MOSCOW, IDAHO: Suffering from 'survivor's guilt', Dylan Mortensen, the roommate who survived the infamous Idaho killings in November 2022, left Moscow earlier this year while isolating herself and switching institutions.
Patricia Munroe, stepmother of Dylan Mortensen, in her first public statement to the New York Post, disclosed that her stepdaughter encountered the alleged murderer, Bryan Kohberger, but was left unharmed. She has apparently changed colleges a year following the University of Idaho student killings.
Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old criminology student, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder. With no trial date set yet, he continues to be held in custody.
Dylan Mortensen is doing 'OK'
Patricia Munroe, Mortensen's stepmother, shared that since the tragic event on November 13, 2022, Mortensen has been coping "OK."
Bryan Kohberger allegedly murdered Mortensen's friends Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho.
Munroe, 53, from Costa Mesa, California, expressed, "There’s a lot of guilt because, you know, if someone says, ‘Oh, well, Dylan was so lucky,’ you know, you don’t want to take on that luck — because all of the children deserved luck. They all deserved to be spared from that."
Mortensen informed detectives that she saw a man leaving the Moscow home early in the morning, only realizing the devastating fate of her housemates hours later.
Dylan Mortensen's father, Brent Mortensen, told author and private investigator J Reuben Appelman that Dylan has been withdrawing socially and using video games as a stress coping mechanism.
Based on a police affidavit, Mortensen had a chilling encounter with the alleged killer as he left the house.
She was in a "frozen shock phase" when she saw "a figure clad in black clothing and a mask" approaching her, before moving toward the home's back-sliding glass door.
Idaho detectives noted that Mortensen and Bethany Funke, another surviving roommate, didn't contact the police until almost noon the following day. The reasons for this delay remain unclear.
Bryan Kohberger’s defense to target Dylan Mortensen
A trial expert spoke to the New York Post, warning Dylan Mortensen that she should brace for intense scrutiny during her testimony in the trial of suspect Bryan Kohberger.
Ted Rowlands, Court TV executive producer, emphasized to The Post the potential significance of Mortensen's testimony in the upcoming trial, slated to begin later this month.
Rowlands, 57, predicted, "I think Dylan is going to be big because the defense is going to jump on her." He pointed out potential challenges in her testimony, especially regarding the delay in calling 911.
"If she was so scared, and she locked her door and stayed in the room, and was frozen like she told investigators, then why didn’t someone call 911 for 12 hours? She’ll be pivotal."
Additionally, Rowlands, who produced a Court TV documentary about Kohberger, believes that Mortensen's account will captivate the courtroom and could be influential in swaying the jury's opinion.
Ted Rowlands, who has been closely following the case, expressed uncertainty about the impact of Bethany Funke's testimony, as she is currently challenging a subpoena to testify in court.
Kohberger stands accused of breaking into the off-campus residence where both Mortensen and Funke were present, allegedly murdering four other individuals in their beds. In this high-profile case, prosecutors are considering seeking the death penalty.
Following the revelation that no one contacted 911 for several hours following the killings, Mortensen and Funke saw an outpouring of online hatred directed toward them as they were purportedly messaging each other during the murders.
