Bryan Kohberger
Also known as: University of Idaho murders, Moscow, Idaho, murders, 2022 University of Idaho killings
- Active
- 2022–2022
- Region
- Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Kind
- Mass
- Status
- Pleaded guilty
- Victims
- 4
Early on November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, were stabbed to death in an off-campus rental house in Moscow, Idaho; two roommates survived. Investigators traced DNA on a knife sheath left at the scene through genetic genealogy and used phone records and video of a white Hyundai Elantra to identify Bryan Kohberger, a criminal justice Ph.D. student at Washington State University in nearby Pullman. He was arrested in Pennsylvania on December 30, 2022. On July 2, 2025, in Boise, he pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary in a deal that took the death penalty off the table, and he was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without parole.
Ask the Atlas about this case →
Victims
We remember the people whose lives were taken.
- Madison Mogen, 21 · November 13, 2022
A marketing senior from Coeur d'Alene who worked part-time at a Moscow restaurant.
- Kaylee Goncalves, 21 · November 13, 2022
A general studies senior from northern Idaho who was set to graduate a semester early and had a job lined up in Texas.
- Xana Kernodle, 20 · November 13, 2022
A marketing junior who grew up in Avondale, Arizona, and later lived in Post Falls, Idaho.
- Ethan Chapin, 20 · November 13, 2022
A sophomore in recreation, sport and tourism management from Mount Vernon, Washington, and one of triplets.
Timeline of locations
- June 2022Pullman, Washington (Killer's residence, approximate area)
Kohberger had moved to Pullman in June 2022 to pursue a Ph.D. in criminal justice at Washington State University, less than eight miles from Moscow.
- November 13, 2022Off-campus rental house, Moscow (Crime scene, approximate area)
The four students were killed in the early morning hours in the house several of them shared near campus. The university later demolished the house, and a memorial garden opened on campus in 2024.
- December 30, 2022Albrightsville, Pennsylvania (arrest) (Arrest, approximate area)
He was arrested at his parents' home in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, on December 30, 2022.
- January 2023Latah County Courthouse, Moscow (Court / trial, approximate area)
Kohberger was returned to Idaho in January 2023 and first appeared in court in Moscow. The Idaho Supreme Court moved the case to Boise in September 2024 because of pretrial publicity.
- July 2, 2025Ada County Courthouse, Boise (Court / trial, approximate area)
He pleaded guilty here on July 2, 2025, and on July 23 Judge Steven Hippler sentenced him to four consecutive life terms without parole plus 10 years.
Watch, listen, read
Watch
- One Night in Idaho: The College Murders (series, 2025, Prime Video)
- The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare (series, 2026, Skye Borgman (Netflix))
Sources
- 2022 University of Idaho killings (Wikipedia)
- Kohberger pleads guilty to four counts of murder (Spokesman-Review)
- Idaho judge grants Bryan Kohberger two hearings next year as admitted killer seeks to withdraw guilty plea (Fox News)
Each location also lists its own sources in the data file.