Podcast Summary

Podcast: I Wish You Were Here
Host: Michelle Cuervo
Episode: The Idaho Student Murders: A Deep Dive
Date: September 4, 2025

Episode Overview

Michelle Cuervo delivers an emotional, comprehensive deep dive into the Idaho Student Murders that shocked the world in November 2022. She traces the immediate aftermath, the investigation, the devastating impact on families, and the eventual arrest and plea of Bryan Kohberger. Cuervo’s storytelling style puts listeners directly into the confusion, horror, and grief experienced by the victims’ friends and families, while also analyzing how law enforcement pieced the case together.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The 911 Call and Discovery (00:00 - 12:00)

• Opening Scene: Michelle recounts the frantic 911 call from November 13, 2022, made by survivors Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke after finding something terribly wrong in their house. The call captures disorientation and fear:

  “Something is happening. Something's happened in our house and we don't know what... Is she breathing? No.”
  (A, 00:00)

• Sequence of Discovery:

  • Dylan is awakened by unease during the night, texting other roommates; only Bethany replies.
  • The next morning, friends Hunter and another girl are called to help; Hunter enters the house and discovers Zanna Kernodle’s body, immediately sending others outside and calling 911.

• Law Enforcement Response: Officers find a gruesome and disorienting crime scene. The entire house—three levels, six bedrooms—is marked by horror and trauma, as they discover all four slain students.

2. The Victims and the Impact on their Community (12:01 - 24:00)

• Profiles of the Victims:

  • Zanna Kernodle (20) — Junior, happiest and funniest, sorority sister, found with her boyfriend Ethan.
  • Ethan Chapin (20) — Zanna’s boyfriend, triplet, glowing smile, “greatest people you could surround yourself with.”
  • Kaylee Goncalves (21) — Senior, just moved out, described as strong and dedicated.
  • Madison “Maddie” Mogen (21) — Senior, Kaylee’s best friend, “so sisters,” beloved only child.

• Community Shock:
  Emotional descriptions of the helplessness and chaos outside the house as friends and family learn about the loss:

  “That is how all of their closest friends standing just feet away from that house, found out that their friends were dead. That is how it was confirmed to them, through a phone notification... For the very first time, it was confirmed to them that all of their best friends... had been murdered.”
  (A, 36:15)

• Family Tragedy:
  Michelle walks listeners through the heartbreaking relay of information as siblings inform each other and parents rush to Moscow, unaware their children are gone.

3. The Night of the Killings and Dylan’s Eyewitness Account (24:01 - 39:00)

• Timeline Reconstruction:

  • Zanna and Ethan return home ~1:45 am from a party.

  • Kaylee and Maddie return ~1:56 am from a bar and food truck.

  • Survivors had been home since around 1:00 am.

  • Dylan hears crying and a male voice:

    “She hears what sounds like crying. And then what sounds like a male voice saying, it's okay. I'm going to help you.”
    (A, 41:35)

  • Dylan sees a masked man with bushy eyebrows, dressed in black, leaving the house.

  • Dylan and Bethany retreat to the first floor and sleep there, unaware of the full extent of the tragedy.

• Key Forensic Detail:
  A neighbor’s security camera (~50 ft away) picks up a dog barking, a whimper, and a loud thud, providing an audio timestamp for the attacks.

4. Investigation and the Hunt for the Killer (39:00 - 1:01:00)

• Pressure and Public Fear:

  • The campus empties ahead of Thanksgiving, allowing grieving but complicating the investigation.
  • Police are silent for days, feeding tension and media speculation.

• First Clue Released:

  “On the 7th of December of 2022, the cops release information saying that they are looking to speak to the owner of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra...”
  (A, 57:00)

  • This white Elantra becomes a key focus.

• Arrest and Community Shock:

  • On December 30, Bryan Kohberger is arrested in Pennsylvania.
  • Michelle highlights the confusion:

    “Who is Brian Kohberger and what evidence did law enforcement have against him? ...None of them knew.”

5. Bryan Kohberger: His Background and the Evidence (1:01:01 - 1:18:00)

• Profile:

  • PhD student in criminology at Washington State; previously studied criminal justice.
  • Described as “odd,” bullied, later became a bully, isolated, compulsively arrogant.
  • Posted on social media about feeling no remorse or emotion; did a Reddit survey seeking to understand criminals' mindsets.

  "'As I hug my family, I look into their faces. I see nothing. It is like I'm looking at a video game.'”
  (A, paraphrasing Kohberger’s post, 1:06:45)

  • Studied under Dr. Katherine Ramsland, a renowned expert in serial killers—a chilling detail for Michelle.

• Eerie Interactions:

  • Kohberger discusses the murders academically at WSU as if he wasn’t the killer.
  • Tells a neighbor it was a crime of passion and the police had no leads.

• The Evidence:

  • The white Hyundai Elantra is seen repeatedly on security footage near the house during key hours.
  • A knife sheath, bearing Kohberger’s DNA, is found at the crime scene.
  • Surveillance ties him to late-night cleaning and suspicious trash disposal in Pennsylvania; DNA is matched from discarded Q-tip.
  • Cell records place him near the victims’ house 12 times before the night of the murders; his phone is off during the time of the killings.

  “His phone also pinged in the area on the actual morning of the murders. But between the hours of 2:47am and 4:48am There was nothing, no location. He had turned his phone off.”
  (A, 1:13:20)

6. Aftermath, Plea Deal, and Sentencing (1:18:01 - End)

• Legal Resolution:

  • Kohberger agrees to a plea deal in June 2025, pleading guilty to all charges to avoid the death penalty.

  • “On July 2, Bryan Coburger pleaded guilty to four counts of first degree murder and one count of felony burglary. Judge Steven Hippler asked if he... killed and murdered each victim, naming the four students. And Coburger sat there with dead eyes and said nothing other than yes.”
    (A, 1:20:45)

  • Families of Madison and Ethan support plea deal as “best possible outcome”; Kaylee’s family expresses disappointment and need for more answers.

• Sentencing:

  • Kohberger receives four consecutive life sentences plus 10 years for burglary, and is ordered to pay fines and restitution.

• Victim Impact:

  • Michelle highlights the staggering strength shown during victim impact statements, especially praising Kaylee’s sister Olivia’s words:

    “You have to go listen to her speech... you have to hear it in her own words because of the amount of strength coming from her.”
    (A, 1:23:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You can see one of the officers cuss and then he talks to another one saying there's two looks like dead bodies.”
  • (A, 13:25)
• “It looked as if something completely evil had been inside of that house and within minutes destroyed so many people's lives.”
  • (A, 15:35)
• “That house was known as the Party House. People were always in and out. It was not an uncommon thing for officers to be at that house... not all the time, but often enough.”
  • (A, 29:45)
• “The most important thing for law enforcement was finding their guy... For three days... there was no press conference... there was nothing. But, of course, that did not stop the word from spreading like wildfire.”
  • (A, 45:50)
• “He wanted to be the smartest person in the room... if I want to commit a crime, I'm going to commit a crime and I'm going to get away with it.”
  • (A, 1:10:10)
• “If there's any way to feel negative remorse, that's what he felt.”
  • (A, 1:14:00)
• “Bryan Kohberger is where he belongs, and I hope to never hear his name again.”
  • (A, 1:24:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–06:00 – The 911 call and discovery of the first victim
• 13:25 – Police discover the full extent of the crime
• 24:00–36:00 – The victims’ backgrounds and the impact on families
• 36:15 – Friends and families learn of the quadruple homicide
• 41:35 – Dylan’s encounter with masked man
• 57:00 – Police release information about the white Hyundai Elantra
• 1:01:00–1:10:00 – Profile of Bryan Kohberger
• 1:13:20 – Cell phone records tie Kohberger to the scene
• 1:18:00 – Plea deal, reaction from families, and sentencing
• 1:24:00 – Michelle’s closing reflections and call for listeners to hear the victim impact statements

Tone & Delivery

Michelle maintains a compassionate, engaging, and candid tone throughout—a mix of intense empathy for the victims and their families, and incredulity at the disturbing details uncovered. She frequently breaks the fourth wall to invite listeners to imagine themselves in the situation, and encourages them to seek out primary sources for added understanding.

Final Thoughts

This episode is a detailed, thoughtfully constructed timeline and emotional narrative of the Idaho Student Murders, balancing factual clarity with human sensitivity. It serves as both a chronicle of the crime and as a tribute to the four young lives lost, as well as to the resilience of their families and community.