Bryan Kohberger Case: 911 call and terrifying texts from Idaho murder survivors revealed

Newly released 911 call and texts reveal the terror as four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered.

Newly released court documents have revealed chilling text messages between the two surviving roommates of the Idaho college murders, along with a frantic 911 call made after they discovered one of the victims unresponsive. The messages and call provide a harrowing glimpse into the fear and confusion that unfolded on the night of November 13, 2022, when four University of Idaho students—Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin—were brutally murdered in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.

Between 4:22 a.m. and 4:24 a.m., survivors Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke exchanged 17 text messages, expressing their terror as they sensed something was wrong. "I'm not kidding o [sic] am so freaked out," Mortensen texted Funke. Funke quickly urged her, "Come to my room. Run. Down here."

Eight hours later, Funke called 911 from her cellphone. In the panicked call, she told the dispatcher, "Hi, something is happening. Something happened in our house. We don’t know what." Another voice added, "One of our… one of the roommates who's passed out and she was drunk last night and she's not waking up."

As the call continued, another person could be heard saying, "I think we have a homicide." According to court records, the dispatcher noted "heavy breathing and crying" throughout the call as the roommates tried to process what they had just discovered.

Bryan Kohberger, a criminology PhD student, was arrested six weeks later and charged with the murders. He has denied any involvement. Prosecutors allege that Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra was spotted leaving the crime scene, and cellphone records place him near the victims’ home at the time of the murders. Additionally, DNA found on a knife sheath at the scene allegedly links him to the crime.

Mortensen, whose bedroom was on the second floor, previously told investigators that she had opened her door three times that night after hearing noises. She reported seeing a masked man with "bushy eyebrows" dressed in black walk past her and exit through the sliding back door. Kohberger’s defense team has since requested that the court block any testimony referencing "bushy eyebrows" as a means of identifying him.

Kohberger has provided a vague alibi, claiming he was "driving around looking at the stars" on the night of the killings, though no witnesses have corroborated his whereabouts. His trial is set to begin later this year, with his next court appearance scheduled for April.

As more evidence is released, the case continues to grip the nation, offering insight into the horrifying moments leading up to and following the brutal slayings.