More Comes Out On The Idaho College Murders

There have been several recent TV documentaries on the November 13, 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students at an off-campus residence. I watched the one on Investigation Discovery, The Idaho College Murders. Quite a bit of the information in the program challenges the established narrative that these were four naive, unwitting victims.

The first thing that struck both my wife and me was the luxury features of that off-campus residence. We'd both attended undergraduate colleges aimed at the upper middle class in the 1960s, and by comparison, our accommodations back in the day were Spartan. Not only did this place have a fully up-to-date kitchen, it had hardwood floors, fancy bathrooms, and walk-in closets. Everything had new paint. Bedrooms were up to the standard these kids could expect at home in upscale suburbs. I can only surmise that college costs are rising in part due to the increased standard of living students are led to expect.

The second thing uncovered in the documentary was that this residence was widely known as a "party house" and something of an eztension of the on-campus Greek scene. The door locks were combination-style; the combination was widely known and never changed. Outsiders were routinely in and out of the place, it simply wasn't secure.

The third thing was that the murders took place about 4:00 AM, while some of the residents were still awake and partying. Victim Xana Kernodle was still awake, having just received a DoorDash order. Two other surviving residents were also awake. The other three victims, however, were asleep.

The fourth thing, which I frankly found astonishing but shouldn't have, was the level of alcohol and drugs in the victims' blood. Chrome AI mode summarized the medical report:

• Madison Mogen: BAC of 0.282 g/100 mL (an extremely high level approaching alcohol poisoning territory).
• Xana Kernodle: BAC of 0.229 g/100 mL (nearly three times the legal driving limit, with trace levels of amphetamines detected at 12 ng/mL).
• Ethan Chapin: BAC of 0.122 g/100 mL (with a therapeutic or elevated amphetamine/Adderall level of 260 ng/mL).
• Kaylee Goncalves: BAC of 0.107 g/100 mL (reflecting moderate intoxication).

All of them were well above the DUI limit of 0.08 g/100 mL, but three, since they were asleep, hadn't cosumed alcohol for some period before they were killed, which suggests their BAC had previously been even higher. Chrome AI mode concludes,

Legal and medical analysts note that these high levels of intoxication significantly slowed the victims' neurological reaction times, impaired their physical coordination, and heightened their vulnerability to a sudden, middle-of-the-night attack.

I'm also puzzled at Ethan Chapin's apparent use of Adderall, which is used to treat ADHD, which frankly seems incongruous for anyone deemed qualified to attend university. Adderall has a high chance of abuse and misuse and may lead to substance use problems, including addiction.

Adderall may lead to physical dependence after prolonged use, even if taken as directed. Your healthcare provider should check you or your child for the risk of abuse, misuse, and addiction before starting treatment and will monitor you or your child during treatment.

Was this being done for Ethan Chapin?

The documentary pointed out that Bryan Kohberger's motive in carrying out the killings has never been established, and neither have the precise circumstances that led him to select and enter the residence. However, I don't think it's unreasonable to surmise that the residence had a general reputation for lax security, the combination for its locks was apparently well known, and it was generally understood to be a party house. That could easily have attracted Kohberger.

This brings me back again to the experience I had exchanging social-media messages with undergraduates when I was involved in the Dartmouth alumni trustee movement in tbe early 2000s. They objected strenuously to having to swipe keycards to get in and out of dorms, when given the current environment, this is simply a minimum standard of security anywhere. Had this been in place at that off-campus residence, the murders likely wouldn't have taken place. If students resist, or neglect to follow, basic security precautions, they aren't being taught ordinary prudence, which ought to be part of any character development.

It's hard to shake the overall sense of entitlement that surrounds student life in the documentary. Nevertheless, there's also a sense of shallow uniformity in all the victims, and this goes to the standard public reaction: these students were living large in a version of the American dream, what a tragedy that their lives were snuffed out. But they were living recklessly, developing habits of alcohol and drug abuse before they were even of age, and not getting any serious advice from anyone -- if anything, their parents were simply enabling the recklessness and entitlement.

I'm not sure my wife and I would have wanted our grandchidren to wind up in that sort of environment. There's got to be a better alternative.