It has been almost a year since the University of Idaho student murder case happened where only two survivors were found, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke. Both students were found in their off-campus homes on November 12, 2022, when the criminology student Bryan Kohbeger allegedly snuck into the Moscow house. He was found guilty of stabbing his roommates Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin to death on their beds.
What Happened?
Dylan Mortensen, who is the prime evidence at the scene of the murder along with her roommate, told the police that she saw someone approaching the home’s back exit around 4 am, all dressed in black and wearing a mask. She even had a near encounter with the criminal shortly after the dead body was discovered. The two roommates were discovered to be messaging each other often at the time of the murder.
The two women received an outburst of hate messages on the internet after the police revealed that nobody had called 911 for an hour after the incident. The 21-year-old Funke resides in Nevada and has maintained an even lower profile.
Her lawyers only attempted to get her to testify as part of murder suspect Bryan Kohberger’s defense early this year when they filed a move against a summons. But later on, Funke consented to speak with the suspect’s lawyers for an interview. It’s unknown whether this occurred or what the outcome was.
The Mystery Not Disclosed
Why Mortensen and Funke did not notify the police immediately after the killings remains a mystery. The Post was informed in January by an Idaho law enforcement source that “we don’t know if it was an issue of intoxication or fear.” In a recently made public police declaration, Mortensen claimed to have heard Goncalves remark, “There’s someone here,” then she heard weeping coming from Kernodle’s room and a man’s voice saying, “It’s OK, I’m going to help you.”
The roommates, who occupied the first and second floors of the property, had acquaintances visit the scene before one of them decided to dial 911, according to early police reports. The initial letter of each of their friends’ first names, encircled by angel wings, was tattooed on the backs of Mortensen and Funke’s elbows in December as a memorial to their murdered housemates.
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How Bryan Kohberger and Dylan Mortensen Had a Close Encounter?
Mortensen told the police that she heard someone in a male voice saying that he would help someone and assuring her not to worry about something. The report says that she heard all this from the Kernodle’s room when the killings were happening. Mortensen claimed to have seen a man who seemed to be around five feet ten inches tall and clothed in black when she opened her bedroom door to have a peek around.
While describing the killer she added that his face had “bushy eyebrows” and a black mask covering his nose and mouth. The police found the Idaho student survivor was in a state of utter shock and was freezing when she saw the bodies. She stayed in her room by herself the rest of the night after that.
Dylan Mortensen Received A Lot Of Hate
A detail in the case that drew criticism against Dylan Mortensen vsco and her companion survivor, Bethany Funke, was that they did not call 911 until somewhere about noon the next day.
According to Munroe, her stepmother, “I challenge anyone to be in a situation where they wake up and, you know, not even realizing it.” Munroe went on.
“People need to realize that these kids are so young. It’s just a terrible traumatic experience for them, you know. All I think is that people ought to be kind.” Since the affidavit’s publication, her stepdaughter has been the target of intense public scrutiny, including allegations that she is a drug dealer and a murderer.
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The Killer: Bryan Kohberger
In December 2022, police in Pennsylvania detained and accused 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger with four charges of murder and one count of criminal burglary. He is charged with killing the students by stabbing them while they slept in their off-campus housing.
Kohberger was a criminology doctoral candidate at the University of Washington. Recently, a Latah County Judge denied the defense’s request to have Kohberger’s indictment dismissed due to an “error in grand jury instructions.” The highly anticipated murder trial has not yet been set for a date.
Dylan Mortensen Paised the Victims
At a memorial ceremony for the victims in December, an Idaho pastor read a letter from Mortensen and Funke, according to CNN. Mortensen’s letter, according to CNN, called Kernodle the life of the party as well as a strong, intelligent, hardworking, and beautiful person. She said that Chapin was like an “older brother” to Mortensen and sweet and loving to his partner Kernodle.
Dylan Mortensen Maintaining a Private Life
Mortensen’s Instagram account is private, so hardly much is available there. She is shown alongside Funke and the three female victims in her profile picture. Before it was taken down, Mortenson’s Facebook profile claimed to be from Boise, Idaho and had some old photos. Her former LinkedIn profile indicates that she attended Boise Senior High School. Mortensen does not have a bio provided on her TikTok profile, which is kept private. On TikTok, she only has 246 followers.
Where Are They Now?
It was almost a year after the horrible event that Mortensen decided to transfer colleges. In the meanwhile, 28-year-old criminology student Bryan Kohberger has pled not guilty to four counts of murder and is being held without a scheduled trial. Munroe effectively captured Mortensen’s deep sense of shame while highlighting how hard it is to accept the title of “fortunate” when every victim should have been saved from such a terrible fate.
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