One year after the horrific murder of four University of Idaho students, the surviving roommate, who had a chilling encounter with the alleged killer, is grappling with survivor's guilt, according to her stepmother, Patricia Munroe.
In her first public statement since the incident, Munroe revealed that Dylan Mortensen, the survivor, has since transferred colleges and is managing to cope with the aftermath of the tragedy.
The gruesome incident occurred on November 13, 2022, when Bryan Kohberger allegedly murdered Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin at their residence on 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho. Mortensen, who was spared, has been struggling with guilt, Munroe shared. "There's a lot of guilt because, you know, if someone says, 'Oh, well, Dylan was so lucky,' you know, you don't want to take on that luck because all of the children deserved luck. They all deserved to be spared from that," Munroe, 53, of Costa Mesa, California, stated.
Munroe, who was married to Mortensen's father, Brent, and helped raise Dylan from the age of seven, remains closely involved in her life despite her divorce from Brent. She confirmed that Dylan, now 20, has transferred to another university, but declined to specify which one.
On the night of the murders, Mortensen reportedly encountered the alleged killer as he left the house. According to a police affidavit, she was in a "frozen shock phase" as "a figure clad in black clothing and a mask walked towards her," then "towards the back sliding glass door" of the house. Mortensen subsequently locked herself in her room for the night.
The reasons why Mortensen and Bethany Funke, the other surviving roommate, did not contact the police until the following day remain unclear. This delay has been a point of contention for social media users and amateur detectives, who have targeted Mortensen and Funke with a barrage of accusations and insults since the case gained global attention.
Munroe expressed her distress over the online backlash, stating, "You never really think about online backlash and trolls until you deal with it, and it's just a really hurtful thing." She urged for understanding and compassion, emphasizing the trauma experienced by the young survivors.
"There needs to be space and time for all the details to come out in trial," Munroe added.
The accused, Kohberger, a 28-year-old Ph.D. criminology student at Washington State University, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and could face the death penalty. As of now, a trial date has not been set. Anne Taylor, Kohberger's attorney, did not respond to The Post's request for comment.
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