The horrific details surrounding the November 13, 2022, tragedy at the University of Idaho have long haunted the public consciousness. But newly unsealed court records are shedding light on the terrifying, real-time confusion experienced inside the off-campus Moscow home while a killer moved through the hallways.
The released documents—published by the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office—detail the desperate text messages exchanged between surviving roommates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke as four of their friends were being fatally stabbed upstairs and down the hall.
The victims—Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin—were killed in a matter of minutes. Meanwhile, in the dark, two young women were trying to make sense of footsteps, strange voices, and shadowed figures.
Bryan Kohberger, 31, is currently serving four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. Yet, these raw, unedited text logs take us back to the exact moments before the full scope of the tragedy was known.
“I’m Freaking Out RN”: A Real-Time Digital Record of Fear
The text exchange began shortly after 4:20 a.m. Mortensen, sensing that something was terribly wrong, reached out to her housemates. Desperate for answers, she messaged victim Kaylee Goncalves first, getting no reply, before turning to Funke on the lower level.
What follows is a chilling, minute-by-minute transcript of two young women caught in a nightmare they could barely comprehend:
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Dylan Mortensen: “No one is answering”
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Dylan Mortensen: “I’m rlly confused rn.”
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Dylan Mortensen (to Kaylee Goncalves): “Kaylee”
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Dylan Mortensen (to Kaylee Goncalves): “What’s going on”
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Bethany Funke: “Ya dude wtf”
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Bethany Funke: “Xana was wearing all black”
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Dylan Mortensen: “I’m freaking out rn”
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Dylan Mortensen: “No it’s like ski mask almost”
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Bethany Funke: “Stfu”
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Bethany Funke: “Actually”
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Dylan Mortensen: “Like he had soemtbinf over is for head and little nd mouth”
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Dylan Mortensen: “BF I’m not kidding o am so freaked out”
As the realization set in that an intruder was in the house, panic took over.
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Bethany Funke: “So am I”
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Dylan Mortensen: “My phone is going to die f“*
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Bethany Funke: “Come to my room”
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Bethany Funke: “Run”
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Bethany Funke: “Down here”
The brief exchange captures the chaos of the moment—typos typed with trembling hands, frantic warnings to run, and the agonizing dread of a phone battery slipping away in the dark.
The Hours of Silence and the Trauma of “Freezing”
One aspect of the case that generated intense public debate in the months following the murders was the nearly eight-hour gap between these panicked texts and the first 911 call placed just before noon the next morning.
When emergency services finally arrived, it wasn’t initially reported as a multiple homicide; confused and terrified, the surviving roommates had summoned friends to the house first, leading to a frantic call about an “unconscious person.” Only when officers entered the home did the horrific reality emerge.
Law enforcement officials have consistently emphasized that neither surviving roommate committed any crime, nor were they ever considered suspects.
Psychological and forensic trauma experts have repeatedly pointed out that human responses to extreme terror are rarely textbook. When confronted with unimaginable fear, the brain’s survival instincts often trigger a state of tonic immobility—commonly known as the “freeze” response—where victims hide, lock their doors, or mentally block out what is happening around them until they feel safe enough to move.
Unanswered Questions and Ongoing Legal Battles
While Kohberger admitted to the quadruple murder as part of a plea agreement to avoid the death penalty, a definitive motive has never been officially established by investigators or presented in open court.
In July 2025, Kohberger formally entered his guilty pleas to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary, accepting a sentence that ensures he will spend the rest of his natural life behind bars.
However, the legal saga remains far from settled. In a recent twist, Kohberger has sought to withdraw his guilty plea, maintaining his innocence despite his previous conviction and sentencing—a request that continues to wind its way through ongoing court proceedings.
For the families of the victims and the survivors who endured that horrific night, the release of these text messages serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the sheer panic, confusion, and loss that invaded a quiet college town in a matter of minutes.