Idaho Murder Victims' Roommates Suffering 'A Lot Of Survivor's Guilt'

Four young people were murdered in Moscow, Idaho last November — but there were so many more victims…

As you’ve probably heard, in the early morning hours of on November 13, University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were brutally slain with a knife. Six weeks later an arrest was made, and based on the evidence we’ve already seen it seems like the police got their guy. But there were wounds that even a likely guilty verdict for Bryan Kohberger will never heal.

Obviously the victims’ families and loved ones have suffered unthinkable losses. These parents sent their children to college, and instead of a call about bad grades or bad breakups, they got the call no parent should ever get — something they couldn’t possibly have imagined.

But there are other victims here, too — the other roommates. See, two other girls lived with Kaylee, Maddie, and Xana. Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke were home the night of the attack and, thankfully, not only survived but were completely unharmed. They were unharmed physically, that is, but having their friends murdered so close to them — and coming so close to death themselves — will haunt them forever. A friend told People on Tuesday they’re suffering quite a bit:

“They feel a lot of survivor’s guilt. Their friends are gone and they’re still here. It’s been really rough on them. They’re going to be dealing with this for the rest of their lives.”

Unfortunately that’s probably true. How do you ever fully get over something like that? Not only their friends being taken or witnessing those horrifying scenes the next morning — but also wondering why they made it. The friend added:

“They’ve been interviewed by the cops about what they saw and heard. But they don’t have all the answers. How can they? They are happy to be alive, but just so sad about it all. And wondering if they could’ve done anything differently. It’s heartbreaking.”

It’s unclear why the roommates escaped the massacre unscathed. There was speculation early on that the murder was a targeted attack. We do know Bryan Kohberger followed all three of the female victims on Instagram. Even though he was a 28-year-old who went to a different school, it’s clear he at least knew of them. Maybe he was just there for them?

It could be that Dylan hearing noise and coming out of her room freaked out the killer. We now know she heard the murders taking place, and — obviously not for a second assuming it was murder but merely partying as usual — shouted to keep it down. She eventually opened her door and saw a man wearing a mask covering his nose and mouth and still thought he was just a guest. Why wouldn’t she? A lot of folks are wearing masks around strangers indoors since the pandemic. But maybe he thought she knew what he’d done. Maybe he thought she’d already called the cops and got spooked, causing him to flee.

It’s also possible Xana saved her roommates. We’ve learned she was the final victim and also that she put up a hell of a fight, reportedly grabbing the knife from the killer over and over. Maybe she gave him so much trouble, he thought he’d taken too much time or made too much noise — and needed to get out of there. It’s certainly possible Xana waking up and fighting kept her friends alive.

Sadly, it doesn’t look like we’re going to get a confession any time soon. So we may never know for sure. We just hope these two innocent girls are able to heal and move on with their lives. They deserve some peace after what they’ve been through.

[Image via Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram.]