Bryan Kohberger Affidavit Raises Questions About Roommate Interaction

Of all the revelations contained in the probable cause affidavit released following the arrest of University of Idaho killlings suspect Bryan Kohberger, the most intriguing—and those that have caused the most fascination online—involve the statements made by a housemate who survived the bloodshed and may have seen the killer.

Kohberger was arrested on December 30 and charged with the murder of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, four University of Idaho students who were found fatally stabbed in an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13. Kohberger, 28, says he is innocent.

The affidavit released on Thursday, showing what led police to arrest Kohberger, has sparked questions online, however. While it answers some of the mysteries surrounding the investigation, the new information has also raised further questions.

Two roommates, who were also in the house at the time of the attack, remained unharmed. Early in the investigation, police announced that neither roommate was a suspect. Initially, the police had said that the surviving roommates slept through the attack.

However, it emerged from the affidavit that one of the roommates, Dylan Mortensen (identified in the affidavit only as D.M), may have encountered the murderer.

D.M. told police she woke up at 4 a.m., and soon afterwards, heard a person she thought was Goncalves say something to the effect of "there's someone here," according to the affidavit.

"D.M. stated she looked out of her bedroom but did not see anything when she heard the comment about someone being in the house. D.M. stated she opened her door a second time when she heard what she thought was crying coming from Kernodle's room. D.M. then said she heard a male voice say something to the effect of 'it's ok, I'm going to help you.'

"D.M. stated she opened her door for the third time after she heard the crying and saw a
figure clad in black clothing and a mask that covered the person's mouth and nose walking towards her. D.M. described the figure as 5' 10" or taller, male, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows. The male walked past D.M. as she stood in a 'frozen shock phase.' The male walked towards the back sliding glass door. D.M. locked herself in her room after seeing the male. D.M. did not state that she recognized the male. This leads investigators to believe that the murderer left the scene."

On Reddit, multiple threads have been created discussing the revelations in the affidavit. On the thread title, Probable Cause Affidavit Megathread, 1, 2, 3 and 4, users discussed their own theories and questions.

"Who else is EXTREMELY unsettled by the crying and 'it's ok, I'm going to help you,'" said one comment, while another said: "Absolutely terrifying & heartbreaking."

Some Reddit users questioned whether the man had seen Mortensen and how they would behave if they had found themselves in such a situation.

Some users asked why the individual seen by Mortensen, in the event that it was the killer, did not choose to attack her as well.

Questions also arose regarding who Mortensen heard crying and whether it was the murder suspect or one of the victims.

Some social media users suggested that the voice Mortensen heard saying "I'm going to help you" was from one of the victims as final comforting words. However, no information provided in the affidavit or by the police indicates that this is the case.

Newsweek has contacted the Moscow Police Department for comment.