Idaho Roommate 'Passed Out' After Seeing Suspect, Former FBI Agent Suggests

A retired FBI agent suggested on Friday that a roommate of the four slain University of Idaho students may have "passed out" after encountering what was likely the murderer.

Jennifer Coffindaffer has weighed in before with her thoughts about the fatal November 13 stabbings. Now, she has a theory that could help explain why the roommate, 21-year-old Dylan Mortensen, didn't immediately contact police, who were called to the scene roughly eight hours after the murders.

Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested late last month at his parent's house in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, and charged with murdering Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, and Ethan Chapin, 20. The students were found stabbed to death in their beds in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.

Mortensen and another roommate were also present at the time of the attacks, but were spared.

Kohberger has adamantly maintained his innocence. His Pennsylvania-based public defender, Jason LaBar, has said that his client is "eager to be exonerated."

On the night of the murders, Mortensen opened her door multiple times after hearing noises and and possible crying, eventually encountering an unknown person in the home she shared with the victims, according to the probable cause affidavit released by police on Thursday. She told investigators that she saw a "figure clad in black clothing and a mask" walking toward her, in the direction of the home's back sliding glass door.

As the man passed by her, Mortensen "stood in a 'frozen shock phase,'" and then "locked herself in her room."

The killings are believed to have occurred between 4 and 4:25 a.m., documents show, but law enforcement wasn't called out to the scene until around noon.

Mortensen has since come under fire from critics who are puzzled on why it took so long to call police. The way Coffindaffer sees it, though, she may have been paralyzed with fear.

"Let's talk DM: -21 -Late -Possibly under the influence -Face to Face with stranger in black feet away -Froze due to Fear -Locked herself in BR -I believe DM passed out from trauma/fear/stress -To think you could be killed is gripping; I know #idahosuspect," she tweeted Friday.

Coffindaffer also shared an article from Medical News Today that lays out why someone may experience a freeze response when faced with danger. It explains that a "frozen" person isn't able to "take action against the danger" or even move, though they are still "extremely alert."

Such a response may prompt symptoms including a lowered heart rate and physical immobility.

"Another potential reaction is tonic immobility, which some refer to as 'flop,'" the article also states. "This involves becoming completely physically or mentally unresponsive. Fainting in response to fear is an example of the 'flop' response."

Coffindaffer previously told Newsweek that a "treasure trove" of DNA evidence would likely be discovered in Kohberger's car and apartment, linking him back to the case.

"In my experience you just really can't hide blood evidence, it sinks in," she said on Friday. "Just imagine the upholstery of your car, the gas pedal...I know he was probably gloved, we know he was covered all in black in terms of his face and all, but he would have been bloody."

Newsweek reached out to Coffindaffer for additional comment.