Newly unsealed autopsy reports reveal the horrific extent of injuries inflicted on Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, who were stabbed more than 100 times collectively in a frenzied attack at their off-campus home in November 2022.
Bryan Kohberger, 31, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in a deal that spared him from the death penalty, despite the brutal nature of the crimes detailed in the newly released medical examiner reports.
Xana Kernodle suffered most extensive injuries
Xana Kernodle sustained the most severe trauma, with a minimum of 67 wounds to her body. The autopsy revealed seven stab wounds to her chest, 25 incised wounds of the upper extremities and 23 stab and incised wounds of the scalp, face and neck.
Slain University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves with roommates Dylan Mortensen (left) and Bethany Funke (right). (Court TV)
“This is, in fact, overkill; this is a frenzied event,” said Joseph Scott Morgan, forensic death investigator and host of the Body Bags podcast, while appearing on Court TV’s Closing Arguments with Vinnie Politan. “She fought. You don’t get this contact trace blood elements on the feet without that having occurred.”
The medical examiner determined Kernodle was awake at the time of the attack. Her injuries included punctures of the outer table of the skull, perforations of the jugular vein, and hemorrhage into the chest cavities. Blood was found on the bottoms of her feet, indicating she was upright and mobile during the assault.
Kaylee Goncalves stabbed a minimum of 38 times
Kaylee Goncalves was stabbed a minimum of 38 times, suffering 24 stab and incised wounds to the scalp, face and neck, 11 stab and incised wounds to the chest, and three stab and incised wounds to the upper extremities.
The autopsy revealed punctures of the outer table of the skull, injuries to the teeth and tongue, and perforations of the subclavian artery and vein. She also sustained blunt force injuries, including a scalp laceration with bleeding around the brain, a nasal fracture, and patterned bruises extending across the lower face.
“Bloodstains on the body, bed and wall indicate her posture and position changed during this event,” according to the autopsy report obtained by the Daily Mail.
“This is almost an effort to disfigure,” Morgan noted. “Both Maddie and Kaylee have sustained this kind of concentration where he’s really focused on the face.”
Madison Mogen attacked with similar ferocity
Madison Mogen suffered 28 stab and incised wounds, including 13 to the scalp, face and neck, 10 incised wounds to the upper extremities, and five stab wounds to the chest. Her injuries included wounds to the lung and liver, perforations of the subclavian vein and artery, and an incision of the nasal septum.
“She’s got an incised injury that literally goes across this area, clips the nasal septum,” Morgan explained, demonstrating how the blade was dragged across her face.
The pattern of injuries on both Mogen and Goncalves, who were found in the same bedroom, suggested one of them may have been the primary target.
Ethan Chapin sustained fewer wounds
Ethan Chapin, who was visiting his girlfriend Kernodle that night, suffered 17 wounds, including six incised wounds to the upper extremities, six stab and incised wounds to the lower extremities, four stab and incised wounds to the scalp, face and neck, and one stab wound to the upper chest.
MORE | New photos released of crime scene where Idaho students were murdered
His injuries included perforations of the jugular vein, subclavian vein and subclavian artery. The concentration of wounds to his upper body and the lack of extensive facial trauma suggested the attacker spent less time on him compared to the other victims.
“It doesn’t seem as though Ethan really moved from the position that he was in,” Morgan observed.
Weapon details emerge from autopsy findings
The autopsy reports reference a Ka-Bar style combat knife, noting punctures to the outer table of the skull that indicated the blade’s force and durability. Morgan explained that such knives are designed for both combat and utility.
“If you think about the blade itself kind of glancing off the skull, it will in fact chip that outer table of the skull,” Morgan said. “Every time that this occurs, we begin to think about the hemorrhage that you see inside the cranial vault.”
The weapon has never been recovered.
Two roommates survived the attack
Remarkably, two other roommates in the house that night were not harmed. The autopsy findings and crime scene evidence suggest Kohberger did not encounter or chose not to attack Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, who were on the first floor of the three-story home.
Mortensen later told investigators she saw a masked man leaving the residence in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022.
This story was generated with the assistance of AI using information gathered and verified by a human journalist. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy before publication.
