Key facts
- Autopsy reports for the University of Idaho student victims have been unsealed.
- The victims suffered multiple sharp-force injuries and a high degree of pain and/or suffering.
- A Ka-Bar Full Size US Marine Corps Fighting Knife is the suspected murder weapon.
- One victim, Xana Kernodle, was not in bed during the attack and suffered defensive wounds.
- Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty and is serving life sentences.
Unsealed autopsy reports for the four University of Idaho students murdered in November 2022 reveal that the victims endured a high degree of pain and suffering during the attack. Dr. Veena Singh, Spokane's chief medical examiner, conducted the autopsies and found that all four victims sustained multiple sharp-force injuries consistent with a Ka-Bar knife, believed to be the murder weapon. Some injuries may have resulted from different parts of the knife. Kaylee Goncalves, 21, also suffered blunt-force injuries to her face, and an unidentified object may have been used to cover her mouth, with signs of asphyxia also noted. Xana Kernodle, 20, was the only victim not asleep during the attack and sustained defensive wounds on her hands and arms. Bryan Kohberger, who was studying criminology at Washington State University, located 10 miles from the crime scene, was arrested on December 30, 2022. He pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty and is currently serving four consecutive life sentences plus an additional 10 years. The reports were part of a batch of court filings made available to the public.