BOISE, Idaho (Court TV) — Nearly four years after her four roommates were stabbed to death in the home they shared near the University of Idaho, Dylan Mortensen is asking the court to maintain the redactions of her face in any future videos or photos the court releases.
Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were murdered in their home on Nov. 13, 2022. (Court TV)
Mortensen lived with Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle on Nov. 13, 2022, when Bryan Kohberger, 31, broke into their home and stabbed three of the women to death. Kohberger pleaded guilty to killing the three women, along with Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, who had been staying over at the house.
In the years since Kohberger pleaded guilty and was sentenced to multiple life terms, investigators have been releasing videos, photos and other evidence that made up the prosecution’s case. Among the items released were autopsy reports, which indicated that Mogen was stabbed 28 times and that Goncalves was stabbed more than 38 times and had one of her teeth knocked out.
Those releases prompted Mortensen to ask the court to release all body-camera footage, interview recordings and other videos with her face redacted. Mortensen’s mother submitted an affidavit supporting the request, explaining that she is concerned for her daughter’s safety.
“The public has access to her words, her voice, her vocal intonations, her cries, her physical presence, her hair and her mannerisms as captured in the released recordings. Her face is the principal identifying feature that has been obscured,” Mortensen’s mother wrote. “Releasing the same footage again with Dylan’s face visible would not simply make existing information more accessible. It would remove a remaining layer of protection for a young woman whose identity, private life and personal security have already been subjected to extraordinary public exposure.”
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)
The affidavit said that since the court initially released Mortensen’s full name, address, phone number and social media accounts, she has become the victim of harassment both online and in person. “Dylan’s name has been used in hashtags more than 30 million times, by our family’s count, and disturbing online content about her continues to be created and circulated,” her mother said. “Photoshopped images have been posted and shared depicting knives and other disturbing objects edited into her hands. We have also found hundreds of posts and comments containing threats or references to harming or killing her. As recently as approximately 10 days ago, someone publicly posted online, ‘Next time I see Dylan in downtown Boise, I am putting her in my trunk.'”
The affidavit said Mortensen and her family have moved nine times to “protect her security and privacy,” but reporters and self-styled “internet sleuths” still follow them, her mother said. “Vehicles have chased members of our family at high speeds, chasing down Dylan’s sister, and with occupants yelling accusations such as, ‘Your daughter is the murderer!'”
Kohberger is currently fighting to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing that he changed his plea based on “false promises and blatant disinformation.” Kohberger has also asked to have the judge who presided over that hearing removed from his case. No hearings have been scheduled.
