collected by investigators,
Ethan and Xanna are believed to have arrived just ten
minutes beforehand.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Around four in the morning, please say, Xana received a
food order from door Dash. A little while later, one
of the surviving roommates, Dylan Mortensen, was woken up by
a sound. She thought it was Kaylee playing with her dog.
Speaker 11 (08:47):
She was on the same floor as two of the
victims who were killed, Xana Cernadl and Ethan Chapin, telling
police she was woken by a noise at four am,
hearing Kaylee say something like there's someone here.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
She peeked outside her door but didn't see anything.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
At four to twelve am, Xana Stilloach was scrolling through
the social media app TikTok. Just a few minutes later,
Dylan told police she once again heard a noise.
Speaker 11 (09:15):
She heard crying from Xanna's room, followed by a male
voice saying it's okay, I'm going to help you.
Speaker 5 (09:21):
She later opened her door again after hearing crying coming
from Xana Kernodle's room. This time she saw a dark
figure standing there.
Speaker 11 (09:28):
She opened her door and stood frozen as a man
wearing black clothing and a mask that covered the person's
mouth and nose walking towards her, describing him as five
ten or taller, not very muscular, but athletically built, with
bushy eyebrows.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
Terrified, she remained frozen in place as the suspect walked
past her and left out the sliding glass door behind her.
Speaker 11 (09:51):
Authority say that roommate was in shock.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
After looking through surveillance footage and hearing the surviving victim's statements.
Investigators say they believe the murders took place between four
and four twenty five am.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Eight hours after the killings, police were called to the
house on King RhoD When they arrived, they found a
gruesome scene four people, all brutally repeatedly stabbed death. Kaylee
Gonsalvez and Madison Mogan were killed in the bed they
were sharing on the third floor. Ethan Chapin and Xana
(10:26):
Kernodle were found dead in her room. Ethan's throat was
sliced nearby. His girlfriend, Xana Kernodle was found with multiple
defensive wounds to her hands and arms. Three days after
the murder's, investigators briefed the public.
Speaker 12 (10:47):
The results of autopsies indicated that the four were stabbed
multiple times and were likely asleep during the attack. Some
had defensive wounds, and there was no sign of sexual assault.
We have heard mention that Kaylee stated she may have
had a stalker. Detectives have been looking into that and
to this point have been unable to corroborate the statement.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
According to investigators, there was no sign of forced entry
and there was no murder weapon left at the scene.
Speaker 12 (11:17):
We continue looking for what we will leave to be
a fixed blade knife used in the murders.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
However, the killer did leave one key piece of evidence behind.
Speaker 5 (11:27):
When inspecting the house for the first time, officers noticed
a tan leather knife sheet lying on the bed where
Keiley and Madison were found.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Investigators also said they had ruled out several people.
Speaker 12 (11:39):
We do not believe the following individuals were involved. The
two surviving roommates, the male scene in a grub truck
video circulating on the internet, a private party who drove
Kayley and Madison home, any of the individuals who spoke
to the dispatcher on the nine one one call. We're
(12:00):
also aware of a male whom Madison and Kaylee had
called several times the morning of November thirteenth, and we
did not suspect that individual.
Speaker 5 (12:10):
The question remaining who entered the residents later that night
to carry out these grisly murders.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Let's stop here for a break. We'll be back in
a moment. Joseph Scott Morgan is a forensic expert at
Jackson State University and is a former senior investigator for
the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office in Atlanta, Georgia. He
(12:39):
spoke to producer Jeff Shane and Stephanie Leidecker about the
crime site and the events of the morning of November thirteenth.
Speaker 13 (12:48):
I think the watchword here is intimacy. These kids that
are in the middle of college careers that are partying,
they're going to Greek parties, or they're preparing for a graduation.
You know, it's a very protected environment. The thing you've
got to worry about the most, probably in this location,
is are you going to get another parking ticket by
the police.
Speaker 9 (13:09):
There's also this layer of presumed safety when we're off
in college, right, it's this bubble and it's supposed to be.
It's horrifying to know that that level of safety isn't real.
Speaker 13 (13:21):
You're not thinking, you know, this is the apocalypse coming?
Am I going to be slaughtered in my bed? Intimacy
ends and begins with a perpetrator. He's intimate with them.
They don't have an awareness of his intimacy.
Speaker 8 (13:34):
But what do you think happened in those sixteen minutes
when he came into the house.
Speaker 13 (13:38):
There's two ground levels, so you have a parking pad
that's in the rear of the building where you would
enter in to the area that many people would say
first floor, and I've heard some people say basement, and
it's where there's a key there's a keypad, and according
to everyone that I have heard talk about this to
this point, many people knew the code on the keypad. Okay,
(13:59):
but I don't think he entered through that location. He
entered on what would be referred to as the second
ground floor, which is there's kind of a field behind
that extending outward away from the home that has kind
of a brush line on either side. It's sufficient enough
for concealment, so if the house is all ablaze in light,
(14:20):
you could stand out there on the second level and
stay back in this wooded area and see everything that's
going on. It has been stated that that second floor
entrance is actually the sliding glass door, and of course
the darkness of night, you can stand there and you
can watch everything that goes on if you're not illuminated,
if you're not standing under some kind of artificial light outside,
(14:44):
and every single movement you can track, you know, looking
through that sliding glass door in the other associated windows,
you can see when a light comes on upstairs, and
you can't see anything that's going on on that bottom level,
but you can see right into the second floor. So
once the lights had died down and the perpetrator would
(15:04):
have had knowledge that that back door, the glass door
was commonly left unlocked, which is an interesting point, I think,
because that again goes to an intimacy and a familiarity,
doesn't it. So when the perpetrator makes entrance painting the picture,
when you make entrance to that sliding glass door, it's
(15:24):
kind of like a great room, if you will, kind
of an open people used term open floor plan. You've
got an area over to the right where I think
that you know, there might be some seating. Over to
the left is kind of a dining kitchen area. It'd
be a great place to gather if you were having
friends over. You know, people could come over, interior guests
(15:45):
could spill out onto the little landing there outside the door.
Speaker 8 (15:48):
What else can you tell us about the house?
Speaker 13 (15:50):
We know that there were loud parties there because there
had been noise complaints in the past. But when you
walk in, if you go back to your right as
you're walking through that sliding last door, there's bedrooms down
that way, but he bypasses those and proceeds upstairs to
the third floor. Well, you've got one bedroom that is occupied,
(16:12):
another one that is unoccupied, and the one that is
occupied are that room is actually occupied the night of
killing by two friends. And when I say friends, I
mean friends as close as two friends could possibly be.
We're talking about two young ladies that had actually grown
up together. They decided to go to u of I
(16:33):
together because of this childhood bond that they had developed.
One of the victims was preparing to graduate. As a
matter of fact, her stuff was already out of her bedroom.
She had come back to visit, and because there was
no other place to sleep, they'd been out that night.
So when they get back to this home, they're upstairs.
And remember anybody that's in that backyard and they're waiting
(16:55):
and they're watching. They could see movement of two people,
perhaps these two young ladies, as they went past the
sliding glass doors and then went up. Maybe there was
a light that went on upstairs, and when the light
finally went out upstairs, perhaps that's the moment time when
you know to move. You've been thinking about this, you've
been planning it, you're very excited about the opportunity that
(17:18):
you're going to have to wreak havoc.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
For any friends or family connected to the victims, the
following will be difficult to hear.
Speaker 13 (17:27):
You make the entrance through the house and you walk
down the hall, you turn, you go up the staircase,
and there they are before you. They're laying in bed. Now,
was there an awareness that he had entered the room.
Was there a scream, shout, or anything like that. It's
hard to tell right now at this point, but it
would appear that they were essentially killed where they were
(17:48):
laying in that bed. They didn't move out of the bed,
and this would have been a vicious attack. And even
with alcohol in their systems, they're not blind drunk. There
would have been knowledge on their part and awareness that
there was an attack underway. And it's not just any
kind of attack. It's not like someone's being shot. You're
(18:08):
talking about a milled edge weapon that's made for combat,
and it's been driven multiple times into each one of
their bodies. There would have been screams, there would have
been discomfort, there would have been cries, and there would
have been blood. That bed itself, the walls around it,
probably would have been a wash in blood. There would
(18:30):
potentially have been so much blood it would have soaked
through the mattress and dripped through on the surface below.
Depended upon where they're stabbed and how many times they
were stabbed. What about the killer, the perpetrator, the person
that did this would have been effused with blood as well.
They would have had blood certainly on their upper body,
(18:51):
contact points on their hands, front end, back Palmer aspects.
Just imagine a traditional sewing machine needle going up and
down like this, and every time the knife is drawn away,
the surface of this blade is covered in blood. It's
going to be cast onto that person. Perhaps not to
(19:12):
mention the adjacent surfaces, whether it's the ceiling or the walls,
because it's dynamic. It's not like you're driving this knife
into an inanimate object. These are living, breathing human beings
that are reacting to pain. So they're going to be
turning and twisting and jostling and trying to get away
from the pain because their pain centers are alerted. That's
what happens with stab ons. People can be shot and
(19:34):
literally not be aware that they're shot. People are aware
when they're stabbed or they're cut, and so it's a
reactive kind of thing like this that's going on. And
it's not just once or twice, it's multiple times. That's
why I believe that that area is going to be
supersaturated in blood. There's going to be a tremendous amount
of trace evidence that's up there, blood evidence that's left behind,
(19:56):
and then in this frenzy, for whatever reason, the sheath
is left behind. So it's unknown in this period of
time what the perpetrator does in this environment. Does this
subject linger over the bodies or is it containment and
I'm leaving. It would seem containment and leaving, But there's
a problem. When he begins to x fill out of
(20:20):
the house to leave to most probably exit the same
way in which he came in. He meets up with
young man that is with his girlfriend in her bedroom downstairs.
Meets this young man at the door. He's a tall
young man and according to reports, when he meets up
with this perpetrator, the perpetrator cuts his throat. You got
(20:45):
to think about that just for a second. This edge
weapon is driven across the anterior aspect of his neck
and his throat is cut right there. Again, blood. So
if you take that biological element and comingle it with
the two victims upstairs, and now you've gone into another
bedroom on the second floor, and you've killed first this
(21:05):
young man who's found dead, Apparently in the doorway. They
were alerted somehow, they were up. We know that the
young lady that was in there was actually on her
phonel Tiktoket. After this young man was killed, the perpetrator
went into the bedroom.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Joseph Morgan is referring to Xana Kernodle and Ethan Japin.
Speaker 13 (21:22):
And this young lady that he killed in there after
he'd just killed her boyfriend. She certainly had an awareness
and you know how I know she fought back. It
stated that she had sustained sharp force injuries to her hands,
multiple and to her arms. As a matter of fact,
the injuries on her hands were so deep that they
cut the tendons on her hands. That's an indication that
(21:45):
she's grabbing the blade and that the blade is actually
as she grabs a blade, she's trying to fend it off,
and as she grabs a blade's blade is being drug
through her hand in order to generate this kind of injury.
After if what we believed sequencing is right after stabbing
so many times, you know, I think everybody can understand
(22:05):
knives get dull. Right, So you're talking about butchering three
other adults, and by the time you get to the
fourth adult, the knife still has enough of an edge
on it that it's going to cut through the hand,
which the texture of our hands is. It's rough. As
the reason they sell is handloation right to soften our hands.
Our hands are rough, and not just cut the surface
(22:28):
of the hands, but to cut down to structural elements
within the hand, to cut through them, to slice through them.
This knife was very, very sharp and had been prepared,
probably for this specific intention. I don't know. Maybe the
person had taken it and maybe they had a grinding stone,
Maybe they took it to someplace to have it sharpened,
or maybe they just sat alone in their apartment somewhere
(22:48):
and used a whetstone and just sharpened it over and
over and over again until they felt like it had
enough of a sufficient edge. After that is perpetrated, it's
my belief that the perpetrator exits the same way that
they came in. Now, did they have to reopen the
door That's key because what did we talk about. This
(23:11):
individual would have been covered in blood, and if that's
the case, did they put their hand on the handle
of the door to pull it aside in order to
exit out of the house, or did they leave it
open knowing that that's the position that they were going
to exit from that way you don't have to touch
any other surfaces. Would this individual have been thinking that
many moves ahead or did they run the risk of
(23:34):
after they had all of the blood on them, did
they pull it aside where they were wearing gloves or
if they were wearing gloves, wear these blood saturated gloves,
wear these clothes. You know what happened to them? Were
they thrown away.
Speaker 6 (23:46):
In the trash?
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Here's Stephanie.
Speaker 9 (23:52):
I think it's just important to know. Which is why
the reason that it's so important that we have you
talk to us about this particular case is really because
there's so and which crossover, in my opinion, between this
case and the piked and massacre, specifically the overkill. The
idea of ordinary people who just look like a neighbor
(24:12):
who has opportunity somehow actually is the boogeyman. Are there
any other similarities in your opinion.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
Here again, Joseph Scott Morgan.
Speaker 13 (24:26):
I worked in the morgue for many, many years, a
long time. I've seen more blood than most people can imagine.
And I have finished my day up in a morgue
and I've been covered in blood. And that's under a
very controlled, non pressure situation using the correct tools. Mind you,
how much more so with somebody that has never been,
to the best of my knowledge, around this kind of gore,
(24:48):
this level of violence. How are they going to get
out of this environment and not be covered in blood?
They don't. I wouldn't think that they would have the
same level of skill, certainly as a surgeon. It's certainly
not some that works in my field in forensics, working
in the morgue, where all we do is dissections day
in and day out. I can't imagine that they could
(25:09):
escape that scene without having blood from just covering certainly
the anterior aspect of their body.
Speaker 11 (25:18):
This morning, students on Edge at the University of Idaho.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
The news of the murders and shockwaves through the community.
In the immediate days after the discovery of the four bodies,
authorities issued multiple conflicting statements about whether or not there
was a continued threat to the public.
Speaker 11 (25:35):
An alert was sent to you and I telling students
to stay away from the area and to shelter in place,
and it has since been lifted.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
They insist there was no water threat to the public,
yet there has still been no arrest.
Speaker 9 (25:47):
Police investigating the mysterious murders of four Idaho college.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Students now say the threat to the community may not
be over.
Speaker 7 (25:55):
The reality is there's still a person out there who
committed four horrible, horrible crime.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
I felt like a lot of the residents, some of
them were concerned, but a lot of the students left
and they didn't come back. They decided to take their
classes remotely, and they went home before Thanksgiving break. You know,
people were on edge. It really scared a lot of
people wondering who on earth would do something like this
(26:21):
and why.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
That is Anteonette Levy Anjenette is a reporter with the
Law and Crime Network. She was on the ground in
Moscow after the murders and spoke to producer Jeff Shane.
Speaker 8 (26:38):
You were in Moscow following the murders.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
What was it like When you go to Moscow, Idaho,
It's just this quiet college town. Not much happens there.
The police department is tasked basically with keeping college kids safe,
making sure they're not doing anything too crazy while they're drinking,
and it just kind of shatters this sense of security
that people living there had, especially among the college students.
(27:03):
So many of them, even when I went there, were
staying in their dorms and what have you to finish
their classes remotely, because that's one of the things the
university did was offer the kids remote classes so they
wouldn't have to go out and about. Well, this was ongoing,
so I think it put a lot of pressure on
the Moscow Police department. They brought in the Idaho State Police,
(27:24):
they brought in the FBI to assist. This was too
big for them, and you know, to their credit, they
realized that, but it would be too big for a
lot of departments, even departments that are used to handling
homicide investigations. You have four kids, that's four cell phones,
that's four distinct crime scenes within one home, and video
(27:44):
from all over to analyze. So this was a big task.
Speaker 8 (27:48):
How quickly do you think that they realized when you
see a crime scene of this magnitude, this is a
big deal. I does that happen immediately.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
You think, oh, I think they knew that walking into it.
I think the minute they saw the amount of blood
in the house, and everything we had heard was that
there was a tremendous amount of blood in this home.
We're talking about one of the victims, Sana Carnodle. Her
father told a news outlet in Arizona that she fought,
so she fought her attacker. There were defensive wounds.
Speaker 8 (28:19):
We're talking about people.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Being stabbed in different parts of their torsos and other locations.
That's a lot, a lot of blood. And plus they
laid there for hours until someone was called, until nine
when one was called. So that's a lot of time
for someone to lay there and basically bleed out.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
But the gruesome details of the murder and the confused
messages from public officials only stoked concerns.
Speaker 6 (28:44):
These posts on the university's Facebook page. Why is there
not a huge manhunt going on and killers still at large?
How can you reassure us the kids are safe?
Speaker 11 (28:53):
The school posting this notice on social media Monday, writing,
increased security will be on site for the remainder of
the semester.
Speaker 14 (29:00):
The search for a killer now in its third week,
police say they still have no suspect or murder weapon
in the deaths of four Idaho college students.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
Let's stop here for another break. As investigators cataloged hundreds
of pieces of evidence and sorted through thousands of tips,
the University of Idaho held vigils and a memorial service
to remember Kaylee, Madison, Xana and Ethan Well.
Speaker 4 (29:34):
Hundreds gathered today in Post Falls for a memorial service
for Kaylee, Madison, Xana, and Ethan.
Speaker 15 (29:48):
The world is a darker place without them, but the
light of their the light of their love and memories
will always guide us all.
Speaker 14 (29:57):
Anyone who knew Kaylee would tell you the same thing
to nowhere was to love her. Her love for life
and everyone in it was so inspiring. She made it
a priority to make everyone feel so important and so loved,
which is such a very rare and beautiful trait.
Speaker 16 (30:16):
There was never a day that she didn't want to
race her brother because she was determined that girls were
faster than boys, or that she didn't want to go
bug her little sisters and and you know, make sure
they knew that she was older and they were the
little sisters. Kaylie huge part of her family, the dynamics
(30:44):
of her family woman.
Speaker 15 (30:45):
Seen Mattie has cheerly been a blessing in our lives
watching her girl and mature and to the amazing woman
she become, cheery, priceless in our hearts.
Speaker 13 (30:59):
She was the to us.
Speaker 15 (31:01):
Favorite memory for me. He was watching the game with
her and every time the Steelers scored, I'd pick her
up and he said, I hold her than high in
the air. And when we celebrate together, and she'd always
just laugh so hard at that, we just crack up
and have a great time.
Speaker 12 (31:20):
Sanna, you will not be forgotten.
Speaker 14 (31:22):
You have impacted so many lives and have given people
so much love. I hope I can make you proud
and try to leave an impact on this world and
on people like you did.
Speaker 17 (31:31):
If you knew Ethan, he was never angry about anything.
You would never get upset. He had such an infectious
smile and a charismatic personality.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
Nearly three weeks after the murders, we still do not
have a suspect profile at this time.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
For twenty four days, the investigation seemed to be making
little progress. Family media publicly criticized investigators.
Speaker 4 (32:03):
I do not feel confident, and that's why I hate
to be that guy, but everybody has a job and
a role to.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Play in this. This is my rule as a parent. Then,
on December seventh, police announced a break in the investigation.
Speaker 4 (32:19):
Breaking news into in the investigation into the murders of
the four University of idahos students.
Speaker 11 (32:24):
Just within the last hour, Moscow police have released the
first potentially significant information regarding evidence connected in this case.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
Detectives announced just minutes ago that they are interested in
talking to the person or people in a white twenty
eleven to twenty thirteen Pondai elektra.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
Moscow police said a white Alancha car was seen near
the home on King Road during the early hours of
November thirteenth.
Speaker 4 (32:49):
Mosco police say the person or people in that car
may have critical information regarding the case.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
But behind the scenes, the investigation had discovered other potentially
important evidence. This included a single piece of male DNA.
It was found on the button snap of the tan
knife sheath found on the bed where Kailee and Madison
were killed. Though they didn't announce it publicly, police were
(33:22):
on the brink of an arrest.
Speaker 5 (33:26):
We have breaking news and the murders of four Idaho
college students.
Speaker 11 (33:30):
Forty eight days after those gruesome murders, authorities making an arrest.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
In the early morning hours of Friday, December thirtieth, Approximately
fifty officers and FBI agents stormed a single family home
in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains.
Speaker 7 (33:45):
In conjunction with the Pennsylvania State Police, the Federal Bureau
of Investigation detectives arrested twenty eight year old Brian Christopher
Coleberger in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, on a warrant for murder of
ethan Zana Madison and Kayley.
Speaker 11 (34:08):
This morning, authorities putting a face to the fear.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
According to police, Coberger's home in Pennsylvania had been under
surveillance for days. In the driveway a white Hondai Atlanta,
exactly like the one investigators had been looking for.
Speaker 11 (34:24):
Police linked Coburger to the crime in part through DNA
technology and tracked through his car.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
Brian Coberger grew up in Pennsylvania and dreamt of being
a police officer.
Speaker 11 (34:35):
In a chilling twist, police say, the alleged killer studies
criminology at Washington State University in Pullman.
Speaker 3 (34:42):
In the fall of twenty twenty two, Coburger began a
PhD program in Pulman, Washington. This was just eight miles
from the home on King Road where Madison, Kaylee, Xanna
and Ethan were murdered.
Speaker 8 (34:56):
He's being very calm, He's very aware, he understands the proceedings.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
Coberger indicated to his Pennsylvania attorney, Monroe County public Defender
Jason Labar, that he was innocent.
Speaker 8 (35:09):
Brian was very shocked by his arrest.
Speaker 13 (35:11):
Did not know why they were there.
Speaker 17 (35:13):
But Brian indicated me that he was eager to be exonerated.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
Some of those who know Brian Coberger were shocked at
the arrest. Others weren't surprised.
Speaker 18 (35:24):
But she said to me, did you hear about Brian?
Speaker 15 (35:27):
And I'm like, I don't know what.
Speaker 9 (35:28):
You're talking about.
Speaker 12 (35:29):
She said, turn on the news and then I was like.
Speaker 18 (35:31):
Oh my god. But with that said, I was shocked,
but it made sense.
Speaker 3 (35:43):
More on that next time. For more information on the
case and relevant photos, follow us on Instagram at Kat
Underscore Studios. The Idaho Mascer is produced by Stephanie Leidecker,
Jeff Sheen, Connor Powell, Chris Bargo, Gabriel Kiss and me
Courtney Armstrong editing and sound designed by Jeff Toi music
(36:06):
by Jared Aston. The Idaho Massacre is a production of
iHeart Radio and Katie's Studios. For more podcasts like this,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
Speaker 18 (36:23):
I'm Diana. You may know as Body Moving, My Friend
and I. John Green were featured in the Netflix documentary
Don't f with Cats. On our new podcast, True Crimes
of John and Deiana were turning our online investigative skills
to some of the most unexplained, unsolved, and most ignored cases.
Speaker 13 (36:41):
Please say.
Speaker 8 (36:41):
Thirty three year old bride Again was shot dead.
Speaker 13 (36:43):
Gunned down in front of his two year old daughter.
Speaker 9 (36:46):
Detectives confirmed that it was a targeted attack.
Speaker 17 (36:49):
It appears to be an execution style of assassination.
Speaker 18 (36:52):
This is very active, so we have to be careful.
Speaker 16 (36:55):
I've heard that there's a house that has some bodies
in the basement.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
I knew, I just knew.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Move wrong.
Speaker 7 (37:01):
Maybe there's something more sinister at play than just one
young girl going missing.
Speaker 8 (37:06):
If you know something, heard something, please it's never too
late to.
Speaker 10 (37:11):
Do the right thing.
Speaker 18 (37:13):
This is True Crimes with John and Deanna.
Speaker 8 (37:15):
The production of kt Studios and iHeartRadio.
Speaker 15 (37:20):
Justice is something that takes different shapes or formed
Hosts And Creators
Courtney Armstrong
Stephanie Lydecker
Jeff Shane
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