‘Killings in a College Town’ Airs Friday, January 13 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT
January 10, 2023 – Dateline NBC will air an all-new two-hour special this Friday at 9 ET/8pm CT on the latest in the investigation into the murders of University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves. During the special, correspondent Keith Morrison speaks with friends and family members of the victims, as well as former acquaintances and classmates of Bryan Kohberger, the alleged killer.
During Friday’s special, Martha, a University of Idaho student who was friends with Ethan and Xana, tells Morrison that one of the “toughest” things during the investigation has been dealing with internet sleuths on social media. She explained, “It was odd because you’d be with people that you’re literally actively grieving with and then you’d open Facebook or open TikTok and then it would be how the person sitting next to you is the one that did it.” Click here to watch the exchange. The transcript is below.
Additionally during the broadcast, Kohberger’s former DeSales University classmate Madison tells Dateline that during class, she “would always catch him staring” at her and her friends. She also noted that he seemed to enjoy letting the class know he knew the answers, saying, “He definitely took it upon himself to answer the question, but yet then give every single detail that he possibly could to help further his point. It was always like, ‘Oh, Bryan’s answering this question. This is going to take up the whole entire class.’”
Click here to watch the exchange, transcript is below.
Killings in a College Town will also feature a comprehensive look at the case, including expert analysis from former FBI agents and detectives.
INTERVIEW EXCERPT #1
Martha: One of the things that made it the toughest, was the TikTok sleuths.
Keith: The TikTok sleuths.
Martha: The independent TikTok sleuths and the people who made out the people that I love and know into monsters online. There was some really awful things written on the internet.
Keith: Got a real life lesson on how cruel the internet can be.
Martha: yeah. And it definitely – it went through all parts of our campus. Every digital footprint, every Venmo transaction, everything.
Morrison: Any of your friends in particular get hurt or hit by this stuff?
Martha: Yeah. And, you know, it was odd because you’d be with people that you’re literally, like, actively grieving with and then you’d, like, open Facebook or you’d open TikTok and then it would be why the person sitting next to you is the one that did it.
INTERVIEW EXCERPT #2
VOICE OVER: WHEN THIS MUGSHOT OF BRYAN WAS RELEASED AFTER HIS ARREST, A FORMER CLASSMATE NAMED MADISON STRUGGLED TO RECOGNIZE HIM. SHE STUDIED CRIMINAL JUSTICE WITH HIM AT DESALES UNIVERSITY, A SMALL, PRIVATE CATHOLIC COLLEGE IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA.
Madison: He had a lot more hair, and he was thinner than I remembered.
VOICE OVER: LAST TIME SHE SAW HIM, SHE THINKS, WAS IN 2020.THEY’D TAKEN A CRIMINOLOGY COURSE TOGETHER IN HER JUNIOR YEAR, THAT WAS 2018. WHAT STUCK WITH HER WAS HOW BRYAN ALWAYS HAD TO LET EVERYONE IN CLASS KNOW HE KNEW HIS STUFF. WHICH, SHE SAID, BECAME ANNOYING.
Madison: Whenever he raised his hand he definitely took it upon himself to answer the question but yet then give every single detail that he possibly could to help further his point. It was always, like, “Oh, Bryan’s answering this question. This is gonna take up the whole entire class.”
VOICE OVER: THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE, SHE SAID. NOT QUITE CREEPY, BUT ODD.
Madison: He would stare at us, whenever me and my friends would kind of, like, look over to the side, I would always catch him staring at us.
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Dominique Donahue
Dateline NBC is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 31st season. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy. Airing Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, Dateline also airs across NBC, cable and in broadcast syndication, with hundreds of hours available to stream on Peacock’s Dateline 24/7 channel. Dateline 24/7 can also be viewed on channels on Roku, TuneIn and Xumo. Additionally, the newsmagazine reaches millions through its #1 podcasts, including The Thing About Pam and its showcast. David Corvo is the senior executive producer and Liz Cole is the executive producer.
