Newly unsealed autopsy reports mark the latest development in the case of Bryan Kohberger, the man responsible for the 2022 homicide of four University of Idaho students.
The documents detailed the final moments of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, as well as the extent of their injuries. At least one victim fought for her life before succumbing to her wounds.
Highlights
- Autopsy reports state Kohberger’s four victims were stabbed a combined total of 150 times.
- Investigators determined Xana Kernodle was awake and struggled against the attacker.
- Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison instead of capital punishment in 2025.
In July 2025, Kohberger, a criminal justice doctorate candidate, was spared from capital punishment after a controversial plea deal that rubbed salt into the wounds of the victims’ families.
“What would you want? Justice or vengeance?” Kristi, the mother of Kaylee Goncalves, said at the time, accusing prosecutors of blindsiding them.
Warning: This article contains graphic and disturbing details related to violent crime and may be upsetting to some readers.
Autopsy reports reveal the extent of the injuries suffered by the four victims of Bryan Kohberger
Image credits: Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Images
According to key autopsy findings obtained by People Magazine, the victims were stabbed a combined total of 150 times inside their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.
Goncalves was stabbed approximately 38 times, Mogen 28 times, Chapin 17 times, and Kernodle 67 times. The wounds were spread across their entire bodies.
Image credits: kayleegoncalves/Instagram
Goncalves and Mogen were found together in Mogen’s bedroom. The former also presented blunt force injuries to the head and signs of being asphyxiated; she also presented injuries to her teeth and tongue, as well as hemorrhaging in her chest cavity.
Image credits: kayleegoncalves/Instagram
Mogen’s injuries were similarly extensive. She was stabbed 13 times on her scalp, face, and neck, five times in the chest, and sustained 10 incised wounds to her upper extremities.
The filing states that she suffered wounds to her lung and liver, perforations of the subclavian vein, subclavian artery, and blood vessels of the chest wall, as well as an incision of the nasal septum.
Both women were reportedly asleep when they were attacked, and had no opportunity to fight back.
Xana Kernodle was the only one of the four who was awake when Kohberger attacked
Image credits: xanakernodle/Instagram
Chapin and Kernodle, who were dating, were found in Kernodle’s bedroom. Chapin was still in the bed, while Kernodle’s body was discovered on the floor. From that detail, investigators concluded she engaged in a violent struggle with Kohberger.
Chapin sustained one stab wound to the upper chest, four stab wounds to the scalp, face, and neck, six to his upper extremities, and six wounds to his lower extremities.
The autopsy findings state that he suffered perforations of the jugular vein, subclavian vein, and subclavian artery.
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Like Goncalves and Mogen, Chapin was attacked while sleeping and had no chance to defend himself.
Kernodle’s injuries, however, stand apart in both number and nature.
According to the filing, Kernodle suffered widespread abrasions and bruising, along with dozens of stab wounds across her head, neck, chest, abdomen, back, and limbs.
The report states that several of the wounds pierced vital organs, including her jugular vein, heart, and lungs, causing extensive internal bleeding.
Image credits: Moscow Police Department
Investigators also noted blood on the bottom of her feet, which was seen as evidence that the 20-year-old moved around the room during the attack.
“She’s a tough kid. Whatever she wanted to do, she could do it,” her father, Jeffrey Kernodle, told local media after learning his daughter had fought back.
The decision to sentence Kohberger to life in prison instead of capital punishment remains a sore spot for the families
Image credits: Moscow Police Department
Despite his studies and apparent preparation, investigators concluded that Kohberger made a fatal mistake by leaving behind the sheath of the Ka-Bar knife he used in the attack.
Records show he had purchased the weapon months earlier on Amazon, and the sheath recovered at the crime scene contained his DNA. That single oversight ultimately anchored the case against him and led to his arrest.
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The testimony of a surviving roommate, Dylan Mortensen, was also crucial. She told investigators she came face-to-face with a man with “bushy eyebrows” before he walked out the door, a description that became a critical early lead.
Image credits: Ada County Sheriff's Office
After Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders and was sentenced to life in prison, the families of the victims called for a revision of the decision, as they maintain he should’ve been stripped of his right to live.
“[He’s] literally too afraid to die, but he wasn’t afraid to [take my daughter’s life]. Kaylee wasn’t offered a plea deal,” Kristi Goncalves said.
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“The Department Of Justice needs to order an investigation into the district attorney's office for mishandling this case,” a reader argued.
“If he had gotten the dth penalty, he’d be on dth row for the next 30 years, and the families would have to attend appeal after appeal,” another replied.
"Innocent souls." Netizens offered their condolences to the victims’ families
