Friend Recalls Discovering Idaho College Murder Victims in Shocking Scene

In a heartbreaking firsthand account, Hunter Johnson and Emily Alandt, close friends of the University of Idaho murder victims, have broken their silence, recalling the horrifying moment they discovered the bodies of Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin inside the now-infamous off-campus house at 1122 King Road, Moscow, Idaho.

Their story, shared exclusively with People magazine ahead of an upcoming documentary, offers an intimate and chilling look into the moments immediately following the November 13, 2022 slayings that shook the nation.

🏠 A Morning They’ll Never Forget

Hunter and Emily were alerted early that morning by Dylan Mortensen, a surviving housemate, who sensed something was seriously wrong inside the home. Acting on instinct, the two rushed to the residence.

“As soon as you get there, you know something’s wrong,” Johnson recalled.
“You can feel it in the air.”

Upon entering the house, Johnson was the first to find Xana and Ethan—both brutally murdered in their bedroom. The shock of the discovery left him frozen for a moment before he rushed everyone else outside and told them to call 911.

🧠 A Sense of Dread Before It Happened

The pair also shared eerie premonitions. Johnson admitted that he locked his bedroom door around 3 a.m., something he normally never did. That small decision haunts him to this day.

“I had a weird feeling that night,” he said. “It didn’t make sense at the time—but now, it does.”

📽️ Speaking Out Through Pain

Their testimony comes ahead of the Prime Video docuseries One Night in Idaho and James Patterson’s upcoming book The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy. For the first time, they are going public in hopes of honoring their friends and helping others understand the emotional toll of such a loss.

“Your brain doesn’t want to believe something this awful is real,” Emily said.
“You don’t come back from a morning like that.”

Both friends expressed that their lives were permanently altered that day. “It was the last time we lived as kids,” Johnson said solemnly.

⚖️ Kohberger’s Guilty Plea Brings Mixed Emotions

The accused killer, Bryan Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student, has accepted a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. He will be sentenced to multiple life terms without parole. A plea hearing is scheduled for July 2, with formal sentencing to follow.

Though the legal chapter may be closing, the emotional scars for those closest to the victims remain raw and permanent.

📌 Key Takeaways