Friend who found Idaho murder victims’ bodies speaks out for the first time
ArchiveFirst published July 1, 2025. It may not reflect later developments.
Hunter Johnson, the friend who discovered the bodies of the four University of Idaho students, is speaking out for the first time since the 2022 tragedy. “That was our last day living as kids,” he recalled. His girlfriend, Emily Alandt, added, “Our innocence was gone.”
On November 13, 2022, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were brutally murdered in their off-campus home. Bryan Kohberger, the suspect, now faces four life sentences under a reported plea deal, avoiding the death penalty.
The night of the murders, Mogen, Goncalves, and two other roommates had spent time chatting before bed. Kernodle and Chapin were still out. Between 4:00 and 4:25 a.m., the killings occurred. One roommate, Dylan Mortensen, saw a masked figure but didn’t immediately realize what had happened.
The next day, Mortensen, sensing something was wrong, asked Johnson and Alandt to check the house. Johnson discovered two of the bodies upstairs, a moment he described as shocking and surreal.
Their emotional account will feature in One Night in Idaho: The College Murders, premiering July 11 on Prime Video.
