Bryan Kohberger, the man who admitted to killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, said one of the victims’ names while committing the heinous crime, per newly unsealed police documents.
Surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen told Idaho police that Kohberger, 30, identified Kaylee Goncalves by name during the quadruple slaying, according to docs obtained by People and NewsNation.
“Sometime in the early morning hours, [Mortensen] was awoken and opened her room door [redacted] and heard a male say, ‘It’s okay, Kaylee, I’m here for you,’ and crying,” Idaho State Police Tpr. Jeffory Talbot wrote in a summary based on a discussion with Sgt. Dustin Blaker of the Moscow Police Department.
“She then shut the door. A short while later, she opened her door again and saw someone approximately 5’10” tall, dressed in black with a ski mask, standing in the kitchen,” the documents continued.
In response, Kaylee’s father, Steve Goncalves, told TMZ on Sunday, August 17, that this was the first he had heard of the chilling detail.
“The only thing more disturbing than the murder of your child is hearing that the killer called out her name while committing this heinous act — and then discovering the prosecutor deliberately hid this fact from the families,” Steve said.
According to Steve, “Kaylee knew she was being hunted — yet no one in that town lifted a finger to stop it.”
In early July, Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders of Kaylee, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
The killer was handed four consecutive life sentences during a sentencing hearing on July 23.
Mortensen delivered a victim impact statement at the hearing, describing Kohberger as a “hollow vessel, something less than human, a body without empathy, without remorse.”
“He chose destruction. He chose evil. He feels nothing. He tried to take everything from me: my friends, my safety, my identity, my future,” she said.
“He will stay here, empty, forgotten and powerless,” she added.
Following Kohberger’s sentencing, Latah County prosecutor Bill Thompson theorized why Kohberger had spared Mortensen, who said she saw her roommates’ assailant on the night.
“From what Dylan described, I have a hard time imagining that the killer did not see Dylan,” he said.
Thompson continued, “At that point, he’d been in the house probably longer than he planned, and he had killed more people than he planned. … It wouldn’t surprise us that the killer was scared at that point and decided they had to leave, not knowing if law enforcement already had been called.”
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