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This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
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Where at? Up here.
C
Up here. Up here.
D
Hi. Something is happening.
E
And I kept calling her name and she wouldn't answer. But I saw the guy.
D
What's wrong?
A
So y' all work at the university there?
F
Actually.
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You'Re nothing. When those prison doors slam shut behind you. I hope that sound echoes in your heart for the rest of your meaningless days.
F
On the evening of November 12th and into the early morning hours of November 13th, Kaylee and Madison arrived home at approximately 1:45am after visiting a local bar and a street food vendor. Ethan and Zanna were also out in the community at Sigma Chi, and they arrived home at approximately 1:45. Two surviving roommates who were also out in the community arrived home at approximately.
A
1Am now we're getting a peek at what was happening in those early morning hours around 4am so far we know they were all out really late, some of them in a group. They were at a food truck. Everybody at that food truck and standing in the group fell under suspicion. I recall there was a guy in the distance. All these people were tracked down and questioned. See the guy on the right kind of standing away? He was found. He was. Everybody was found and questioned. So we know they were at a food truck super, super early in the morning. I'm talking 1 2, 3am we know they went home. We know some of them ordered, like, Uber Eats. These are the last known images of some of the victims. And this became an evidentiary football at the beginning of the investigation as LA law enforcement tried to track their last movements and who they would have come in contact with. They go home then. Naysayers immediately began vilifying Dylan and Bethany because they, quote, waited to call 91 1. But I want you to see the text conversation between Dylan and Bethany.
G
No one is answering. I'm really confused right now. Yeah, dude, what the f. Zanna was wearing all black. I'm freaking out right now. No, it's like a ski mask.
H
Almost shut the up.
G
Actually, he had something over his forehead and mouth. Bethany, I'm not kidding. I'm so freaked out. So am I. My phone is going to die. Come to my room.
C
Run.
G
Down here. I'm screwed, though. Yeah, I know, but it's better than being alone.
A
Sydney Sumner. Joining me, Crime Stories investigative reporter Sydney, let's put this into context. Of course, the cell phone data experts are going to know exactly what time these texts were going back and forth between them. Dylan Mortensen's phone was dying and Bethany was trying to coax her to run to her room. Can you imagine running from room to room knowing that there's an intruder or thinking there's an intruder in the home? Tell me what you've gleaned about these text messages, Sydney.
H
Nancy, I think these text messages are between two terrified coeds who don't know what's going on and have been out all night partying, drinking. So unfortunately, they are not sober at this point. And their house is known to have sometimes strangers in it. They throw parties often. They have a lot of friends. There's five people living there. So in terms of having a stranger in the house, that's not super uncommon for them. And even if this person was not somebody they recognized and freaked them out, they might not immediately call 911, not knowing whether or not this is someone who is supposed to be there at that point.
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On the morning of November 13th, at 11:58am a 911 call was placed. The call reported an unconscious person. The call originated from inside the residence and a surviving roommate's cell phone was used.
D
911, location of your emergency. Hi. Something is happening. Something's happened to not help. We know what. What is the address of the emergency? 11:22. What is the rest of the address? Oh, Kings Road. Okay, and is that a house or an apartment? It's a house. Can you repeat the address to make sure that I have it right? I'll talk to you guys. We're. We live at the White, so we're next to them. I need someone to repeat the address for verification. The address? 1122 King Road. Tell me exactly what's going on. One of our. One of the roommates has passed out and she was drunk last night and she's not waking up. Okay. Oh, and they saw some man in their house last night. Yikes. Hi, this is. And are you with the patient? Okay, I need someone to keep the phone, stop passing it around. Can I just tell you what happened? Pretty much what is going on currently Is someone passed out right now? I don't really know, but pretty much at 4am Okay, I need to know what's going on right now. If someone has passed out. Can you find that out? Yeah, I'll come. Come on, we gotta go check, but we have to.
A
And there you hear the surviving victim speaking. And she begins to tell what happened. She says pretty much at 4am and the dispatch operator cuts in and goes, yeah, I don't need to know that. I need to know if somebody pass out. Can you find that out? Okay, let's keep going.
D
She's not waking up. Okay, one moment. I'm getting help started that way. Okay, and how old is she? She's 20. 20, you said? Okay, them.
H
Hello?
D
Hello? Okay, I need someone to stop passing the phone around because I've talked to four different people. Hey, sorry, they just gave me the phone. Is she breathing? Hello? Is she breathing?
H
No.
D
Okay, talk to them. Say, I can't talk to them. They need you to talk to them. Hello? Okay, I have already sent the ambulance and law enforcement. Stay on the line. If there is a defibrillator available, send someone to get it now and tell me when you have it. Say that again. There's a point here. Right now. Okay, if there's a defibrillator available, send someone to get it now and tell me when you have it. Do you have a defibrillator? Yes.
E
You have one?
D
Are you talking to the officer? Yes. Okay, I'm going to let you go since he's there with you and can help you. Okay, thank you.
H
Bye.
D
Okay.
F
Moscow police officers responded and found two victims. Two on the second floor and two on the third floor of 1122 King Road.
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Inside hell. H E double L. Horrific new body cam video emerging inside the murder scene. And it reveals the truth.
F
Where's she at?
I
Yep.
J
Where's she at? Where's she at?
C
Where at?
B
Up here.
J
And I checked his user's video, which he's. And I didn't check him yet. Let's slow down. Just come here.
C
It's.
J
There's two. Looks like fatalities.
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Sydney. What we're hearing is the officer who arrives at the scene. There are four people standing outside. Let's see the video. The group is huddled outside and we hear the officer speaking to the friend, Hunter Johnson. And Johnson is saying, up here, up here. I just came to check in here and this is what I found. I checked to see if she's breathing and she's. I think this is going to be not. I didn't check him yet referring to Ethan. Then you hear a Moscow first responder state. Looks like dead bodies.
H
Yes, this is the absolute first, first response to this home after getting that 911 call. And during that call, the girls in the house try to explain what happened, that they think they saw someone at 4am but the officer, the dispatcher, just wants to know exactly who they can try and help. So immediately after we see what we saw in the cut that just played, EMTs start rushing up to the house. And this officer who was the first on scene, who first went to check on everything, he has to stop this group of 25 EMTs that show up to the house and say, you know, we don't think we need your services.
J
Nobody's allowed to leave for now.
C
Okay?
J
Just stay here for me, please. You know the.
I
Here.
J
Can you guys go over to the dumpster for me, please?
F
We're clear.
J
Let me just secure the outside first. There's a back entry. I was going to start taping it all off. I already got in there.
A
Hear the officer trying to secure it, saying, I've got two. I got two right here. Talking about two dead bodies. I got two right here already. The house is clear. In other words, the suspect's not there. There's not a live suspect there. The house is clear to walk through. And they shut the dog, which is common because you don't know when the dog's gonna go crazy and start biting. You shut the dog in there. I'm curious where he shut the dog. But before I analyze that, I want you to hear more from the survivors. This is Dylan Mortensen.
J
Listen, all right, what do you remember? Seeing what started.
E
I remember I was in my room and I was trying to go to bed. And I heard Kaylee, who ex girlfriend.
J
Who has a dog in her real fast. Which one is your room, Kaylee? Which one is your room? What room are you in?
F
You.
J
You were in that room.
G
My room.
E
Not Xena's room. My room.
J
And your room is is this one right here.
G
Next upstairs.
E
That one. Second floor.
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Okay.
E
All I heard was I heard go upstairs and go. Came and go sleep now because she's going upstairs.
J
You heard who go upstairs.
E
Kaylee and the dog. Murphy.
J
And upstairs to the very top.
E
Yeah, that's where her room is.
A
Sydney, what is probative about that body cam we just showed? What does this prove, Sydney?
H
So first we have to get in our minds that the entire time Dylan insists Haley went upstairs, Kaylee screamed, Kaylee ran down the stairs and the officer even Points this out later, he. He says to another officer, she somehow knows. She was somehow able to discern this was Kaylee. But we don't think that's actually true. So we have to think about the layout of the house. So Kaylee and Maddie were asleep upstairs. Zanna's room was on the second floor where Dylan's room was. So the only thing that makes sense for somebody to have ran down those stairs is Zanna. Not Kaylee, not Maddie. So we have to get that in our heads as we're listening to Dylan's recollection of events. But it just proves to me that someone was there. These women are correct. Someone was in their house.
A
Sid, do you think at the time when we think Kelly was saying, hey, I'm going to go to bed. I'm going to go to sleep, do you think he was already in the house? Because now I believe that he was already in there waiting for them to go to sleep. I don't think that they all went to their beds and then he snuck in.
H
I agree with you. And we also learned later that Maddie was the last person to take Murphy out. So Maddie checks in with Dylan and Bethany one more time. Hey, I lost Murphy. I can't get him to come inside. Is he with either of y'? All? She is looking for the dog. So again, this dog, who they described for weeks, was on edge before the murders, who was constantly going off into the woods and wouldn't come back when called, Just acting very, very oddly. Does the same thing this night when they're taking him out for the last time. So I'm kind of feeling like someone was watching as they took the dog out for the very. And maybe snuck in just behind them as they brought the dog in.
E
And then all of a sudden, I heard walking up, I heard a scream. And she ran upstairs because she saw someone. That's what I'm pretty sure she said. Someone's here. And she screamed and just ran downstairs. And I called for her name, but I jumped up and locked my door because I was so scared. And then I heard someone in the bathroom, and I heard her crying. And I heard some guys say that to, you're going. Going to be okay. I'm going to help you. And I kept calling her name, but she wasn't answering. And then I opened the door for a second, and I saw this guy, and he was not insanely tall, but he was wearing all black and, like, this mask that was just covering his forehead and his mouth. And I locked the door, and I called And I didn't know what to do.
J
This was at 4am?
E
Yes.
J
You left here?
E
I left my room down to she's. That went with the white blinds at the very bottom. I ran down there and we talked and I just. We just locked the door. We didn't think anything of it. We're like, nothing happens. We want us to go. So we just like tried to go to bed and then we woke up and it was weird because none of our roommates were up and we called all of them, they were not waking up and so mean. Like this is weird. So I called and come over and then that's when all this happened.
J
Who all lives here with you?
C
Me.
E
That woman right there.
J
Who's the name?
C
Santa.
E
Santa is the girl in there is a girl that.
J
This one?
E
Yeah.
J
Okay, how do you spell her name?
E
Z. I mean X A, N, A.
J
Do you know she has a middle name?
E
Alexis, I think.
J
You know what her last name is?
E
Kernodal. K. I don't have to spell it really. K, you know. R N O D L E. K.
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A E, R K E R K.
J
E R N O, N O, L E, D, L E. Okay.
C
Okay.
E
All the time.
J
There's a male that lives here and he.
E
He doesn't actually live. Houston of London.
J
I believe he's in there right now.
E
But he doesn't, he doesn't live here, but he's here a lot. And then there's Maddie, Megan and Kaylee up top. I don't know where they're at now.
J
Describe the guy that you saw.
E
I don't think he was. He was a little bit taller than me and I couldn't really see much of him, but I'm almost positive he was wearing a full black outfit. And he had this mask that was just over his forehead and over his mouth. And he didn't say anything to me like at all. I just shut the door and locked it because I didn't know what to do. And I think he went out like the side door, the slide door in the kitchen that goes out to the backyard.
G
Okay.
E
And then I didn't know anything else. So I called and I was like, I just need to come downstairs and find you, cuz I don't know where anyone else is. And I called Maddie, I called Dana, I called Kaylee. No one would answer. I heard her scream and run like run as fast as she could downstairs. And she said someone's here.
J
She ran downstairs?
E
Yes, I could hear. You can hear everything. She wanted her to run downstairs really fast and Then I heard Murphy barking a lot.
G
Okay.
E
And then I heard her going to the bath. I think it was the bathroom. And I remember her sobbing. And I just remember hearing this guy's voice and I didn't recognize, saying, you're gonna be okay. I'm gonna help you. But it wasn't like. I don't know how to explain it. Like, it wasn't in like a nice way. It was like a weird way. Like a weird tone.
J
You're gonna be okay. I'm gonna help you.
E
Yeah.
J
And you didn't hear anything from Kaylee anymore?
E
No, I was not. I didn't hear anything. Then me, Maddie without Murphy. And then.
J
Murphy's a dog.
I
Yeah.
E
And then I went inside to go to bed, and she was still taking him out. And then I was in my bed, like, about a ghostly. And Maddie just said that she lost Murphy and was wondering if he was with me.
J
And I just said no.
E
And then I went to bed.
J
At what time do you think you fell asleep?
A
You see what's happening here? All the speculation about the dog. He had been there before and he had befriended the dog. He knew Murphy, and Murphy was parked. Murphy, the dog was part of the scenario that night.
J
She's saying this monogram floor. There's a guy, black mask was in there. She didn't recognize him. She heard girls screaming upstairs. She got scared, locked herself in the room, and then the screaming all stopped. She's pretty sure that this masked person went out that back. And right now I'm getting all the information. She knows why the two girls are up there. I haven't told her he's deceased or anything. They just have four people that are unaccounted for right now.
I
Which.
F
Dog?
J
Who owns a dog?
B
Nothing in life is free except this $10 that better picks is offering. Download the Better app, pick more or less on your favorite player stats, watch the games and win some cash. It's that simple. Must be 21 or older in a jurisdiction where Better Picks operates. Terms and conditions play. Better Picks Sports just got better.
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Today only on TikTok head over to get started.TikTok.com TikTok ads crime stories with Nancy Grace. And again, as Sydney told us earlier, we find out the only one that knew what had really happened was Hunter Johnson, the kid that had his hands up over his head in anguish. Listen to Hunter Johnson.
J
I forgot you were here, man. Do you still want to hang out here? I just want to know what's going on. Yeah, I don't know how much I'm allowed to disclose right now. We're processing what's going on in the scene. As soon as we know for sure, we can tell you guys what's going on. We absolutely will. I know it sucks to be in the dark with this, but.
C
Okay.
J
And what's your. What's your relationship again?
A
Okay.
J
Yeah, I mean, as soon as. As soon as I know we're able to fill you in and what's going on, we'll. We'll let you know.
F
Okay. The results of autopsies indicated that the four were stabbed multiple times and were likely asleep during the attack. Some had defensive wounds and there was no sign of sexual assault.
A
Video surveillance shows a white sedan passing in the King Road address. The sedan returns and stops in front of the King Road address. Sixteen minutes later, the white sedan scratches off, taking off like a bat out of hell at a high speed, leaving the King Road address.
C
We're looking for a 2011 to a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. So any assistance you can give us. Anybody that owns one, anybody that knows of someone who owns one or may have been driving one. If you could get a hold of us through our tip line or call us directly, we'd appreciate that. Detectives arrested 28 year old Brian Christopher Kohberger in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania on a warrant for murder of Ethan Zana Madison and Kaylee Kohberger resides in Pullman, Washington and is a graduate student at Washington State university.
H
Just around 3am in fact, it might have been even a little earlier. A man named Brian Christopher Kohberger was taken into custody in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. That is nearly 3,000 miles away. In fact, much more. More than 2,500 miles away from the crime scene here in Moscow. ID?
A
Let's see the timeline. Isn't it true, Kaitlyn Cornick joining us from the sun, that Kohberger we can prove, turned his phone off and on the night of the murders. Yes, 242. His phone is on at his apartment in Pullman. 2:47 he turns his phone off. Who on this panel turns your phone off when you're going Driving in the middle of the night. I would keep mine on just in case I had a 911. Anyway, he turns his off. We know that, and that is irrefutable. 2:47, this guy is up and about turning his phone off. 329. Not cell phone, but video surveillance from a nearby home, a residence, shows a white sedan passing the king road address that looks, oops, just like his white Elantra. 4 04. The sedan returns and stops in front of the King Road address. 420. Sixteen minutes later, the white sedan scratches off, taking off like a bat out of hell at a high speed, leaving the King road address. And then 28 minutes later, that phone is turned back on and it's pinging south of Moscow, Idaho State Highway 95. The defense is arguing that coburger was driving south of Pullman, where he goes to school at Washington state university. And west of Moscow, Kohberger's residence on the left. I drove it myself. It's about an 8 and a half to 12 minute drive from Kohberger's apartment to the crime scene where the victims lived on king road. Defense claiming Kohberger driving south of pullman. And that's Pullman, Washington, and west of Moscow, Idaho. As he often did to hike and run or see the moon and stars, the two towns, Pullman and Moscow, are only 10 miles apart. It's a really quick drive compared to his long, circuitous route he took home when he turned his cell phone back on. Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger gets pulled over by law enforcement two times. Not just in one day, but actually within minutes of each other. On his way for Thanksgiving break to his parents home near the Poconos. I just gotta say, two times within minutes, that's no coincidence.
F
How y' all doing today?
J
Good, good. Take a look at your driver's license real quick. If I could see.
F
He's right up on that van.
J
Man, he was right up on the back end of that van. Pulled you over for tailgating.
A
Is this your car?
J
Okay, cool. Where are you headed? Well, we, we coming from wsu.
A
Where are you headed? He later says, we're going for thai food. And the dad's like, what? You were seeing body cam video when a hancock county, Indiana sheriff's department body cam when they pull them over and ask to see coburger's driver's license. Now, it was argued back and forth, and I claimed vehemently that this was no coincidence because there were two pullovers by local le law enforcement in one trip home. When does that happen? How often do you get pulled over? I rarely get pulled over. So you get pulled over twice and you never even get a ticket. Oh no. That stunk to high heaven with me right now. Howard Bloom, author of a brand new book, when the Night Comes, A Requiem for the Idaho Student Murders, which is amazing. And in his book, he outlines how these two pullovers nearly cost the FBI their investigation. Or so they thought. Take a listen to more of the pullover.
J
What's wsu?
C
So we're.
J
Okay, I'm having a hard time hearing you because of the traffic.
A
So you're coming from Washington State University.
F
Yeah.
J
And you're going where?
A
Oh, we're going to be going Pennsylvania.
J
Oh, okay.
H
Yeah.
F
So we're a little. We're slightly punching district right.
A
To Howard Bloom. I'm going to circle back to the fact that unasked, he starts talking about. Talking about SWAT's team. SWAT team swarming the area. Methinks thou doth protest too much. In the immortal words of William Shakespeare, nobody asked. Nobody asked about the Idaho murders. Yet he's bleh. He's just regurgitating, vomiting the information when nobody asked. But I want to circle back to the so called hatbox operation that you describe so well in your book when the Night Comes Falling. Explain. And why did the FBI, who absolutely was following Kohberger as he and his dad across the country thought that their entire operation may go up in flames?
F
Well, as you point out, the FBI decided that Kohberger was a person of interest. They decided this earlier, before they even told the Moscow task force. They kept this to themselves for either one of two reasons. The first reason was that it was the identification was based on genealogy, Genetics, investigative genetic genealogy. And they thought that wouldn't hold up in court. Or a much more cynical explanation would be that the FBI didn't want to share the credit for Kohberg's arrest with anyone else. So they go off and follow him and they have cars, they have a plane in the air that's following his route. And suddenly they see Kohberger being stopped and they don't know what's going on and they don't know what to do. They think a local cop, a local sheriff had seen the be on the lookout for notice and swooped in on this Hyundai Elantra. Or they're also wondering, how is Kohberger going to react? He is a suspect in a quadruple homicide. Is he going to get on the, you know, put his foot on the accelerator and tear out or perhaps he's going to shoot. Anything is possible. The officer who's coming in to give him this traffic ticket, then nine minutes later.
A
And it's almost laughable, Howard, because the FBI actually has a bird in the air watching. And they see one pullover by the Hancock county sheriffs, and Kohberger goes on his way, and then there's another pullover. Don't you know, they're like, what is happening down there? Why are they pulling over our quadruple murder suspect? Expect. I'm sure they were just. And they couldn't say anything. And they're watching from a bird, right?
F
Yes. They have a Cessna flying overhead. You know, it's a hawk waiting to swoop down in case anything happens, in effect. And they've been building this case for six weeks, and they're finally getting closer, and they think the whole case is going to be blown apart before they've connected all the dots. And they are filled with a sense of panic. But discipline.
A
You know what, Howard? They were right. And this is no offense to Indiana at all, but I understand where the FBI is coming from, and you know how much I hate the feds. But that said, Chris McDonough joining me, Director, Cold Case foundation, former homicide detective and star of the interview room on YouTube. Chris, if they had stopped Kohberger and he nutted up and they arrested him or sped off, anything could have happened because we can't. We can't predict what Kohberger's going to do. Just like his father, he had no idea what his son might do. We would never have gotten the evidence that we got. When they finally got home to the Pocono area, remember, they were surveilled. They went in finally, in the early morning hours. They catch him, I think, in a shorts or underwear, wearing plastic gloves and separating his trash from everybody else's trash. And they see him go throwing trash in the neighbor's receptacle. None of that would have happened if local authorities had arrested Kohberger for a traffic violation or if Kohberger spun out and brought about his own arrest. So I understand why they were worried.
F
Yeah. And absolutely. And not only that, if you remember, this officer is leaning in. So if he would have seen anything in plain view, any blood transfer or anything like that, well, the clock starts ticking right then and there. If this officer starts diving into this traffic stop that, you may have this fugitive task force surveillance team, you know, overhead and behind them going, hey, what the heck is going on here? You know, this thing could have gone south really fast. But fortunately, they cut them loose and they were able to connect those dots. Where Ms. Taylor is Mr. Coburger prepared.
C
To plead to these charges?
A
Your Honor, we will be standing silent.
J
Because Mr. Coburger is standing silent.
C
I'm going to enter. Not guilty. Pleasant.
F
Each charge counts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
C
During the quiet morning hours of November 13, 2022, a faceless coward reached the tranquility of six beautiful young people and senselessly slaughtered them. Four of them. Who committed this unspeakable evil was unknown for several weeks. But due to the killer's incompetence and outstanding police work by numerous local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, the person that slithered through that sliding glass door at 1122 King Road now stands before the world and this court unmasked. This unfathomable and senseless act of evil has caused immeasurable pain and loss. No parent should ever have to bury their child. This is the greatest tragedy that can be inflicted upon a person.
A
Brian Kohberger takes a plea deal to save his own skin. Why was that allowed? How in the world did Brian Kohberger escape trial? In the last hours, that deal with the devil goes down in open court. But I want you to see the prosecutor choking on his own words, breaking down court, crying in court. Watch. On November 13, 2022.
J
Excuse me.
F
Ms. Coburger entered the residence at 1122.
B
King Road in Moscow, Idaho.
A
He did that with the intent to kill. We will not represent that he intended.
F
To commit all of the murders that.
A
He did that night. But we know that that is what resulted.
F
And that he then killed intentionally, willfully.
A
Deliberately, with premeditation and with malice forethought. Matty Mogan, Kaylee Gonsalves, Ethan Chapin and Santa Cruz. Really? Save it. Your tears mean nothing. You stood there and you took the deal over the objections of some victims families. And I agree with them. At first I thought it wouldn't happen. I thought maybe the media was wrong. Reports could be wrong, couldn't they? But then it went down in the last hours in a court of law. It's done. It's over. Brian Kohberger will never face the death penalty. He won't even face trial. The victims families will never have answers. Listen to what Steve and Christy Gonsalves say about this plea deal.
G
We lost our minds. We were in that meeting. I mean, we were screaming, we were cussing, we were yelling, we were saying, why did you do this? How did you do this? You know what happened. You just talked to us on Friday and told us that, you know, you had every anticipation of taking this all the way.
I
He accepted the plea deal within the same hour that he got it. This man never wanted to fight for our children. Literally. I mean it. They fought for their lives, for their very last breath, and this man had no fighting. They fought hard all the way to the end. And he gave up within an hour of being given an opportunity to. To quit on these kids.
C
Did you, on November 13, 2022, enter the residence at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, with the intent to commit the felony crime of murder?
B
Yes.
C
Did you, on November 13, 2022, in Lato county, state of Idaho, kill and murder Madison Mogan, a human being? Yes. And did you do that willfully, unlawfully, deliberately, and with premeditation and malice aforethought?
I
Yes.
C
Did you honor, about that same date in Moscow, Idaho, kill and murder Kaylee Gonsalves, a human being?
A
Yes.
C
And did you do that willfully, unlawfully, deliberately, and with premeditation and malice aforethought?
I
Yes.
C
And did you, on that same date in Moscow, Idaho, kill and murder Zanna Kernodle, a human being?
B
Yes.
C
And did you do that willfully, unlawfully, deliberately, with premeditation and malice aforethought? Yes. And then on or about November 13, 2022, again in Lato County, Idaho, did you kill and murder Ethan Chapin, a human being?
A
Yes.
C
Did you do that willfully, unlawfully, deliberately, with premeditation and malice aforethought? Yes. With respect to count one, burglary, felony, how do you plead, Mr. Kohlberger, guilty or not guilty? Guilty. As to count two, murder in the first degree, the murder of Madison Mogan, how do you plead? Guilty or not guilty? Guilty. As to count three, for the murder of Kaylee Gonsalves, how do you plead? Guilty or not guilty?
G
Guilty.
C
As to count four, first degree murder of Zanna Kernodle, a human being, how do you plead? Guilty or not guilty?
A
Guilty.
C
As to count five, first degree murder of Ethan Chapin, how do you plead? Guilty or not guilty?
G
Guilty.
A
Guys, we're showing you photos of the victims in this case who were brutally murdered. From the beginning, we were told they were murdered in their sleep. That's not true. That is not true. Joining me, Susan Hendricks. You know her? Well, she's been with us all day long outside the courthouse. She's the author of down the My Descent into the Double Murder in Delphi. And now she has latched onto this case like nobody's business. I want to welcome Susan Hendricks for being with us. Susan, we found out now that Zanna had come down the stairs and she fought for her life. She fought for her life. That's nothing like what we were told to start with.
G
Absolutely. And when new details come out, they're just more excruciating for the family. We have heard that maybe she saw something, heard something, was getting, of course, the door dash, as you know. And then maybe he chased her. You mentioned, and I thought this was key, that this is all they had, was. I was in the courtroom, and I could see it, Nancy, building the tension. Kaylee's father, his knee was shaking. He was to the right of me, and his knee was shaking. And I could tell he was going through what he was going to say. So he's almost like practicing. And it's all they had. And they gave it everything. They've been wanting to say this for so long. Everything that they wanted to say. My sister Kaylee and her best friend Maddie were not yours to take. You're a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser.
C
Oh, man.
A
You'Re gonna go to hell. You're evil. There's no place for you in heaven today.
I
You have no name. Nobody cares about you. You're a joke, complete joke.
G
You'll be forgotten, discarded, used and erased. If you hadn't attacked them in their sleep in the middle of the night, like a pedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your ass. Thank you.
C
Thank you.
A
The families of the four victims filing out of that courtroom. Many people call it closure. Let me inform you, there is no such thing as closure when the person you love the most is murdered.
C
All right, Mr. Kohberger, you have an opportunity to make a statement if you wish to. I take it you are declining?
F
I respectfully decline.
C
I'm unable to come up with anything redeeming about Mr. Kohberger because his grotesque acts of evil have buried and hidden anything that might have been good or intrinsically human about him. His actions have made him the worst of the worst. Even in pleading guilty, he is giving nothing hinting of remorse or redemption, nothing suggesting even a recognition or understanding, let alone regret for the pain that he has caused. And therefore, I will not attempt to speak about him further other than to simply sentence him so that he is forever removed from civilized society. I hereby sentence Mr. Kohberger as follows. On count one, burglary, 10 years, fixed, zero years, indeterminate. Count two, first degree murder of Madison Mogan, I sentenced the defendant to a fixed term of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. On count three, for first degree murder of Kaylee Gonsalves, I sentenced the defendant to a fixed term of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. On count four, for the first degree murder of Zanna Kernodle, I sentenced the defendant to a fixed term of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. On count five, for the first degree murder of Ethan Chapin, I sentenced the defendant to a fixed term of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The sentences on counts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 shall run consecutively to one another.
A
Zanna was everyone's best friend. She knew how precious and special life was, yet her story was cut short by an act of evil.
G
They were two pieces of a whole, the perfect yin and yang.
C
Mandy was our gift of life, our purpose and our hope. We will grow old without our only child.
A
Eerie leaked jail videos of Brian Kohberger with bright red hands. Red, red compared to the rest of his arm. Bright red hands. As American Psycho type shirtless selfies emerge on his phone and straight out to Annie Elise joining us, creator CEO of 10 to Life. Annie, thank you for being with us. Let's look at the. Oh, look at the hands. We're looking at it right now. I don't know if you can see it on your monitor. And here he is obsessively cleaning the cracks and the little line that goes around the bottom of your shoe. What, he got it muddy behind bars? No, but he's recleaning and re cleaning his shoes and looking around awkwardly. Looks very much. You know, this is telling me something else. It's telling me that the way he looked in sentencing and the way he looked in court is how he really looks. Kind of a blank, dead stare. Okay, first of all, I want to analyze everything I can glean from this leaked video. And who leaked it is anybody's guess. You know, jails are falling over themselves to say, it's not ours, it's not ours. Hey, it's. Somebody's straight out to Annie Elise. Annie, what do you observe in the video?
G
I think it's so interesting because of course, everybody is glued to this, trying to analyze it, because it's really the first movements we have seen for three years of him. And he, we know he, we've heard that he has ocd. So he's carefully cleaning the shoe. But I think what strikes everybody as odd is when he's done cleaning it, he puts that tissue up on top of the cage and he just stares there very still, very intently, looking above the monitor that's in that cage. And almost looks as though he's just thinking or evaluating it. And it's really eerie.
A
The video is infuriating victims rights advocates who think about the brutality and how these four beautiful young students were murdered. And now he has what, a penthouse suite at the jail. He's got a huge bed by jailhouse standards, as opposed to a bunk. He has, look at this place. Plenty of walking around room shelves, multiple pairs of shoes. He's. He's doing fine. The leaked video has yet to be verified by authorities, but now his selfies, his freaky American psychotype selfies are emerging. Listen, besides the chilling selfie he took giving the thumbs up hours after murdering four university students, Coburger's cell phone is.
B
Filled with creepy selfies.
A
Posing shirtless and flexing his muscles. I've got to talk to Susan Hendricks joining us about the creepy selfies, the shirtless selfies, new ones that have just emerged. Oh, dear Lord. I'm gonna have to report on and just hold that. What the hey.
F
What?
A
Okay, tell me, Susan, tell me what this is and why I'm having to look at Coburger without a shirt on, flexing and staring into the camera. Why is this happening?
G
Yeah, they are cringe worthy. And for the company that looked through his data, his cell phone, they found out that he.
A
Does he actually have his pants pulled down toward his crotch So I can see more of his belly button here? Well, you know, like in a Sports Illustrated magazine, you know, cover, the swimsuit is pulled down just a tantalizing bit too low. Is that what he's doing? Ew.
G
Ew. It's gross. It's cringeworthy. I feel sorry for the families who have to look at that. And I was looking at each picture, getting grossed out by the way, but kind of wondering, what is he thinking there? He didn't send these to anyone. They're for himself. It reminded me of American Psycho, that movie. Just Loving himself. It is cringeworthy. Disgusting. There he is, flexing. It's perplexing seeing all this evidence. What was on his phone? Did you know Tide has been upgraded to provide an even better clean in cold water. Tide is specifically designed to fight any stain you throw at it. Even in cold butter. Yep. Chocolate ice cream. Sure thing. Barbecue sauce. Tide's got you covered. You don't need to use warm water. Additionally, Tide pods let you confidently fight tough stains with new coldzyme technology. Just remember, if it's gotta be clean, it's gotta be Tide.
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A
Stories with Nancy Grace. Joining us for N6, expert psychologist Dr. Sherry Schwartz. His obsession with American Psycho. I don't get it, but can I talk to you about his preening in front of the camera and flexing and what it means? It's like Monk. Did you ever see Monk? Monk only wore a certain. He's a brilliant homicide investigator. He only wore one type of shirt every day. I think it was a pale blue button down, just like in this case. Occasionally Coburg would go crazy and wear a white button down. But that said, they're lined up behind him. And some of the shots. What is this revealing to you? Because the crime scene is blood soaked. It looks like a Jackson Pollock. The closet and the home where he takes these pictures is like bleached clean. And there's this freaky row of all blue button down shirts behind him. What is that, Dr. Sherry?
H
I mean, a part of it could be his fascination with some level of fame, even if it is something he'll keep internally to feel better about himself, that he's just like Christian Bale in American Psycho, but he'll do it better and not get caught. We know how that worked out. These selfies are disturbing because we know that they're not being sent to anyone. They would be disturbing if they're being sent to someone. But in this case, these are for him. And so it suggests to me that he has some sort of internal dialogue going on where he's fascinated with this idea of murder.
A
Hold on. Dr. Sherry. Dr. Sherry. Dr. Sherry White. Wait, I want you to look at the screen right now. Okay. Susan Hendricks. He is saluting the camera. Now, is this particular shot. This was taken after the murders, correct, Susan Hendricks?
G
It absolutely was. And you see that on his knuckle there, the injury.
A
Bryan Kohberger is contesting his plea deal, reneging on some of the orders in exchange for life over the death penalty. Can the case now go to trial? It's my understanding to Dave Mack, crime Stories investigative reporter, that Kohberger is balking at paying for the victim's urns and other expenses.
H
Right, Exactly, Nancy. The shocking part of it is that in that plea deal, all of this was already negotiated, all of this was part of it so that he could avoid going to trial and avoid the needle or the gun. And yet now they're going back in and saying, well, we need to send this to the mathematicians at accounting at the state to determine whether or not he's able to pay for it because he's in prison for the rest of his life. And that actually is something that he's not allowed to do. This plea bargain said he could not go back later and appeal it. He couldn't contest any aspect of it. And in so doing, Nancy, I wonder why have they not already said, boom over you're going to trial?
A
Well, the judge seems to agree with you, Dave Mack, listen to Hitler.
C
So you took advantage of the plea agreement to get the benefit of the bargain regarding the state's dropping of the death penalty. Why should you not be held to the plea agreement to pay the victims the costs of, of interning their children?
A
I mean, for Pete's sake, does Judge Hippler have to feed the prosecution with a silver spoon? Here's your way out of this disastrous plea deal, out of all of your lies and your secret deals. Kohberger is contesting restitution. That was part of the deal. So deal is off. I mean, can the judge make it any more clear? Listen to Hipler.
C
What's the point of the plea agreement on restitution if the defense is able to argue against the restitution called for in the plea agreement itself?
A
And it's not an issue, is it? To Annie Elise joining us from Serializ Lee. Annie, he's got at least a five figure amount of money in his commissary account.
G
It's unbelievable. First and foremost, the fact that people are sending an admitted quadruple murderer tens of thousands of dollars then for him to be contesting payment the restitution that is outlined. And I'm sorry, but $3,000 for the earns, Is that the going rate these days for a life? It's just if he's afforded these comforts of ramen, toiletries, different treats with his commissary, why should he get more comfort than the victims were ever afforded?
A
Straight out to Christy and Steve Gonsalves joining us. The fact that Kohberger is contesting issues within the plea deal, that's not the banner. The important part of this, we know he's contesting paying restitution, could that end Rescind, renege the plea deal. Because if he is backing out of conditions of the plea deal, then the deal is off. Have you considered this? Could take the case to trial if Kohberger himself is refusing to pay restitution as ordered in the plea deal.
G
I would love for that to happen, but I feel like it's just. It's all just games, and none of it is taken serious. Like, oh, he doesn't want to pay his restitution. Slap, slap, slap. You can't do that. Pay your restitution, move on.
A
Well, this is what it boils down to, Steve. Let's look at this. So I take a plea deal, 20 to serve, all right? And the defendant then goes, yeah, I'm not going to do that. I'm not. I'm not going to do 20. Well, then the deal is off. Paying your restitution is an important part of that deal. And if Coburger contests it, fine. I'd be mad if he didn't. Now, let's go to trial. That is possible. He's reneging on the deal. That's on him. So what you'd have to do, what we would have to do is get Thompson off this case. He can't try this case. Someone else, an independent prosecutor, would have to try it.
G
Which would be great.
I
I would love to see that. This guy has been trying to control the narrative, you know, PK from the very beginning. The minute he even got in prison, he started writing up complaints and started doing formalities and saying, you're going to transfer me. You're going to do this, you're going to do that. We got to just put our foot down to these kind of psychopath killers and stop entertaining them and stop treating them with baby gloves. It's just. It's just disgusting. And we're doing it all the way up three years later.
A
Joining us tonight, Christy and Steve Gonsalves. Thank you for being with us. I know that every time you have to talk about this, it just brings it all up again. If you could have your wish, which of course would be to have Kelly back. What is your wish, Christy?
G
The wish of wanting Kaylee back is obviously that that's not possible. So my only other wish would be for him to hurry up and take his last breath. Him being dead would be great.
I
I would try to make something positive out of it as much as you possibly can. And I feel like that's what Melvy and the family's doing is we're trying to put some actions. We're Trying to put. We're trying to rally around anyone who. Who sees something disgusting and puts their foot down and says, all right, I've had enough. I think that's. That's the best we can do. And if we can take this murder and all the people's attention on it and say, hey, there's no point of having red flags if we're not doing something about it. And we. We see all these killers and we look back at their past behaviors and there's all these red flags, but just, no, not enough action behind them. People just dodging the bullets, just saying, we didn't know he was a normal person. No, you did know. There was things there. There was girls making complaints all around this individual over and over, and you just refused to listen to them. You just refused to do something when they were crying out for help. And it's happening all the way to today. We're gonna lose tens of thousand dollars because the prosecutor refused to help us. He couldn't do it. He didn't. Whatever the reason, he failed us.
A
There could be a way around this deal with the devil. But now will it happen? I am begging the feds to intervene. I am begging a court to investigate this and appoint an independent prosecutor. How can we stand by and hear these families pain and do Nothing? The current U.S. attorney for the Idaho district is Bart M. Davis. Repeat, Bart M. Davis. The number 2083-3412-1120-8334-1211. You have the knowledge. Use it. Is there a way out of this deal with the devil? The local prosecutor struck with Bryan Kohberger. Can we get Kohberger to trial? Now we remember an American hero. Border Patrol Agent Freddie Ortiz, US Department, Homeland Security. Killed in the line of duty after 13 years serving and protecting, leaving behind his grieving mother, American Hero Patrol Agent Freddie Ortiz. Thank you to our guests tonight, but especially to you for being with us. Nancy Grace signing off for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow night. And until then, good night, friend.
B
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This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Date: January 2, 2026
In this deeply detailed and emotionally charged episode, Nancy Grace breaks down the haunting details of the Idaho college murders, revealing new body cam footage from inside the crime scene. The episode explores the aftermath of the state’s controversial plea deal with Bryan Kohberger, the suspect who avoided both the death penalty and trial. Grace is joined by investigative reporters, family members of victims, and expert commentators as they analyze minute-by-minute events, raw survivor testimony, the investigation’s missteps, and the chilling courtroom drama that angered and devastated the victims' families.
Detailed breakdown of the victims’ activities on the night of November 12th into the early morning of November 13th, 2022.
Survivors, Dylan and Bethany, arrive home early and exchange panicked texts as they sense something is wrong (03:41).
Sydney Sumner (investigative reporter, 04:45): Contexts the confusion and terror of the surviving roommates, explaining why there was a delay in calling 911:
“These text messages are between two terrified coeds…not sober at this point. Their house is known to have sometimes strangers in it."
The 911 call (05:48-09:05) reveals confusion and panic, with the dispatcher pressing for specific information as the terrifying reality is uncovered.
“I've got two right here. Talking about two dead bodies. There's not a live suspect there…”
“I heard a scream...she saw someone. That's what I'm pretty sure she said. Someone's here. And she screamed and just ran downstairs... I opened the door for a second and I saw this guy...not insanely tall…but he was wearing all black and like, this mask that was just covering his forehead and his mouth.”
Emphasis on video surveillance showing a white Hyundai Elantra near the scene repeatedly (23:34-24:39).
Kohberger is apprehended after a cross-country drive; he is surveilled as he travels home with his father, with the FBI and police agencies monitoring (28:09-34:50).
Nancy on Kohberger's odd behavior (30:04):
“Unasked, he starts talking about SWAT teams…nobody asked about the Idaho murders, yet he’s… just regurgitating…vomiting the information when nobody asked.”
Details about the difficulties and near-missteps during the surveillance and traffic stops, as laid out by Howard Bloom, author and crime expert (31:15-33:33).
Kohberger agrees to a plea deal, avoiding the death penalty (35:30-36:59).
Intense courtroom scene as the prosecutor breaks down emotionally, admitting Kohberger's intent (37:33-37:58).
Victims’ parents, Steve and Christy Gonsalves, express devastating disappointment and anger (39:01):
“We lost our minds. We were screaming, we were cussing…why did you do this?”
Kohberger pleads guilty to all counts, admitting willful, deliberate, and premeditated murder (40:14-41:33).
"You'll be forgotten, discarded, used and erased. If you hadn't attacked them in their sleep in the middle of the night, like a pedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your ass."
Discussion of leaked jail video showing Kohberger with red hands, obsessively cleaning shoes, and appearing emotionless (46:10-48:20).
Revelations about American Psycho-style selfies found on his phone after the murders:
“For the company that looked through his data…They are cringe-worthy…he didn’t send these to anyone. They’re for himself.” – Susan Hendricks (49:48-50:17)
Dr. Sherry Schwartz (51:47-53:38):
“He has some sort of internal dialogue going on where he’s fascinated with this idea of murder [...] These selfies are disturbing…for him.”
Despite his admissions, Kohberger contests paying for victims’ urns and restitution, violating terms of the plea agreement (54:03-55:19).
Judge Hippler challenges defense, suggesting the deal should be voided if restitution isn’t paid (55:19-56:16).
Annie Elise (56:30):
“The fact that people are sending an admitted quadruple murderer tens of thousands of dollars…why should he get more comfort than the victims were ever afforded?”
Discussion of possibility a trial could still happen if Kohberger continues reneging on the plea conditions (57:00-58:44).
The Gonsalves family and others maintain their fury and pain, expressing their deepest wish is to see justice done or Kohberger face the death penalty (59:35-59:48).
Steve Gonsalves (59:48):
“If we can take this murder and all the people’s attention on it…there’s no point of having red flags if we’re not doing something about it…You did know. There was things there…you just refused to do something when they were crying out for help.”
Nancy Grace criticizes the prosecution, appeals for federal intervention, and calls out public officials directly (60:50).
Sydney Sumner (04:45):
"They are not sober at this point, and their house is known to have sometimes strangers in it...they might not immediately call 911..."
Survivor, Dylan (16:20):
"I heard her scream…and she screamed and just ran downstairs. And I called for her name, but I jumped up and locked my door because I was so scared..."
Nancy Grace (30:04):
"Unasked, he starts talking about SWAT teams…Methinks thou doth protest too much..."
Steve Gonsalves (39:01):
"We were screaming, we were cussing, we were yelling, we were saying, why did you do this? … you had every anticipation of taking this all the way."
Victim's sister, court statement (43:23):
"You’ll be forgotten, discarded, used and erased...Kaylee would have kicked your ass."
Annie Elise (56:30):
"Why should he get more comfort than the victims were ever afforded?"
This episode is intense, emotional, and unforgiving in its pursuit of justice and truth. Nancy Grace’s tone is relentless and passionate, especially in her critique of the plea deal and empathy for the victims’ families. The language is raw, direct, and charged with righteous indignation. The guests and family members express profound anguish, anger, and a sense of betrayal by the justice system—making the episode both gripping and heartbreaking for listeners.
Summary prepared for those who want a comprehensive understanding of the investigation, the courtroom process, and the profound human cost at the heart of the Idaho murder case.