New Details Emerge in Idaho Student Murders

Brian Coberger has reportedly identified at least one of his victims, Kaylee Goncalves, according to surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen.

Currently serving four life sentences, Coberger confessed to murdering Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle at his off-campus residence in Moscow on November 13, 2022.

Newly sealed documents reveal that Mortensen told investigators she heard the attacker mention Goncalves’ name during the brutal assault.

Idaho State Police Trooper Jeffory Talbot noted in his report that he responded to the scene where the stabbings occurred. He received a summary from Moscow Police Sergeant Dustin Breaker about the details gathered earlier that day.

In Talbot’s report, Mortensen recalled waking up in the early morning, opening her door, and hearing a man say, “That’s fine, I’m here for you.”

Mortensen believed that she heard Goncalves, who was 21, calling for help as she attempted to escape from Coberger before he uttered those words.

“Then she heard the man, and she said she had never heard him before. He said, ‘It’s okay, I’m going to help you,'” the report stated, suggesting that the unidentified man could have been in the bathroom with someone who was crying.

As Mortensen recalled the events, she adjusted her narrative, including the possibility that it might have been Kernodle who was crying, though initially, she thought it was Goncalves.

She expressed confusion about what she experienced and indicated a level of shock regarding the harrowing incident.

Despite having encountered Coberger during his escape through the sliding doors of their rental property, Mortensen was unharmed and told police she clearly heard the attacker mention Goncalves’ name loudly.

“She knew what she heard, especially regarding Kaley crying and the man’s voice telling her he was there for her,” Detective Victoria M. Gooch wrote after Mortensen’s first interview.

Recent police documents have indicated that Goncalves suffered “more than 20 stab wounds,” along with blunt force trauma.

Meanwhile, Mortensen found it challenging to definitively identify Coberger as the assailant she saw that night.

She described noticing an intruder with a “bulging brow” who seemed to be asserting his presence during the attack.

After seeing Coberger’s photos, Mortensen recounted feeling uncertain, stating, “I know it’s him, but… I don’t remember at all.” It seemed like her memory was playing tricks on her.

Mortensen attended Coberger’s court hearing last month, where he received his life sentences.

Visibly emotional, she described him as “a hollow container” devoid of empathy or remorse, adding, “He chose to destroy, he chose evil. He felt nothing. He tried to take everything from me.”

A few weeks prior to the trial, Coberger managed to reach a plea agreement that allowed him to avoid the death penalty.

Following his sentencing, reports indicated that he was transferred to a prison where inmates planned to psychologically torment him.