“Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke: Witnesses to the Idaho Tragedy”

 

The horrifying crime known as the Idaho Four Murders involved the brutal stabbing deaths of four young University of Idaho students in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022. The victims—Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Xana's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin—were killed by 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho. Crucially, two other residents of the house survived the ordeal: roommates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke. Their survival and subsequent accounts have provided critical evidence in the murder case. Six students were present in the off-campus home during the window of the attacks, estimated to be between 4:00 AM and 4:30 AM on November 13, 2022: the five roommates (Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Dylan Mortensen, and Bethany Funke) and Xana's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin. Madison, Kaylee, Xana, and Ethan were fatally stabbed by Kohberger. Dylan, whose room was on the second floor near Xana's, and Bethany, whose room was on the first floor, were left unharmed.

 

Dylan Mortensen's account details her terrifying interaction with the killer. She woke up believing she heard Kaylee and her dog. She opened her bedroom door twice and heard various sounds, including what she thought was crying coming from Xana's room. The third time she opened the door, she witnessed a person, dressed in all black with their nose and mouth covered by a mask, walking past her. Dylan told authorities the man walked right past her and exited the house through a door in the kitchen. In shock and intense fear, Dylan immediately locked herself in her bedroom. She later mentioned being intoxicated and not immediately thinking to call 911. Text messages exchanged between Dylan and Bethany around the time of the murders confirmed they feared an intruder. Bethany eventually texted Dylan, urging her to come downstairs to her room. They stayed in Bethany's room for the remainder of the night and into the morning, attempting to contact the victims via text. They did not contact emergency services until after calling other friends to the house for help.

 

The reason why Kohberger spared or overlooked Dylan and Bethany has not been confirmed, but several theories exist, suggesting the killer's plan went awry. Prosecutor Bill Thompson proposed that fear and uncertainty could have led Kohberger to leave the scene after coming face-to-face with Dylan. Thompson stated, "At that point, he’d been in the house probably longer than he planned, and he had killed more people than he planned… It wouldn’t surprise us that the killer was scared at that point and decided they had to leave, not knowing if law enforcement already had been called." This theory supports the idea that the killer's goal was a quick, targeted attack that devolved into a multiple-victim crime. It is believed Kohberger may have targeted one victim, but his plan failed when he killed both Kaylee and Madison, who were sharing a bed, and evidence suggests Xana and Ethan may have been killed after investigating a struggle. The survival of Dylan and Bethany reinforces the possibility of premeditation and a specific target. Their avoidance by the attacker suggests the crime was not a sudden, rage-fueled impulse but a calculated act that spiraled out of the killer's control, leading to a hasty retreat. While the students' murders were a devastating, senseless crime, Dylan and Bethany's survival provided crucial witness accounts, though they remain forever impacted and haunted by the traumatic loss of their friends.

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