4 Years of Harassment: U of I Murder survivor petitions court to redact face in police footage

MOSCOW, Idaho (KIFI) — One of the surviving roommates of the University of Idaho murder victims is petitioning the court, asking a judge to redact her face from public police interviews and body-camera footage, following harassment that has forced her to move 9 times, according to court documents.

Dylan Mortensen filed the affidavit ahead of a planned public release of sealed records from the case against Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty in the November 2022 deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin at their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. Mortensen served as a key eyewitness and prosecution witness during the proceedings.

"Since November 2022, my life has changed in ways I never could have imagined," states Mortensen in the affidavit. "Along with losing four of my friends and experiencing something incredibly traumatic, I have spent nearly four years dealing with public attention, harassment, threats, and constant speculation about my involvement in what happened."

Court documents reveal that Mortensen and her family faced ongoing intrusion from reporters and self-appointed investigators following the incident. Mortensen herself has been the focus of numerous unfounded conspiracy theories due to the publicity surrounding the case and her account as an eyewitness.

"People who have never met me have formed opinions about my character, questioned my actions, and accused me of things I had absolutely nothing to do with," states Mortensen. "I understand that I cannot control what people choose to believe or say about me, but the amount of attention and hostility I have received has affected nearly every aspect of my everyday life. It has changed how I interact with people, where I feel comfortable going, and how much personal information I feel safe sharing."

Mortensen added that to maintain basic safety, she has had to rely on aliases in both her personal life and workplace.