Graphic Autopsy Findings Emerge in Idaho Student Murder Case
Horrific new details have emerged regarding the final moments of the four University of Idaho students murdered by Bryan Kohberger in November 2022, with recently unsealed court documents revealing the killer inflicted more than 150 stab wounds during his approximately 15-minute rampage.
Detailed Wound Analysis for Each Victim
The autopsy reports, obtained by the Daily Mail through court filings, provide chilling specifics about the injuries sustained by Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves during the November 13, 2022 attacks in Moscow, Idaho.
Xana Kernodle, who was reportedly awake during the assault, suffered a staggering 67 stab wounds as she fought for her life against the criminology PhD student turned killer. Her injuries included:
- 25 incised wounds to the upper extremities
- 23 stab and incised wounds to the scalp, face and neck
- 7 stab wounds to the chest
- 4 stab wounds to the abdomen
- 3 incised and puncture wounds to the back
- 5 incised wounds to the lower extremities
The 20-year-old student also sustained punctures to the outer table of the skull, perforations of the jugular vein, heart, lung, and pulmonary blood vessels, hemorrhage into the chest cavities, wounds extending into the bones of her right hand, and multiple scrapes and bruises across her face, torso and extremities. Investigators noted blood on the bottoms of her feet, indicating she was moving about and stepping in her own blood while attempting to defend herself.
Third Floor Attacks on Sleeping Victims
Kohberger entered the student residence at 1122 King Road through a back sliding door in the early hours of November 13, 2022, proceeding directly to the third floor where he attacked best friends Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen as they slept together in Mogen's bed.
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, suffered a minimum of 38 stab wounds according to her autopsy, including:
- At least 24 stab and incised wounds to the scalp, face, and neck
- 11 stab and incised wounds to the chest
- 3 stab and incised wounds to the upper extremities
She also sustained punctures to the outer table of the skull, injuries to her teeth and tongue, perforations of the subclavian artery and vein, and hemorrhage into the chest cavities. Police reports previously indicated Goncalves's face was rendered "unrecognizable" following the attack, with Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson confirming some injuries appeared to be caused by something other than the Ka-Bar knife used in the killings.
Madison Mogen, also 21, suffered 13 stab and incised wounds to the scalp, face and neck, 10 incised wounds to the upper extremities, and 5 stab wounds to the chest. Her autopsy revealed additional injuries including wounds to the lung and liver, perforations of the subclavian vein, subclavian artery, and blood vessels of the chest wall, an incision of the nasal septum, and perforation of the tongue.
Second Floor Confrontation and Evidence
Investigators believe Kohberger encountered Xana Kernodle after killing the two friends on the third floor. While Goncalves, Mogen, and Kernodle's boyfriend Ethan Chapin were attacked while sleeping, Kernodle was reportedly awake on TikTok and had just received a food delivery mere minutes before the killer broke into the home.
The attack on Kernodle began inside her second-floor bedroom, where Kohberger also stabbed to death her boyfriend Ethan Chapin as he slept in her bed. Chapin's autopsy revealed:
- 6 incised wounds to the upper extremities
- 6 stab and incised wounds to the lower extremities
- 4 stab and incised wounds to the scalp, face, and neck
- 1 stab wound to the upper chest
He also suffered perforations of the jugular vein, subclavian vein, and subclavian artery.
A critical piece of evidence - a brown leather Ka-Bar knife sheath - was found in the bed next to Mogen's body, with DNA on the sheath matching Kohberger. Blood from both Goncalves and Mogen was discovered on the sheath, with additional blood evidence found on the bedroom door, staircase rail, and a beer pong table in the second-floor living room.
Aftermath and Legal Proceedings
Following the murders, Kohberger exited through the back sliding door, passing surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen who had been awakened by the noise and glimpsed a masked man dressed in black. Mortensen and another roommate, Bethany Funke, were the only survivors in the home.
Kohberger was arrested approximately six weeks later during a raid on his parents' Pennsylvania home. After maintaining his innocence for over two years, he changed his plea weeks before trial, pleading guilty on July 2 to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary as part of a deal that removed the death penalty from consideration.
On July 23, the now-31-year-old was sentenced to life without parole in an emotional hearing at Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho. Kohberger waived his right to appeal and refused to speak at his sentencing, never revealing a motive for the attacks. No connection has ever been established between him and any of his victims.
The killer is currently held in solitary confinement at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, where he has reportedly filed multiple complaints about prison conditions. Meanwhile, the victims' families have jointly filed a lawsuit against Washington State University, alleging the institution failed to act on numerous complaints about Kohberger's "threatening, stalking and predatory behavior" during his time as a criminology PhD student and teaching assistant.
