Tag Archives: Dylan Mortensen

As we just recently passed the eight month anniversary of the killings of four University of Idaho students at 1122 King Road on Nov. 13, 2022, the story still remains fresh in the minds of many.

One of the central focal points of this tragedy continues to be the two young women who were not killed in the early morning hours of Nov. 13. That would be Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke.

As I said in another of my recent posts, I’m happy that the two were not also killed on that tragic morning. We could have been talking about six deaths instead of four had things played out differently.

With that in mind, here we are only a few months away from the tragic one year anniversary and with any hope at all a trial before that.

It stands to reason that one or both ladies will be called to be testify when we get to trial point in this case.

Keep in mind it was Mortensen in the PCA who said she saw an individual clad in black and wearing a mask with bushy eyebrows walk right by her second floor bedroom. So stunned by the sight, Mortensen said she went into a frozen state of shock. Heck, most people would be startled to some degree to see such a thing in a home they figured they’re safe in.

Meantime, it was assumed that Funke slept through all the horror one and two floors above her. While that may well be the case, one might also question the story given all the terror that went down in such a short span of time on the second and third floors of 1122 King Road.

So, being the only two tenants of the house to emerge alive, one may question if Mortensen and Funke have been untreated unfairly by some in the media, some in town and so on.

I think it is important to find a healthy balance here. No one should have to be in a home where one and let alone four of their friends are murdered in cold blood and be expected to emerge unscathed. On the flip side of the coin, it is only natural that authorities and the public in general would have questions of the two survivors.

There have been photos of late on social media of Funke in particular out and about in California. Among them was at a San Francisco Giants game and with friends in San Diego. Yes, a long distance from Moscow, Idaho where she was a student less than a year ago.

Now, I have zero issue with both Funke and Mortensen going about living their lives. As long as they truthfully testify at trial if called upon to do so, we can’t expect much more out of them.

Having said this, is it fair for people to snap pictures of them out in public months later? What I am asking simply is are they both hands off or do people have a right to be curious?

Unless it is proven down the road that one or both had a hand in the killings of their friends, both women should be allowed to go about living their lives.

With that in mind, do you think the ladies are fair game for pictures and respectful public comment when seen out and about? If not, why do you think the two key figures who’ve lived through a quadruple murder should be hands off?

Share your thoughts here and thank you as always for reading.

Photo credit: The Independent

If you know the Idaho 4, you’ve have heard of Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke.

The two were the surviving roommates from the house of horrors on Nov. 13, 2022 known as 1122 King Road.

I want to make it crystal clear before going any further that I am delighted both Mortensen and Funke survived the bloodshed. Imagine for a moment if they had not and we would be talking about an entire home full of tenants being wiped out.

Now, given both survived, questions continue to surface on what the two may know about that fateful early morning when Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and guest Ethan Chapin were slain on two different floors.

As stated in the probable cause affidavit, Mortensen claimed she saw a black clothed figure with a mask on and bushy eyebrows pass right by her second floor bedroom sometime around 4:15-4:25 a.m. From there, it is assumed the suspect then exited the home through the kitchen slider door. Mortensen reportedly went into a state of frozen shock and locked her bedroom door.

It was not until 11:58 that morning a 9-1-1 call was placed to local authorities. The call claimed there was an unresponsive tenant and help was sent. Of course we now know that Moscow Police located two bodies on the second floor and two on the top floor. All had been stabbed to death in one degree or another.

Again, thankfully both Mortensen and Funke survived.

So, what might one or both may know about the murders?

If you are in certain Facebook chat groups, you are not even remotely allowed to question the whereabouts, actions or even in-actions of both young women. Nope, it is hands off and don’t you dare send any negative or even questionable vibes their way.

Well, I have questions given this is a quadruple murder investigation and we are led to believe that both women were home at the time!

Among them:

• How could you not hear screams and more? – Given Mortensen was in the bedroom below where Mogen and Goncalves died and the Boise native was only yards away from Kernodle’s second floor bedroom, how could she not hear anything unusual? Yes, any of us who were in college and lived in dorms or rentals know things get can a little wild, especially on a Saturday night. Even having thrown that fact into the mix, I find it hard to believe Mortensen did not hear more than the reported crying she stated hearing coming from Kernodle’s room. Sorry, but I am not buying what the MPD and prosecutors are selling.
• Where was Funke during all of this? – Funke, who reportedly has since transferred out of the University of Idaho to another school, was said to be sleeping in her first floor bedroom, when this all went down. You could make an argument it would be harder for her to hear things, especially if she might have had earbuds in, been passed out etc. The fact that the defense team wanted to talk to Funke the other month raises my curiosity. What does the defense think Funke might be able to do for their client?
• Would an immediate 9-1-1- call made a difference? – As everyone else it seems has done for eight months, I am speculating with the following. I think once we get to trial and have a relaxed gag order we will know a lot more. So, my speculation is that Kernodle did not die instantly like one, two or all three others may have. Given it is assumed Kernodle put up the biggest fight of the four victims, I speculate that the cries Mortensen said she heard coming from that bedroom was Xana in pain and calling out for help. A neighbor’s audio system reportedly picks up a thud from that side of the 1122 King Road home around 4:17 a.m. or so (we do not know the precise timeline in much of this case even now). My thought is the thud is Kernodle trying to get up and passing out from losing blood. I speculate she bled to death in her room. Much like one of the two deceased teachers in the Uvalde shooting last year, what if help had gotten there sooner? The difference between Uvalde and Moscow is that in the former, police and EMT’s were already on the scene but police stood around as more died before finally killing the shooter. In Moscow, once the coast was clear for Mortensen to go check on Kernodle after hearing crying, time could have made a difference. Stopping the bleeding and getting the victim stabilized before transport to a hospital would have been critical. Kernodle may well have passed in the home anyhow, but I will always wonder if she would have had a fighting chance with a much sooner 9-1-1 call.

Again, some will read this and call it victim shaming. No, these are legit things to think about.

What Mortensen and Funke know about that early morning needs to be gone over with a fine tooth comb when we get to trial. Not doing so would be a disservice to the four deceased among other things.

So, would you have questions for both survivors if given the chance to ask them?

While we should always first and foremost remember the victims in the Idaho 4 tragedy, the two surviving females have garnered a lot of attention over the last six months.

For anyone following the case since news broke on the Nov. 13, 2022 tragedy, the names of survivors Dylan Mortensen (pictured above) and Bethany Funke have come up.

The two were not harmed in the early morning hours of Nov. 13 while three of their roommates and the boyfriend of one of the women were murdered.

If you are at all familiar with the 19-page PAC released a few months back, you know that Mortensen is mentioned as having reportedly seen the suspect on the home’s second floor. While not being able to give a precise description, the Boise resident said she saw a figure clad in black with a mask moving towards her second floor bedroom. The suspect then proceeded to exit the home via the kitchen slider door that leads to the patio. What happened to the suspect from there is not clearly known.

Fast-forward to Dec. 30 in Pennsylvania and arrested and charged with four counts of felony murder and a single count of burglary, alleged killer Bryan Kohberger, 28. Kohberger remains in jail, set to stand trial beginning Oct. 2.

When we get to the trial, it is certainly a possibility that both Mortensen and Funke will be called to testify.

So, will it be the prosecution or the defense calling one or both to testify? As it stands, both sides may want to have one or both women go on the record in front of a jury.

From the prosecution side of things, they hope Mortensen especially can nail down that in fact is was Kohberger she saw that night on the second floor of the home. It has been rumored that the defense may look to call Funke to the stand, claiming she may have some exculpatory information that could possibly clear their client.

You can also figure that the defense will look to have Mortensen get on the stand. They will likely claim that the young woman can’t definitively say under oath it was their client she saw in the home on Nov. 13 right after the murders.

As important as those things are, imagine the possible field day the defense could have with Mortensen for her reported actions (or to some her inactions) over the next 7-8 hours following the killings.

Among the things they may want Mortensen to explain would be:

• Why did you or Funke wait so long to call 911? Is it possible one or both of you wanted to remove some potentially illegal items such as drugs for instance?
• Were you under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time you claim to have seen an individual in the home ultimately making their way to the kitchen slider door? If you were under the influence, how can any of your statements be 100 percent credible?
• Have you ever done drugs in your life, specifically at 1122 King Road?
• If you heard crying and whimpering coming from Xana’s room as you indicated, why not go check on her once it was safe to do so?

If you are the prosecution, do you take a chance on calling Mortensen and/or Funke to the stand? It may well be they choose not to.

Meantime, you would have to think the defense team will be chomping at the bit to call both of them.

While you can argue one or both likely did not know their four friends has just been killed, the noises Mortensen reportedly heard should have at least warranted a welfare check on the four when safe to do so.

Buckle up…. I think this trial will be one for the ages when it eventually gets going.

Photo credit: DailyMail