On the morning of July 1, 2025, Dr. Marites Buenafe, a 62-year-old physician from Kentucky, embarked on what she thought would be a scenic solo hike in Juneau, Alaska, during a stopover on her Norwegian Bliss cruise. She texted her family at around 7:30 a.m., informing them of her plans to ride the Mount Roberts Tramway and hike the trail from Gold Ridge to Gastineau Peak.

On July 3, 2025, Peacock premiered a gripping 90-minute documentary titled The Idaho Student Murders, a feature that delves into the harrowing 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students in Moscow, Idaho. Directed by Catharine Park and executive produced by Stephanie Lydecker, the documentary arrives on the heels of a significant courtroom development: Bryan Kohberger, the primary suspect, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary on July 2, 2025. This plea marked a pivotal moment in a case that has captivated the nation for nearly three years. With exclusive, never-before-seen interviews and footage, the documentary offers a haunting exploration of the tragedy, the investigation, and the lingering questions surrounding Kohberger’s motives. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the documentary, its content, its impact, and the broader context of the Idaho student murders case.

The Tragic Events of November 13, 2022

The documentary opens by setting the stage for the idyllic college town of Moscow, Idaho, a close-knit community unaccustomed to violent crime. On November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students—Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20—were brutally stabbed to death in an off-campus residence at 1122 King Road. The murders shocked the nation, not only due to their brutality but also because of the seemingly random nature of the crime. The house, a popular gathering spot for students, became a crime scene that would unravel a complex investigation.

The film details the timeline of that fateful night, drawing from court documents and police reports. Around 9 p.m., Kernodle and Chapin were seen at a party at Chapin’s fraternity, Sigma Chi, just a short walk from the King Road house. Meanwhile, Mogen and Goncalves were out at a local bar before returning home. By 1:56 a.m., Kernodle received a DoorDash delivery, and her phone activity showed she was awake, using the TikTok app. Two surviving roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were also in the house but were unharmed, later reporting hearing noises they initially dismissed as normal activity.

The documentary emphasizes the chilling details of the crime scene: a knife sheath with a U.S. Marine Corps logo found next to Mogen’s body, DNA evidence that would later prove pivotal, and the absence of a clear motive. The brutality of the stabbings, carried out with a large fixed-blade knife, left the community in fear and the police with a “very complex” case, as described by Moscow’s police chief.

Bryan Kohberger: The Suspect at the Center

At the heart of The Idaho Student Murders is Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old criminology Ph.D. student at Washington State University in nearby Pullman, Washington, at the time of the murders. The documentary meticulously traces Kohberger’s path from an unassuming graduate student to the prime suspect in a quadruple homicide. It explores his background, including his move to Pullman in June 2022 and his interactions with others that raised red flags. For instance, the film includes an interview with a former female graduate student who met Kohberger at a pool party in Moscow, describing an awkward text exchange where he expressed interest in hiking together, which she found “peculiar.”

The provided sources examine the harrowing "Joe Cool Maritime Mystery", a chilling 2007 incident where a charter fishing vessel and its four crew members vanished in the Atlantic Ocean. They describe how two passengers, Kirby Logan Archer and Guillermo Zarabozo, were found adrift and claimed a pirate attack, a story that quickly unraveled under investigation. The text explores the suspects' backgrounds, the detailed investigation, their subsequent trial and convictions, and the lingering unanswered questions surrounding the crew's unrecovered bodies. Ultimately, the sources highlight this case as a complex tale of deception and violence at sea, further illuminated by Captain Lee Rosbach's commentary on the "Deadly Waters" series.

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This episode focuses on the shocking murder of Pastor William Schonemann in New River, Arizona, by Adam Christopher Sheafe. It details Sheafe's confession, revealing his religiously motivated act where he crucified the pastor and adorned him with a crown of thorns, as well as his admission of having other targets. The text explores the investigation, Sheafe's psychological profile, and the profound impact on the New River community, raising questions about religious extremism and the legal process that lies ahead.