As the Idaho student murder victims’ families fight to keep crime scene photos out of public eye, attorneys agree people shouldn’t want to see them

While the city of Moscow and two families of the University of Idaho murder victims are at a crossroads in court on how to proceed with releasing the crime scene photos of that night, they both feel there’s no inherent need to view them.

They also struggle with the thought that people want to, they said in a court hearing Thursday.

Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, all college students, were brutally murdered in an off-campus Moscow home in 2022. Even after their killer, Bryan Kohberger, admitted he committed the murders and was sentenced to life in prison, requests, theories and speculation still ran rampant online.

The internet’s interest skyrocketed when some partially blurred photos of the bloody crime scene were released through a public records request from the city of Moscow to Idaho news outlet KTVB earlier this month.

Other tabloid outlets and true crime bloggers followed suit as they posted the photos online. It prompted Madison Mogen’s mother to file a claim with the city of Moscow in an effort to stop more photos of her daughter’s bedroom, where she and Goncalves were sleeping when they were killed, from being further released to the media and public. The images and its worldwide dissemination caused Mogen’s mother, Karen Laramie, emotional and physical distress, according to court documents.

The Chapin family also joined in on the claim last week.

“We are personally haunted by the photos and lose sleep nightly due to viewing them. We assure you that seeing a redacted photo is just as traumatizing because our son is still in the picture, clear or not,” Stacy Chapin wrote to the court. “They are heartbreaking and continue to reopen a wound that has yet to heal.

“Releasing these images and video media is an unwarranted invasion of my privacy and the privacy of my husband, Ethan’s siblings, our family, and my deceased son. Most importantly, I need to speak up for my son because he no longer has a voice.”

In the court hearing Thursday, the city of Moscow and the families’ pro bono attorney made arguments on whether to maintain a restraining order originally put in place by Latah County Judge Megan Marshall to halt release of more photos.

KTVB on Aug. 7 was the only Idaho news outlet to publish the photos, which depicted some blurred images of what appeared to be the victims’ bodies and other unblurred images of some blood spatter. The families were not notified prior to the release, but instead saw them online the same day they were published, the Chapin family said in court documents.

KTVB did not respond for comment by the time of publication Thursday.

“One media outlet apparently disseminated (the photos) to others. It’s been devastating,” James told the court. “They were revictimized when these images were sent out to the public.”

Releasing investigative documents via a public records request is legal under Idaho’s public records law. There are exceptions to the law, in part – clerks are not allowed to release records that are part of an ongoing investigation, some personnel records, personal information and records that constitute an unwarranted intrusion into someone’s privacy. The city did blur some photos to prevent an invasion of privacy, Moscow city attorney Mia Bautista said.

James argued that blurring the photos of the students’ bodies was not enough. Photos of the blood were still visible, and that is “part of the body,” he said.

Ultimately the judge must weigh releasing the photos as allowed by state law in the interest of the public against the harm and invasion of privacy of the victims’ family members. Andrew Pluskal, an attorney for the city of Moscow, told the court that the city wouldn’t object to the judge’s decision on the matter and that he has no reason to argue over the families’ pain and trauma of seeing the images. Pluskal also said he could not understand why people would want to view the photos in the first place, other than to wildly postulate about the case.

The information about the crime scene and what police saw that day is also already depicted in graphic detail through publicly accessible police reports on the city of Moscow’s website.

“This was a properly run investigation, and there is no reason to doubt the guilt of the man who said he admitted it,” Pluskal said, referring to Kohberger. “I do not see how anything other than conspiratorial interest would support the release of imagery and body cameras beyond what the city initially prepared.”

James said the case is “unique” because it has garnered worldwide attention. Notable celebrities, like Kim Kardashian, have even posted about it. There are also many social media influencers who have posted unverified rumors, some of which led a University of Idaho professor to sue after she was accused by a tarot card reader of committing the crimes.

“This case is unique in a couple of ways … It is garnered worldwide attention. Because of the true crime industry … and because of the interest of others and efforts of bloggers, (photos and information) have been disseminated, used, misused and used in ways incredibly harmful to the witnesses and my clients,” James said. “Images like this are disseminated within an instant. It’s something we have never had before in history. The true crime industry uses this stuff for economic gain and misuses it. The reality is that people who comment and look at this stuff say horrible things about the family members.”

The Chapin and Mogen families are not the only ones to oppose the release of the crime scene photos, although they are the only two to file a formal claim in court. Kaylee Goncalves’ father, Steve Goncalves, told media after Koherger’s sentencing that he would not want to see the photos disseminated to the public. After Aug. 7, the Goncalves’ pleaded on their family Facebook page for the public to refrain from sharing the pictures.

“We are begging you to not share them. These pictures are extremely private, and cause immense pain and trauma for all of our families,” the post said. “Please help us by not reposting or sharing them. We are asking kindly for your help, and respect to this extremely sensitive matter.”

The Chapin family wrote in court records that besides being traumatized, horrified and unable to sleep at night as the images of the crime scene photos replay in their heads, they also don’t want the rest of Ethan’s siblings to come across them and relive that day. In addition to that, they wrote they know Kohberger is able to see them, which only compounds their pain.

“We are at a loss for understanding why anyone would release them, let alone feel the need to look at them. Losing Ethan is a catastrophic loss to our family, and the photos are a gross reminder of that loss,” Stacy Chapin wrote.

The city has received 1,150 requests to view the photos of the scene, body camera footage or other investigative documents, Moscow’s city clerk wrote in court documents. Of those, only 50 were verified news organizations, crime shows or podcasts. The rest were unaffiliated, the clerk wrote.

“I don’t know what there is to say other than the reasons why anyone would want these images its difficult to wrap my head around,” Pluskal said.

Judge Marshall indicated she would be taking the arguments under advisement and issuing a decision at a later date.

S-R reporter Mathew Callaghan contributed to this story.