Idaho college murder victim Xana Kernodle’s dad shares gut-wrenching regret he had about that night
The father of one of the Idaho college murder victims has revealed heartbreaking details from the night his daughter was killed, alongside three of her friends.
Bryan Kohberger murdered four University of Idaho students in November 2022 - Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
The group were stabbed to death in their off-campus home, with first responders describing it as the most 'gruesome' crime scene they'd ever seen.
Last year, Kohberger was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, and an additional 10 years for burglary.
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On Wednesday (29 July), Netflix released a new three-part docuseries featuring bodycam footage, texts, and interviews with loved ones, called The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare.
Among those speaking in the new documentary series was Xana’s father, Jeff Kernodle, who revealed that he almost stopped by his daughter’s home on the night of her death.
He was at a Washington State University football game in Pullman when he thought about driving over to the house in Moscow, Idaho, and staying over, but ultimately decided against it.
Jeff said: “I should give Xana a call and maybe I’ll just go over and stay at her house tonight.
“And I kind of thought about it, and I drank quite a bit that night. Xana probably would get mad if I drove over there, so I didn’t go, but I could have gone, and things would have been different.”
He questioned: “Maybe they would have had a chance, you know? Some of them.”
Jeff went on to add: “It is just the wrong thing to have to deal with. It is like everybody’s worst nightmare.”
Following the killings, Kohberger walked free in the college town for almost seven weeks before he was arrested.
Jeff revealed that he was shocked to discover that the killer was attending the same school as his other daughter, Jazzmin, and lived close to her.
He recalled: “When I found out that he lives a little ways away from Jazzmin on [the] WSU campus, I was flipped out and wished that Jazzmin wouldn’t have been still staying there at that school ... but at least they got him. That’s what I was happy about - the only thing.”
Hitting out at Kohberger’s plea deal, which meant he avoided the death penalty, the grieving father said: “I was surprised they gave him a plea. He shouldn’t have got one ... He should have to tell them why he did it. Tell all of us parents why he did it if he was going to get the plea.”
Madison and Kaylee were discovered on the third floor of the home, while Xana and her boyfriend Ethan were found together on the second floor.
There were two other roommates in the home at the time - Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen - but they were left unharmed.
After seeing a man in a ski mask, the pair locked themselves in Funke's room overnight and called the police at 11.58am the next morning.
In the documentary, Moscow Police Chief Anthony Dahlinger said: “We asked the question why did the roommates wait eight hours to call the police?
“There are so many reasons why you may not, people are in shock, it’s traumatic - I mean I can’t imagine, being of that age and being able to comprehend that this horrific thing just occurred.”
A timeline of the Idaho murders
12 November 2022
Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, attend a party at Chapin’s fraternity Sigma Chi. Meanwhile, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21, go to sports bar the Corner Club.
13 November 2022
1.45am - Kernodle and Chapin return home to their house on King Road
1.56am - Goncalves and Mogen arrive home
2.44am - Kohberger’s Hyundai sedan is spotted by a CCTV camera at Washington State University. Shortly afterwards, the car is seen again heading towards a road that connects Pullman, Washington, to Moscow, Idaho, where the victims live.
4am - Bryan Kohberger is believed to have entered the property
4.17am - A security camera reveals the sound of a barking dog, voices and what sounds like a thud. At some point around this time, their housemate Dylan Mortensen is awoken and hears a male voice say: “It's OK, Kaylee, I'm here for you.” She later hears crying and sees a masked man in the property.
4.19am - Mortensen attempts to call Kernodle, Goncalves and Mogen, but all calls go unanswered. She started texting Bethany Funke, saying she’s ‘freaking out’ after seeing a man in a ‘ski mask’. Mortensen joins Funke in her room and they lock themselves in.
11.58am - After Mortensen calls her friend Emily Alandt, she and her boyfriend Hunter Johnson come over to the King Road property. Johnson discovers Chapin and Kernodle's bodies and calls 911.
17 November 2022
Preliminary autopsy results show all four victims were attacked with a large knife
7 December 2022
Police say they are looking to speak to any occupants of a white Hyundai Elantra from 2011-13.
30 December 2022
Kohberger is arrested in Pennsylvania and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. Police later reveal they used DNA on a knife sheath to link him to the crime scene, and tracked his car and phone across the area.
22 May 2023
Kohberger remains silent when asked to enter a plea during his arraignment. The judge enters a not guilty plea on his behalf.
26 June 2023
Prosecutors announce they will seek the death penalty.
28 December 2023
The King Road property where the murders took place is demolished to allow the community to heal.
17 April 2024
Kohberger’s defence team claims in court documents that phone mast data shows Kohberger was miles away from Moscow, Idaho at the time of the murders.
4 March 2025
Kohberger’s defence team say he exhibits traits of autism spectrum disorder, and putting him to death would be unconstitutional.
2 July 2025
Weeks before the trial is set to begin, Kohberger pleads guilty to burglary and four counts of first-degree murder.
23 July 2025
Kohberger is sentenced to four consecutive life sentences, plus 10 years for the burglary charge.
He comes face to face with the families of his victims for the first time, who read out impact statements.
Goncalves' sister Alivea tells him that if her sister hadn’t been sleeping when he attacked, ‘Kaylee would've kicked your f**king a**’.
Meanwhile, Mortensen says she’s suffered from debilitating panic attacks since the night of the murders, telling Kohberger he has taken away her ‘ability to trust the world’.
27 July 2026
Kohberger announces he is seeking to take back his guilty plea and overturn his conviction.
He tells the New York Times: “My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn.”
Topics: True Crime, Netflix, Bryan Kohberger, News, US News, Documentaries
Madison Burgess