Murder: True Crime Stories

Episode: SOLVED: The Idaho College Murders 1

Host: Carter Roy
Release Date: January 6, 2026

Main Theme

This two-part episode begins the deep dive into the 2022 Idaho College Murders — the brutal killing of four University of Idaho students in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. Carter Roy reconstructs the lives and friendships of the victims, the events leading up to the murders, the crime itself, and the immediate aftermath, emphasizing the profound impact on the small college town and those left behind.

“People's lives are like a story. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end. But you don't always know which part you're on. Sometimes the final chapter arrives far too soon and we don't always get to know the real ending.”
– Carter Roy, [01:45]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Moscow, Idaho

• Moscow described as a safe, tight-knit college town.
• Students and parents had little worry: “...students left their doors unlocked, parents didn't worry too much, and nothing bad ever really happened. Until it did.” ([00:55])

2. Introduction to the Victims

Madison “Maddie” Mogen

• From Coeur d’Alene, marketing major; vibrant, loyal personality.
• Struggled with disappointment after not getting her top choice sorority, Alpha Phi, but threw herself into Pi Beta Phi social life. ([03:22])
• Close to Kaylee Goncalves since 6th grade.
• Quote: “She was the kind of girl who made friends the second she walked into a room. She was funny, bright, and endlessly loyal.” ([03:09])

Kaylee Goncalves

• Outgoing, jokester, big social media presence.
• Accepted into Alpha Phi, marking the first time she and Maddie were separated socially.
• About to graduate early, had just landed a tech job in Texas.
• Quote: “Kaylee had the bigger personality. She was a bit of a jokester, always recording funny videos of herself for social media.” ([04:19])

Zanna Kernodle

• Marketing major, known for humor and honesty.
• The “de facto DJ” with a relaxed style: “She'd show up to a party in an oversized sweatshirt... no makeup, and still steal the show.” ([06:30])
• Dating Ethan Chapin; relationship deepening.

Ethan Chapin

• Recreation, sport, and tourism management major.
• A triplet from Washington, close with siblings who also attended UI.
• Standout for warmth and “magnetic” leadership qualities.
• Serious with Zanna after a year of dating.

3. Life at 1122 King Road

• Layout of house described; Kaylee and Maddie lived upstairs; Ethan often stayed over; other roommates Bethany and Dylan lived in basement and ground floor respectively. ([07:39])
• Emphasizes sense of normalcy and youthful energy in the house.

4. The Night of the Murders—November 12-13, 2022

• Details of students’ Saturday evening: football game, tailgating, bar and fraternity visits, returning home around 2 AM.
• Kaylee & Maddie seen together at the Grub Truck (with a man in a hoodie nearby who’d later be a focus of suspicion). ([12:29])
• Zanna ordered DoorDash and was awake just before the attack.
• Introduction of surviving roommates, Dylan and Bethany, and their separate returns.

5. The Crime and Immediate Aftermath

• Chilling retelling of events: the masked intruder entering around 4 AM, moving through the house, the victims’ last moments. ([15:26])
• Dylan hears unsettling noises, including “There's someone here” (Kaylee’s voice) and a man’s voice saying, “It's okay. I’m going to help you.” ([16:50])
• Dylan spots the masked killer but freezes; killer walks past her and exits undetected.

“That was when she saw him. A masked man dressed in black, walking toward her. The only distinguishing feature she noticed was his bushy eyebrows and his height, roughly 5'10". She froze in panic, but it seemed like the intruder hadn’t noticed her.”
– Carter Roy, [18:08]

• Dylan and Bethany hide out until morning, then call friends.
• Friends discover Zanna and Ethan’s bodies; police finally arrive nearly eight hours after the murders. ([19:44])

6. Law Enforcement Response and Early Investigation

• Graphic account of first responders’ discoveries: all four victims found with evident stab wounds.
• The crucial evidence: a Marine Corps knife sheath found in Maddie’s bed and a distinctive shoe print outside Dylan’s door. ([23:16])
• Early confusion and trauma among friends and families, who only learn from a university alert that “four people were dead.” ([24:25])
• Emotional moments as Ethan's siblings break news to their parents, and families of all victims rush to Moscow. Families only receive full confirmation from police hours later.
• Police begin sorting facts from rumor (cartel, love triangle, etc.); focus on facts.

7. Forensic and Investigative Breakthroughs

• Knife sheath and shoe print are significant early clues.
• Surveillance footage spots a white Hyundai Elantra circling and fleeing the scene—first real break in the case. ([27:58])
• Community gripped by fear, rumors, and media frenzy.
• Investigation points to a targeted attack; ultimate clue leads to a suspect “an unassuming graduate student living just 10 miles away.” ([30:18])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Before the crime scene tape and the flashing lights... there were four college students just trying to figure out who they were going to be... This is where their story really begins. And this is how they should be remembered.”
  – Carter Roy, [02:29]

• “They laughed too loudly and stayed up too late. They had favorite coffee orders, inside jokes, and weekend plans.”
  – Carter Roy, [02:39]

• “Even in their worst nightmares, they couldn't have imagined the truth.”
  – Carter Roy, [21:38]

• “The horror inside the King Road house was unlike anything Moscow, Idaho had ever seen. Four college students, bright, beloved and full of life, were gone in one night. And for seemingly no reason at all, the college town went from a place of safety to a city on edge.”
  – Carter Roy, [29:00]

• “But as detectives began piecing together the evidence themselves, one thing was this attack was not random. And eventually the clues would lead them to someone they never expected.”
  – Carter Roy, [30:20]

Important Segment Timestamps

• Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves backgrounds: [02:30] – [06:00]
• Zanna Kernodle and Ethan Chapin backgrounds: [06:00] – [08:30]
• Saturday night timeline: [11:57] – [13:45]
• The murders and immediate aftermath: [15:26] – [21:38]
• Discovery of the crime and police arrival: [19:44] – [23:16]
• Key forensic evidence (knife sheath, shoe print, surveillance video): [23:16] – [29:35]
• Community and family reactions: [24:25] – [27:00]
• Conclusion/Tease for Part 2: [30:00] – [31:25]

Episode Flow and Tone

The episode is highly empathetic, with Carter Roy emphasizing personal details and humanizing the young lives lost, before moving into an unflinching, suspenseful retelling of the night and the investigation. The tone remains respectful, somber, and focused on the profound tragedy—avoiding sensationalism.

Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode expertly balances a sensitive, human portrait of four murdered University of Idaho students with a methodical walkthrough of the tragic events and the initial investigation. Listeners come away with a vivid sense of the victims as real people, an understanding of the night’s timeline, the impact on families and the wider community, and how police began piecing together the case with limited clues. The story pauses just as investigators close in on a suspect—a somber but gripping cliffhanger to be continued in Part 2.