Idaho Case Grips the Nation
by Hannah Guanti
If you are following current events in the United States, it is likely your news feed has been flooded with the gruesome murders of four college students from the University of Idaho. Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were the four students slain in an off-campus house in the early hours of November 13, 2022.
The students had been enjoying a night out in their town and then returned home just hours before they were killed. What followed was a nationwide hunt for the perpetrator, rapidly spreading disinformation and a new storm that kept the story high on the public’s mind.
This investigation came to a head when twenty-eight-year-old Bryan Kohberger was arrested and charged with all four of the murders. The police apprehended him in his home state of Pennsylvania, where he was held before being transported to Idaho to stand trial. While the details of this case have not been fully revealed due to its ongoing nature, it has been revealed that Kohberger had been stalking several of the young victims in person and on social media prior to November 13.
As the public has been unable to look away from the media storm, it is also important that our community as well as many others across the country learn from this experience. As college students, we have a unique perspective on this case. Despite Roanoke being a residential campus, many students live off campus or have friends that do. This has left much of our community with concerns. Senior Lilly Baranowski shared her concerns following the murders. “I live off campus in a house with all girls,” shared Baranowski, “(this case) has made us all very worried about how real this is and how it can happen to anyone.”
The piece is not intended to be doom and gloom, but instead an urge for students to be diligent about their safety. Despite the murders occurring across the country, students are urged to be always attentive to their surroundings. This can be through locking their home and car doors, not holding dorm doors open for strangers, walking in a group instead of alone, and being knowledgeable about safety practices at Roanoke. These include the blue light boxes around campus.
The deaths of Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle, and Chapin were devastating not just for the Moscow community but for the entire country. The court case is currently ongoing, and any updates will be through the City of Moscow Police Department. Nothing will bring back these young lives, but their families are hopeful to receive justice soon.
