User:Mose2003/Idaho Murders

The Poconos had no significance until December 30, 2022 when  there was a murderer found residing there. Traveling over 2500 miles away from the murder scene and ending up in northeastern Pennsylvania, he was found in the gated community of Indian Mountain Lake (Allegrucci, 2022).

Four University of Idaho students were stabbed in the early hours of the morning on November 13, 2022. Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were the students who lost their lives. Their bodies were found the next morning by surviving roommates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke (Keane, 2023). An additional article narrows their search down to 28 year old male, Bryan Kohberger, who graduated from Washington State University. Police traced his location during the time of the murders and flagged his white Hyundai Elantra as evidence as well as his DNA being matched at the college student’s house (Campbell, 2022).

Suspicions started to rise when Dylan Mortensen claimed she saw the killer, Bryan Kohberger, in her home the morning of the murders. The affidavit was released and claimed that Dylan opened her door a total of three times because she heard noises. The third time opening her door, she saw a “5 ’10 or taller, male, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows.” She stated that the man walked past her and left the crime scene while Dylan stood still in shock. She then immediately locked her bedroom door (Cesaric, 2023). Police were not called until hours later. The public started to place blame on her and wonder why it took so long for a 911 call. Suspicions began to rise about her intentions as her actions were called into question. Dylan’s automatic response was shock and fear. Additionally, another news article reveals that the two surviving roommates were awake and texting each other during the time the murders were occurring (Ruiz, 2023).

The lack of information the police were sharing gave no indications that they were close to finding the murderer. Due to lack of media news, this caused an emotional toll on the father of Kaylee Goncalves, Steve. After three weeks of no suspects or persons of interest he became aggravated and helpless, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. Since he was not receiving the answers he wanted, he raised money to hire a private investigator to dig deeper into the stabbings. Steve Goncalves stated, “I do not feel confident” referring to the police investigation. “And that’s why I push the envelope and say a little bit more. I hate to be ‘that guy’ but everybody has a role to play in this and this is my role as a father” (I.E Staff, 2022).

Tik Tok can have a chokehold on today’s society whether it be good or bad. Specifically, the true crime side of Tik Tok can be influential to its audience. Numerous conspiracies have circulated through people’s for you page (FYP) that have caused controversy. Critics about the witnesses, surviving roommates, and suspects have circulated many questions and hypothetical theories. TikTok influencers and other individuals have posted videos about information that public viewers have received and started dissecting this mystery themselves. For instance, the Rolling Stones magazine stated, “… some extreme TikTok accounts went as far as publicly naming individuals as murderers without cause” (Jones, 2023). This caused a lot of backlash and hate among those individuals being blamed and the audience viewers. The surviving roommates started to get blamed once Dylan came forward and admitted she made eye contact with the murderer. Once the affidavit was released, there were videos using the hashtag of the roommates’ names underneath the post. These videos with that hashtag have over 36 million views. People were questioning her motives, actions, and presence during the morning of the murders (Jones, 2023).

Misinformation is common in today’s media and news. Words can be spread and rumors can be formed. Unfortunately, this situation got extreme and the law got involved. A professor at the University of Idaho filed a defamation lawsuit against a psychic Tik Toker, Ashley Guillard. A tarot card reading led this individual to accuse professor, Rebecca Scofield, of the killings of all four students. In some of Guillard’s Tik Tok videos she says, “I don’t care what y’all say … Rebecca was the one to initiate the plan” and “Rebecca Scofield is going to prison for the murder of the 4 University of Idaho Students whether you like it or not” (Yang, 2022). The professor filed a defamation lawsuit and sued Guillard for refusing to take the video down. Putting up personal opinions on the internet is one thing, but falsely accusing and blaming other individuals is harassment and degrading.

Media exposure and messages have a huge influence on our perspectives and perceptions in today’s society. There was a 20/20 documentary released about this scandal called “Horror in Idaho: The Student Murders.” It was released January 13, 2023 and began streaming on Hulu the following day. This episode provided details and insights about the ongoing investigation. In addition, emotional interviews with friends, family members, and classmates of the victims were included (Osteen, et al, 2023). More visual content such as magazine articles, newspaper sections, and YouTube and TikTok videos creates public attention and can catch the audience’s attention. Additionally, there have been various podcast episodes released from many individuals regarding the capture and prosecution of Bryan Kohberger. These podcasts give true crime insight and dive into the deep questions and motives for his horrendous actions. They try to uncover the awful truth and keep the audience on the edge of their seats while listening.

The Idaho murder case went on for several months causing frustration among the families and public audience. The lack of answers throughout the investigation was discouraging for the public and especially for the victims’ families. This scandal starting in Idaho landed in another state causing shock among everyone. No thought or consideration was done which caused pain for many families and friends who knew the four young souls who lost their lives unexpectedly and tragically. Media played an important role in this investigation which allowed for experts to take a closer and deeper look into social media accounts, camera footage, and phone tracking. Without this media today, it would be hard to catch a criminal.