The college town of Moscow, Idaho, was thrust into the news in November 2022 when four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in their home while two other housemates slept nearby. The murders led to a month-long investigation. Idaho State Police, in conjunction with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, arrested the suspected killer, Bryan Kohberger, a Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University, at his family’s home in Pennsylvania. 20/20 and 48 Hours have covered the case, but true crime enthusiasts are curious to see if Netflix produces a documentary on the case. Considering the streaming service provider’s penchant for true crime, it feels like a possibility.
An overview of the Idaho student murders
On Sunday, Nov. 13, a 911 call was placed around noon for an unconscious person at a Moscow, Idaho, home. The home was shared by five college students. According to Fox, police arrived and found the bodies of four victims instead. All were killed with an edged weapon sometime in the 4 am hour. Two other people were in the house at the time of the slayings. They were unharmed.
The victims, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20, were housemates. Ethan Chapin, 20, is the fourth victim. He was at the house as a guest of Kernodle. The pair were dating. Goncalves and Mogen were seen on a Live Stream at a food truck just hours before their deaths. Chapin and Kernodle were allegedly at a fraternity party just before the murders. Nothing seemed to be amiss in the hours leading up to the slayings. According to court documents, police believe Kohberger drove b the house several times before entering in the early morning hours of Nov. 13 and attacking. A surviving roommate reported seeing a man wearing a mask in the home that morning. ‘
Idaho police, along with the FBI, narrowed their suspect pool to someone driving a Hyundai Elantra. They later asked the public for help finding it. Cell phone data and surveillance camera footage from the area appeared to place the 28-year-old Ph.D. candidate at the scene of the crime. Law enforcement agencies followed Kohberger across the country as he traveled home to Pennsylvania during the school break. He was arrested in his home state and extradited back to Idaho, where he will stand trial.
’20/20′ and ’48 Hours’ have both jumped to cover the tragic case
20/20 and 48 Hours were both quick to cover the case. 48 Hours covered the case on Jan. 7. 20/20 followed with an episode that aired on Jan. 13, just one day after Kohberger appeared in court. Both episodes offered viewers an overview of the crimes and information about the alleged killer.
Still, a lot remains unknown about the case. Most specifically, police have not revealed a motive. In the days since Kohberger’s dramatic arrest on the opposite side of the country from the murders, several people who allege to have spent time around Kohberger have come forward to tell their stories. They are largely conflicting. The Kohberger they knew largely depended on the time in his life that they knew him. Still, none of the close encounter stories have offered insight into why the Ph.D. student would have broken into a home and brutally murdered four occupants that he didn’t seem to know.
That information may come later, or it may never be revealed to the public. However, the 48 Hours and 20/20 episodes felt premature. Some true crime enthusiasts are eying a longer, more involved documentary, and that’s the type of content that Netflix does well. Will they be doing it? Well, not yet.
Netflix has yet to comment on whether or not they’ll be creating a true crime offering on the case. The streaming service provider’s catalog is pretty full of true crime offerings already, though. The platform released a project that covered another infamous true crime case out of Idaho just two months before the deaths of the Chapin, Goncalves, Kernodle, and Mogen. Sins of Our Mother follows the disappearance and death of Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow. Their mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, stands accused of their murders.
Netflix released Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street and The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker this year. The streaming platform is set to premiere Tokyo Crime Squad: The Lucie Blackman Case in 2023, as well. More true crime series and documentaries are expected.
If Netflix opts to cover the case, it would likely be some time before subscribers see it. Kohberger last appeared in an Idaho courtroom on Jan. 12. A preliminary hearing is set for June 2023. No new information is expected to be released between now and the preliminary hearing. As a complete picture of the alleged murderer, and his victims, who were all described as bright, ambitious, and caring, comes into view, there will surely be more to the story.
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