Idaho State Police Release Graphic Photos of University of Idaho Murders
Idaho State Police recently made public around 3,000 previously unseen and graphic images related to the November 2022 murders of University of Idaho students Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, and Ethan Chapin. The photos, which displayed scenes with blood on walls and furniture, were uploaded to the department’s website on Tuesday, but were taken down shortly after.
The Goncalves family expressed their outrage on social media, questioning the decision to share these images.
“We got a call at 11:04 am that photos would be released this afternoon,” a post from their Facebook page stated. “By the time the call ended (12 minutes later), the photos had already been released. That’s the ‘heads up’ we received.”
“Please be kind & as difficult as it is, place yourself outside of yourself & consume the content as if it were your loved one. Murder isn’t entertainment & crime scene photos aren’t content.”
The release of the photos was in accordance with public records requests, while also following a permanent injunction issued by Judge Megan Marshall in October 2025. This injunction mandated the redaction of any images showing the bodies of the victims or any blood surrounding them.
While police stated they would re-release these images “soon,” they haven’t specified when exactly that would happen.
“In making the redactions, the Idaho State Police also chose to follow Judge Marshall’s permanent injunction, which required the City of Moscow to redact areas of the photographs depicting ‘any portion of the bodies of the decedents or the blood immediately surrounding them,’” explained a police statement.
”After questions were raised, the records were temporarily removed for further review to ensure the appropriate balance between privacy concerns and public transparency was struck.”
Authorities have acknowledged the difficult impact the release of these photos may have had on the victims’ families.
“This was a tragic case, and we do not take the impact of the crime or the release of records lightly,” the statement added.
The released images depicted the aftermath of the tragic killings on November 13, 2022, showing blood-soaked surroundings where the four students lost their lives. The gruesome scenes included large pools of blood on the floors.
Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty last July just weeks before a long-anticipated trial, is now serving four life sentences without the possibility of parole at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution. The families were left with lingering questions about his motives for the murders, which has been a source of deep frustration for them.
