Crime Scene Docs Detail Bryan Kohberger’s Path Through House, Murdering 3 Sleeping Victims — and Who Was Awake

Bryan Kohberger could have killed all four University of Idaho students in as little as 90 seconds.

The Idaho State Police (ISP) reached this conclusion after piecing together crime scene evidence to track Kohberger’s movements that night—from his car to the murder house and back again.

According to newly unsealed investigative documents obtained by PEOPLE, three of the victims were asleep when Kohberger struck, while one was awake.

Neighborhood video footage obtained by the ISP showed Kohberger parking behind 1122 King Road in a small paved lot overlooking the residence at approximately 4:07 a.m. on the night of the murders. He then entered the home through a second-floor sliding glass door and moved through the kitchen to a staircase leading to the third floor, the ISP determined after reviewing the scene.

Investigators believe Kohberger first checked the room of Kaylee Goncalves, 21. When he found her bed empty, he moved down the hall to another bedroom. There, he encountered Goncalves and Madison Mogen, 21, sleeping in bed together. He repeatedly stabbed both young women, who were later found dead in that same bed. Goncalves died almost immediately, while Mogen may have still been alive when Kohberger left the room.

Why Kohberger left that room and what happened in the interim remains unclear, but after fatally injuring his first two victims, he encountered Xana Kernodle.

Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson said at Kohberger’s plea hearing that Kohberger likely did not enter the house intending to kill four people and may have murdered Kernodle after she caught him in the act.

It remains uncertain whether Kohberger took the stairs back down to the second floor before encountering Kernodle or if she caught him first, but the ISP determined he confronted her just as she entered her bedroom.

Her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, was attacked in his sleep and murdered in his bed, according to the ISP. His injuries left him unable to help Kernodle, suggesting he may have been the third victim.

Unlike the other three, Kernodle was awake during the attack. “Kernodle was initially attacked just inside the bedroom near the entrance. Kernodle fought the suspect in the bedroom area and was ultimately killed on the floor of the bedroom next to the bed,” the ISP stated.

Moscow Police recently released neighbor security camera footage capturing a woman screaming and then whimpering just before 4:18 a.m. There was then a loud thud, followed by silence. The medical examiner later revealed Kernodle was stabbed over 50 times and had multiple defensive wounds on her hands.

After the attack, Kohberger walked back down the hall, across the living room and kitchen, and exited through the sliding door—leaving it partially open. Along the way, he locked eyes with Dylan Mortensen, the lone surviving roommate and eyewitness, before returning to his car and driving away shortly after 4:20 a.m.

How Long Did the Killings Take?

Once the ISP reconstructed Kohberger’s path, they conducted timed test runs to estimate how long it would have taken him to kill all four victims. Sgt. Darren Gilbertson retraced the route from the sliding door, simulating the number of strikes each victim suffered. A detective assisted with counting, while Cpl. Brett Payne timed the runs.

The fastest run was 90 seconds; the slowest took two minutes and 33 seconds.

The ISP also tested routes from Kohberger’s car to the residence. One path went through the backyard—the most direct route—while a second, longer route went through a small patch of woods, keeping him hidden.

Combining these results with the indoor tests, the ISP concluded Kohberger could have exited his car, stabbed all four victims, and returned to his vehicle in as little as two minutes and six seconds. Even taking the longer route, the process would have required just three minutes and 45 seconds.

Kohberger spent more time in the home than this, entering around 4:07 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2022, and being seen leaving in his car at 4:20 a.m. The extra time likely reflects unknowns in his path—what happened between leaving Mogen’s room and reaching Kernodle’s, and how fiercely she fought.

Evidence strongly suggests Kernodle discovered Kohberger in the home, ultimately leading to his arrest. After leaving Mogen’s room, he left behind a knife sheath containing DNA that allowed authorities to build a genetic profile, which was traced back to Kohberger’s father through genealogy sites.

Thompson said authorities believe Kohberger panicked once discovered by Kernodle. That sheath remains the only direct evidence linking him to the murders, to which he later confessed as part of a plea deal.