One of the two survivors from the Nov. 13, 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students wants less focus on her moving forward.
Dylan Mortensen, who allegedly saw Bryan Kohberger inside the residence at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, in the early morning hours of the murders, said she and her family have had to relocate countless times over the last four years due to the publicity the case brought her. Kohberger, a former Washington State grad student, pled guilty in the summer of 2025 to killing four students inside the home. Mortensen and fellow roommate Bethany Funke were not harmed during the murders.
The former roommate of Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, recently wrote to Judge Megan Marshall requesting that she reconsider her decision to release video and images that potentially feature Mortensen’s face. The video and images had previously been requested by independent media company EWU Media LLC.
According to the Daily Mail (see full story here), a hearing is slated for Nov. 12, as Kohberger is set to appear in court once again for a hearing on his petition for post-conviction relief on December 10.
‘I am writing to respectfully ask the Court to maintain the existing redactions that blur my face in police interviews, body-camera footage and other investigative recordings related to the University of Idaho murders,’ Mortensen wrote in an affidavit to Marshall. ‘I testified for the prosecution and gave multiple interviews regarding the man I saw in the home on the night of the murders,’ she added in her writing to the judge.
‘I am not asking for the interviews or body-camera recordings to be withheld from the public, nor am I for information about the investigation to be hidden. I am asking the Court to consider what additional information is actually gained by removing the blurring from my face,’ the affidavit read. ‘My statements do not change when my face is visible, and the information being discussed in those recordings remains the same. What changes is the public’s ability to examine my facial expressions, become more familiar with my appearance, and circulate images of me during an incredibly vulnerable time.’
Mortensen also noted in her request that, ‘Since November 2022, my life has changed in ways I never could have imagined. Along with losing four of my friends and experiencing something incredibly traumatic, I have spent nearly four years dealing with public attention, harassment, threats, and constant speculation about my involvement in what happened.
‘People who have never met me have formed opinions about my character, questioned my actions, and accused me of things I had absolutely nothing to do with.
‘I understand that I cannot control what people choose to believe or say about me, but the amount of attention and hostility I have received has affected nearly every aspect of my everyday life. It has changed how I interact with people, where I feel comfortable going, and how much personal information I feel safe sharing.’
The affidavit claims that Mortensen and her family have moved nine times since the ordeal began, as ‘reporters and strangers investigating the case on their own have shown up outside of our homes, followed family members and invaded our privacy in ways that have made it difficult to feel safe.’
Mortensen added that she used an alias to protect her identity, often introducing herself to strangers under the pseudonym or when receiving deliveries or packages.
Both Mortensen and Funke are still under scrutiny to this day.
While neither were never charged with taking part in the murders, there have been questions in the online community if the two told authorities all they know about the night/early morning hours of Nov. 12-13, 2022.
Do you think Mortensen’s request should be granted by the judge?
(Photo courtesy of Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Images)
