The biggest bombshells from Netflix’s ‘The Idaho Murders’ documentary

The Netflix docuseries “The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare” is packed with jaw-dropping details about the 2022 stabbings of four University of Idaho students and the 𝓈𝒽𝓸𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 guilty plea—and later retraction—by Bryan Kohberger. Here are the biggest revelations that have fans and true crime sleuths talking.

The victims’ friends learned about the deaths through a campus-wide text alert, not from police. Surviving roommates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke called 911, saying their friends were “not waking up.” Bodycam footage shows friends sitting on the curb, one tearfully telling an officer the university sent a mass text before they were told what happened.

The dean of students said he was “flabbergasted” when cops informed him four students were dead.

Mortensen told police she heard a male voice she didn’t recognize say, “You’re going to be OK. I’m gonna help”—but not in a nice way, in a weird tone. She locked her door after hearing a scream and one roommate say, “Someone’s here.”

In the weeks before Kohberger’s arrest, friends of the victims received nasty messages online. One friend recalled being accused of being the killer on social media. Another said people told him, “You’re gonna get caught.”

The murders happened between 4:00 and 4:25 a. m. , but the 911 call wasn’t made until nearly noon.

Kaylee Goncalves’s mother asked the coroner if the victims could have been saved if someone called sooner. The answer was no. A friend said she didn’t blame the roommates, saying she couldn’t imagine believing what had occurred.

Kohberger reportedly “adored” a class called “Minds of a Serial Killer” at Washington State University. A classmate said he asked questions about every topic and seemed like a different person when class started—”a switch went off.” He was often alone, not socializing.

After Kohberger’s arrest, Kaylee’s sister found a Reddit questionnaire he allegedly posted to incarcerated people. Questions included “Why did you choose that victim or target?” and “How did you approach the victim?”

She said it looked like “preparation for the perfect crime.”

According to the Moscow police chief, Kohberger was not well-liked by fellow TAs and students. Internal complaints alleged he was “disrespectful to female instructors” and made many female students uncomfortable. He was known for talking down to women.

Phone records showed Kohberger’s phone near the victims’ house multiple times at odd hours before the murders. After the murders, his phone never returned to Moscow—a “starkly different behavior,” according to police.

Digital forensics experts found it “abnormal” that Kohberger had only 18 contacts on his phone and browsed in incognito mode. In the days before his arrest, he searched for “federal wiretapping” and “serial killers.” The morning after the murders, he allegedly took a thumbs-up selfie, seeming to go on proudly with his life.

The victims’ parents were unhappy the university demolished the house in December 2023. Xana Kernodle’s father said the house was evidence and should have been left until the trial ended. Kaylee’s mother said her daughter didn’t just die there—she lived there.

The families believe Kohberger got off too easy with his guilty plea to avoid the death penalty. Kaylee’s aunt said he only had to say “Yes” to the judge. “That’s not enough,” she said.

“The biggest answer I want is why.” Kaylee’s mother added, “I want him to die.”

The responding police officers suffered trauma from the scene. The Moscow police chief said the case affected him “very strongly” and he had to seek professional help—something difficult for law enforcement.

With Kohberger now claiming he’s innocent and trying to withdraw his guilty plea, why would someone who admitted to four murders suddenly take it all back?