Will the Dateline episode haunt the defense or prosecution in Kohberger trial?

I finally got chance last evening to watch the recent Dateline on NBC episode of “The Terrible Night on King Road” that aired earlier this month.

Aside from coming up with a rather boring title for this specific show, the episode was nonetheless interesting to say the least.

As someone who has followed the case from day one and stood feet away from the quadruple murder scene on two visits to Moscow back in 2023, I have been drawn to this tragedy.

A single murder case as tragic as it is can be rather riveting to follow. When there are four victims involved and they are college students, you have all the makings of a tragic soap opera. Sadly, this was all too real and not a TV production.

With that in mind, here are a few takes on the two hours of TV I watched last night:

• Defendant Bryan Kohberger was certainly not painted in any positive light. While he doesn’t deserve any special treatment, NBC all but convicted him in this episode. Moving the summer trial to Boise from Moscow is supposed to improve chances of him getting a fair trial. Finding 12 impartial jurors may well have been made more difficult after this two-hour show.
• If looking at pictures of women in bikinis online, reading up on serial killer cases, using gloves to handle garbage, being awkward at social events, driving around towns in the middle of the night etc. is considered suspicious and even criminal behavior, most guys and probably even some women would have been locked by now. In fact, our jails and prisons would have been beyond full. I have extensively studied Ted Bundy and Danny Rolling for years now. It does not mean I’m going to go out and knife a number of college students or anyone for that matter.
• The show gave the theory that the killer started their rampage on the third floor of the home before going back to the second floor. It is alleged that Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves on the third floor sharing a bed were the first two victims. Upon hearing some commotion upstairs, victim Xana Kernodle began going up the stairs before being confronted with the killer. She was then reportedly chased back to her room and killed along with her boyfriend (Ethan Chapin) who had been spending the night there.
• Survivors and fellow roommates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke were reportedly awakened by commotion upstairs and scared by it all, yet waited nearly eight hours to call 911. I’ve been over this portion of the case many times before, so no need to rehash all my thoughts. That said, I still do NOT understand and no one has provided a logical reason as to why the two never went to the third floor to check on or get Maddie and Kaylee during all of this. They were the two oldest women in the home and one would think the most responsible. As such, with noise and Dylan claiming she spotted a masked intruder in the home shortly after the four victims were attacked, why would you not go and check on or get the two on the third floor when safe to do so? Being drunk, young women, scared etc. doesn’t cut it for most people.
• The episode also claims that Dylan partially saw Xana on the floor of her bedroom and allegedly passed out from likely drinking. There is never any mention of lots of blood being seen on or around Xana. If this crime was as brutal as the police and others seem to portray it as, how could Dylan not see any blood? Once again, while I do not think Dylan or Bethany were directly involved, their eight or so hours of actions or rather in-actions are strange and questionable to say the least.
• Dateline barely mentions that Xana and Ethan were at a frat party on the evening before the killings took place. There have been rumors (take them for what they are worth) that there was an incident at the party that may well have involved Ethan and possibly Xana too. While it may be just a rumor, could something from the party have spilled over hours later to 1122 King Road? While it is certainly possible for one person to do these killings in less than 15 minutes, I still feel multiple people were involved in some manner. If they were, that means one or more are walking free two and a half years later.

If you’ve watched the Dateline episode, what is your take on what you saw? Do you think it could help or hurt either side?

*PLEASE keep in mind this blog is for adult discussion on a tragic case that many of us have become invested in. More than happy to share thoughts on it even if we agree to disagree. What won’t be tolerated is name-calling, rude remarks etc.