After the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students in November 2022, there were nothing but questions. But as we approach the trial of suspected killer Bryan Kohberger we’re down to very few.
But one huge one that has nagged at everyone involved, from cops to parents to true crime followers? Why didn’t the surviving roommates call the cops?
The killer stabbed four people that night — roommates Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, and Xana Kernodle, as well as Xana’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin. But two roommates were left unharmed. Early on, police said Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke slept through the attacks. That felt wrong considering how hard the victims fought back. And we did learned pretty soon that wasn’t true at all. The two girls were not only awake, they were witnesses — not to the killings, but they saw some things.
Related: Bryan Kohberger’s Mom Is Secretly Ruining His Defense: REPORT
Dylan saw a man in a black ski mask in the hallway, per the probable cause affidavit in Kohberger’s arrest. That must have been terrifying! And we learned in recent weeks exactly how the undergrad felt about it — because she and Bethany were texting. You can read what they wrote HERE.
Those messages revealed they were creeped out… but also confused. They messaged back and forth about how everything was strange and scary. And how ultimately Dylan ran to Bethany’s room, and they waited there together, apparently falling asleep some time in the 4 a.m. hour.
OK, but they had their phones! They were texting! Why not call the cops? Text the cops even. If you see an intruder, why not call 911??
Well, the question gets crazier, actually. If you see one of your roommates’ dead bodies, why not call the cops? Yeah. Per the latest documents obtained by The US Sun, when Dylan was running to Bethany’s room, she passed Xana’s bedroom. And she saw her “lying on the floor of her bedroom.” Wow.
OK, so you hear “strange noises”, you have a masked man in the house, your roommate lying on the floor… Now. Once and for all. Why didn’t these girls call the cops?? Here it is…
They told investigators they thought “Xana was drunk.”
That may sound like a ridiculous assumption, but we should be sure to take two factors into account here.
First, this was a party house. We’ve already learned the cops were called about noise complaints multiple times, there were people in and out all the time. Someone being drunk at 4 a.m. and passed out on the floor must not have been that uncommon an occurrence. Nor would a guy leaving necessarily? The mask is weird, but it was November in Idaho?
Second, and this we think is the most important… Never underestimate the power of denial. These girls were terrified. They surely must have been PRAYING there was an innocent explanation to everything, that it would all be OK in the morning. After all, people get murdered by masked men in movies, not in real life. They must have told themselves and one another that everything was fine, that their roommates had gotten drunk and rowdy. That they’d all be laughing about it soon.
That’s pretty understandable.
Obviously they didn’t really think she was drunk. If they did, they wouldn’t have been scare, they would have come out and made sure she was OK, that she wasn’t going to puke, all that. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t tell themselves they thought it. Right? When you’re afraid, you’ll tell yourself a lot of things to get through it.
Of course, in the morning they had to eventually check. It seems they only did so after friends came over to give them the courage — it was reportedly a third person who finally called. That was at 11:58 a.m. Nearly eight hours later. That’s how long it took to overcome their fear.
What do YOU think of this explanation of events? Would it make sense if YOU were on the jury??
[Image via KREM 2 News/YouTube/Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram.]
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