Autopsy Report Details that Unarmed Xana Kernodle Fought for Her Life as Bryan Kohberger Stabbed Her 67 Times

On Nov. 13, 2022, Bryan Kohberger broke into an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, and killed four University of Idaho students.

Three of the victims — Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; and Ethan Chapin, 20 — were attacked in bed and suffered fatal injuries before they could even get to their feet, according to their autopsy reports.

A fourth victim, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, was awake and out of bed at the time. Details from her autopsy report and the crime scene — cited in a recently unsealed court filing obtained by authorities — indicate Kernodle fought back as Kohberger stabbed her 67 times.

Investigators believe evidence from the scene supports the theory that Kernodle heard something alarming and went upstairs toward Mogen’s bedroom to check what was happening.

Kernodle had received a food delivery around the time Kohberger entered the home. Previously released crime scene photos showing a half-eaten Jack in the Box meal left in the second-floor kitchen suggest she may have been eating when she heard a commotion upstairs.

She likely went to investigate — and may have encountered Kohberger after he killed Mogen and Goncalves.

Investigators believe Kernodle then ran back downstairs toward her bedroom, with Kohberger following.

That timeline is supported by reports that traces of Mogen and Goncalves’ blood were found on Mogen’s bedroom door, along the stairwell and bannister leading from the third floor to the second floor, and on walls near Kernodle’s bedroom.

Autopsy reports for Mogen and Goncalves concluded neither woman stood up once the attack began — suggesting those blood transfer stains were left by someone else moving through the home.

Kohberger ultimately caught up with Kernodle. Despite being nine inches shorter and unarmed, she fought back.

During the assault, Kernodle was stabbed 67 times.

Her autopsy lists the injuries as: 23 stab and incised wounds to the face, neck and scalp; seven stab wounds to the chest; four stab wounds of the abdomen; three incised and puncture wounds of the back; 25 incised wounds of the upper extremities; and five incised wounds of the lower extremities.

Evidence also suggests she continued resisting, including blood on the bottom of her feet and indications of wiped blood on her body.

By the end of the attack, Kernodle had suffered punctures to the outer shell of the skull; perforations of the jugular vein, heart, lung and pulmonary blood vessels; hemorrhage into the chest cavities; wounds extending into the bones of the right hand; and scrapes and bruises on her face, torso and extremities.

Her body was found on the bedroom floor a few feet from her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, who was killed before he could stand up, according to his autopsy.

Because of the severity of Kernodle’s injuries, surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen initially mistook Kernodle for Goncalves when questioned by police.

There is also evidence that Kernodle and Chapin were close to each other during their final moments, according to their autopsy reports. Kernodle’s blood and DNA were found under the fingernails of Chapin’s right hand, and Chapin’s blood and DNA were found under the fingernails of both of Kernodle’s hands.

If Kohberger chased Kernodle, as the blood transfer evidence suggests, it could also explain why he left behind his KA-BAR knife sheath with traces of his DNA. Investigators believe the struggle may have been the “commotion” that prompted Mortensen to open her door and see Kohberger exiting the house.

Kernodle’s resistance is also cited as a reason classmates later reported seeing Kohberger with cuts and scratches after the killings.

Prosecutors argue the evidence against him was significant enough that Kohberger ultimately agreed to plead guilty to four counts of murder as part of a deal that spared him the possibility of a death sentence.

Investigators believe that without Kernodle’s fight — and the chaos it created — Kohberger may have retrieved the knife sheath, left the home quietly and driven away, leaving police with little more than the make and model of his car.

Instead, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.