Bryan Kohberger, currently serving multiple life sentences for the murders of four University of Idaho students, has announced his intention to withdraw his guilty plea and assert his innocence. In an interview with The New York Times from behind bars, Kohberger stated he plans to file a petition to revoke his plea, alleging he was misled and has an "absolute claim of innocence."
This development coincides with the premiere of a new Netflix documentary examining the Idaho killings, which features previously unseen footage from the crime scene. The newly released video depicts visibly shaken police officers discovering the victims and includes interviews with the two surviving roommates. It also provides new details about one victim's belief that she was being stalked prior to the murders.
The killings occurred on November 13, 2022, when criminology PhD student Bryan Kohberger fatally stabbed University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, and Kaylee Goncalves in their off-campus home. Kohberger was arrested six weeks later and pleaded guilty to the murders in July 2025, receiving a sentence of life in prison without parole.
Police bodycam footage captured the initial moments of the investigation. An officer responding to a 911 call for an unconscious person entered the residence calmly, observing remnants of a college party. The demeanor of the officer changed dramatically upon discovering Kernodle and Chapin, both 20, dead in a bedroom, reporting the discovery of homicides with "lots of blood." Autopsy reports later indicated Kernodle suffered 67 stab wounds and Chapin 17. Mogen and Goncalves, both 21, were found dead upstairs.
Interviews with surviving roommates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, featured in the documentary, reveal their terror. Funke recalled hearing a noise and Murphy, Goncalves' dog, barking, while Mortensen recounted seeing a masked intruder. Mortensen described locking her bedroom door out of fear and later seeing the man dressed in black walk past her room toward the back door. She and Funke remained in a first-floor room until morning, when they contacted friends and the discovery of the crime was made.
Officers at the scene discussed the close call for Mortensen, with one noting, "That girl is lucky to be alive." The surviving roommates also shared unsettling incidents preceding the murders. Funke recalled Goncalves mentioning a man had been seen watching her from the trees outside the house. Mortensen also reported returning home about a week before the murders to find the front door ajar. The connection of these incidents to Kohberger remains unconfirmed.
The documentary also shares the experiences of the victims' families as they received the news. Kaylee Goncalves' parents, Steve and Kristi, described hearing rumors before official confirmation. Kernodle's father, Jeff, and sister, Jazzmin, recounted their journey to the police station to learn about her death, with Jeff having previously studied at Washington State University, where Kohberger also attended.
Lead investigator Anthony Dahlinger described notifying the families as one of the most difficult aspects of his career. Footage shows Mogen's and Chapin's parents separately arriving at the police precinct to be informed of their children's deaths.