Xana Kernodle, Stabbed 67 Times by Bryan Kohberger, May Be the Reason He Pleaded Guilty

New details about the November 13, 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students in Moscow, Idaho, are emerging following the unsealing of Xana Kernodle’s autopsy report.

Bryan Kohberger, who has been convicted of fatally stabbing the four students at their off-campus rental home, attacked the victims during the early morning hours. According to autopsy reports, Kernodle, 20, was the only one of the four victims who was awake at the time of the murders.

Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were all killed while asleep in their beds, their autopsy reports showed, per People. Kernodle, however, is believed to have been awake, having just received a food delivery order.

Crime scene photos showed a half-eaten Jack in the Box meal in the second-floor kitchen, suggesting Kernodle was eating when she heard noises coming from upstairs. Investigators believe she went to check on the disturbance, which drew her toward Mogen’s bedroom.

Authorities believe Kernodle then ran back downstairs to her own bedroom, with Kohberger following behind. This theory is supported by the presence of Mogen and Goncalves’ blood on the door of Mogen’s bedroom, along the stairwell, and on the bannister connecting the third and second floors. Their blood was also found on the walls near Kernodle’s bedroom.

Autopsy reports show Mogen and Goncalves did not stand up during the attack, indicating that blood found in other areas of the home must have been transferred by another person.

Kernodle — described as being nine inches shorter than Kohberger, and unarmed — fought back against the criminal law student. She was stabbed a total of 67 times, including 23 stab wounds to her face, neck and scalp; seven to her chest; four to her abdomen; three puncture wounds to her back; 25 incised wounds of the upper extremities; and five incised wounds to her lower extremities.

She had blood on the bottoms of her feet and blood wiped across her body, which authorities believe indicates the struggle continued as Kohberger attacked her. Kernodle suffered punctures to the shell of her skull; perforations to the jugular vein, heart, lung, and pulmonary blood vessels; wounds extending into the bones of her right hand; scrapes and bruises to her face, torso and extremities, and hemorrhaging into the chest cavities.

Kernodle was found on her bedroom floor, just a few feet away from her boyfriend, Chapin. Chapin was murdered in his sleep without having a chance to stand up. Investigators found Kernodle and Chapin had each other’s blood and DNA under their fingernails, leading authorities to believe they were close to one another during their final moments.

The autopsy evidence helps explain how Kohberger may have left behind the KA-BAR knife sheath containing traces of his DNA. The violent struggle is also believed to have prompted surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen to open her door after hearing the commotion, which is when she saw Kohberger exit the home.

Authorities also believe the evidence against Kohberger led him to plead guilty to four counts of murder last July. Kernodle’s fight is likely why Kohberger sustained cuts and scratches following the murders. Without Kernodle’s resistance, it is believed Kohberger may have been able to retrieve his knife sheath and exit the home quietly, leaving behind little evidence beyond the vehicle he was driving.