When I first heard about the University of Idaho murders, I was neck-deep in a different case file, nursing my third coffee of the night. My phone lit up with a news alert, and I remember thinking, “No way. Not four students. Not in their beds.” But it was real—as real as the chill that ran down my spine and the sick feeling that followed.
College campuses are supposed to be safe havens (or at least that’s what the brochures promise). But on November 13, 2022, that illusion was shattered when Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho.
The kind of crime that makes you triple-check your locks tonight. Trust me, I already did.
The Nightmare on King Road
Four students. One house. A killer who slipped in and out while two roommates slept through the horror. If this sounds like the opening of a slasher film, that’s because reality sometimes writes the most terrifying scripts.
Bryan Kohberger now faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. His trial is set for 2025, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty. The case hinges largely on DNA evidence found on a knife sheath at the scene—evidence the defense has tried (and failed) to have dismissed.
I’ve spent countless hours poring over the available case details (much to Ryan’s annoyance—”Are you coming to bed or solving crimes tonight?”). What strikes me most is how ordinary the night was before everything went sideways.
Campus Safety: The Myth vs. Reality
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: most universities sell parents and students a carefully crafted image of safety. Brochures show well-lit pathways and smiling security guards. What they don’t show is how those same pathways go dark when bulbs burn out, or how those security guards might be covering impossibly large areas.
The University of Idaho, like many schools, had standard safety measures in place. But standard doesn’t mean sufficient.
Since the murders, schools nationwide have been scrambling to enhance security—installing more cameras, improving lighting, and updating alert systems. Campus safety experts recommend universities conduct regular security audits and actually listen to student concerns instead of filing them away in administrative purgatory.
(I’d bet good money that somewhere, in some forgotten email thread, a student had complained about security near that house before the murders.)
The Ripple Effect of Tragedy
Communities don’t just bounce back from something like this. They transform.
Moscow, Idaho became a town where parents started driving their kids to class. Where students moved home mid-semester. Where local hardware stores sold out of door jammers and window alarms faster than toilet paper during the pandemic.
The psychological impact spreads far beyond the immediate circle of victims. Every student who ever walked alone at night suddenly feels vulnerable. Every parent sending a kid to college reconsiders their choice.
And for those of us in the true crime community? We’re left wondering which warning signs were missed, which red flags went unnoticed, which patterns could have been spotted earlier.
What You Can Actually Do
If you’re a student (or have one in your life), here are some reality-checked safety measures that actually make a difference:
1. Use location sharing with trusted friends when going out. And yes, check in on each other if someone doesn’t arrive when expected. You’re not being paranoid—you’re being smart.
2. Upgrade your home security, especially if you live off-campus. Basic door jammers cost less than a night of drinks and can prevent someone from forcing their way in.
3. Trust your instincts. That weird feeling you get about a situation or person? It’s your brain processing subtle danger signals before your conscious mind catches up.
The National Institute of Justice offers resources on campus crime prevention that go beyond the usual “walk in groups” advice. Their research-backed approaches focus on environmental design and community engagement—because safety isn’t just about avoiding danger, it’s about creating spaces where danger can’t hide.
The Investigation: What We Know (and Don’t)
The case against Kohberger includes cell phone data placing him near the victims’ residence at least a dozen times before the murders. His car was spotted on surveillance footage. And that DNA on the knife sheath? It’s a damning piece of evidence.
But what we don’t know is almost more disturbing: the why. What connection, if any, did he have to these students? What triggered such violence?
Campus Safety Magazine recently published an analysis suggesting that universities need to better monitor concerning behaviors in their communities—not just enrolled students, but graduate assistants, faculty, and even those living near campus boundaries.
Would better monitoring have flagged Kohberger? Maybe. Maybe not. But it might save someone else.
The Bottom Line
The Idaho murders remind us that safety isn’t guaranteed—not even in spaces designed for learning and growth. But that doesn’t mean we should live in fear.
It means we should live in awareness.
Check your locks tonight. And maybe check on your friends too.
(I would have survived this crime… but only because I’m the person who already has a baseball bat under the bed and pepper spray in every room. Ryan calls it excessive. I call it prepared.)