Autopsy Reports Reveal Horrific New Details About the Final Moments of 4 University of Idaho Stabbing Victims

New information has surfaced about the final moments of the four University of Idaho students killed by Bryan Kohberger.

Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were stabbed at least 150 times in total on the night of November 13, 2022. Prosecutors say Goncalves was stabbed at least 38 times, Mogen 28 times, Chapin 17 times and Kernodle 67 times.

The details come from a newly unsealed supplemental filing from prosecutors regarding expert testimony. The document includes key findings but does not include the full autopsy reports for the victims.

Goncalves and Mogen

Goncalves and Mogen were found together in Mogen’s bedroom.

The autopsy findings cited in the filing indicate both women died from multiple sharp-force injuries. The filing also lists additional factors contributing to Goncalves’ death, including blunt-force injuries to the head and asphyxial injuries.

According to the filing, Goncalves had numerous stab and incised wounds across the scalp, face and neck, along with additional wounds to the chest and upper extremities. The filing also describes punctures to the outer table of the skull, injuries to the teeth and tongue, and bleeding into the chest cavities.

The blunt-force injuries described include scalp lacerations, bleeding around the brain, a nasal fracture, bruising around the eyes and patterned bruising across the lower face.

The filing also describes Mogen as having multiple stab and incised wounds to the scalp, face and neck, as well as wounds to the chest and upper extremities. The report further notes injuries including wounds to the lung and liver, perforations of major blood vessels in the chest area, and an incision of the nasal septum.

Kernodle and Chapin

Chapin and Kernodle were found in Kernodle’s room, with Chapin in the bed and Kernodle on the floor. The cause of death for both is described as multiple sharp-force injuries.

The filing states Chapin had stab and incised wounds across the upper chest, head/neck area, and both upper and lower extremities. It also notes perforations of the jugular vein and major vessels near the shoulder and upper chest.

Investigators believe three of the victims were attacked while asleep and did not have the chance to get up or fight back, but Kernodle did. The filing describes abrasions and contusions as well as extensive stab and incised wounds across the head/neck area, torso, back, and extremities.

The document also references punctures to the outer table of the skull and injuries involving the jugular vein, heart, lung, and pulmonary blood vessels, along with bleeding into the chest cavities. It also describes wounds extending into bones of the right hand, and scrapes and bruises across the body. The filing notes Kernodle had blood on the bottoms of her feet, indicating she moved during the attack.

Kevin Fixler of the Idaho Statesman was the first to report on the unsealed court filing.

Evidence and Guilty Plea

Investigators say evidence discovered during the examination of the victims helped break the case open: a KA-Bar knife sheath left at the scene. Authorities believe it was left behind after Kernodle likely encountered the attacker. Prosecutors say the sheath contained trace DNA used to link Kohberger to the crime scene.

After the killings, investigators allege Kohberger exited the home and was seen by one of the surviving roommates, Dylan Mortensen, the sole eyewitness in the case. Prosecutors believe the eyewitness account and the knife sheath were key factors that led to Kohberger’s guilty plea to four counts of first-degree murder in July, as part of a deal that spared him the death penalty.

Kohberger later told the court he was pleading guilty and confessed to murdering each of the four victims. He is now serving four life sentences.