Bryan Kohberger’s murder timeline estimates show he needed only 90 seconds in the house: He was there for at least 13 minutes

Idaho State Police estimate Bryan Kohberger needed as little as 90 seconds or as long as three minutes for 45 seconds to kill all four victims inside 1122 King Road in November 2022, according to recently unsealed investigative reports viewed by People.

Kohberger, however, spent at least 13 minutes in the house or possibly as long as 16 minutes, which raises the question of what he did in the time between the killings. This newly revealed timeline also may help answer another persistent mystery about the case: Why Ethan Chapin, one of the victims, didn’t wake up and help his girlfriend, Zana Kernodle. Investigators say Kohberger attacked Kernodle while she was awake, unlike the other victims, including Chapin, who were asleep.

To determine the timeline, investigators re-created several possible paths Kohberger may have taken once inside the house, including one slow and one quick. They combined these scenarios with the number of injuries each victim received. This also factored in the order in which authorities believe Kohberger killed each student that night.

Security cameras and a woman screaming

Investigators calculated the time Kohberger spent inside the house based on when nearby home security cameras caught his white Elantra driving in the area of the home at around 4:04 a.m. A neighboring security camera captured a woman’s scream, a thud and silence about 16 minutes later, at around 4:18 a.m. A camera caught his Elantra speeding away from the scene a little after 4:20 a.m.

According to the official police timeline estimates, Kohberger likely entered the third floor of the house through the sliding glass door and first went to Kaylee Goncalves‘ bedroom, but found her bed empty. Idaho State Police say he likely then went down he hall to another victim, Maddie Mogen’s bedroom, and found Mogen and Goncalves in bed together.

Kohberger then viciously attacked Mogen and Goncalves in bed: Goncalves’ injuries likely killed her right away, and Mogen may have still been alive when he left the room.

Kernodle and Chapin’s death

What happened next may never be certain. Investigators think Kernodle, who was awake and waiting for a DoorDash order when the initial attacks happened, went to check on the commotion she heard in Mogen’s bedroom, and interrupted Kohberger, who then chased her down the stairs to attack and kill her.

This theory suggests Kernodle caused Kohberger to leave the knife sheath behind, which would prove a crucial piece of evidence in the case, as investigators linked DNA collected on the sheath to Kohberger

Another possibility remains that Kohberger went back down the stairs to the second floor of the house, where he encountered Kernodle and attacked her. Kernodle fiercely fought back, suffering more than 50 stab wounds, many defensive.

Idaho State Police believe Chapin was asleep in bed near where Kohberger attacked Kernodle. Answering why he didn’t wake up, authorities believe Kohberger killed Chapin third, or that Kohberger paused his attack on Kernodle to kill Chapin, only to then return and end Kernodle’s life. Chapin also had injuries to his legs, suggesting even if he was still alive, he may have been unable to stand and defend his girlfriend.

We may never know for sure, but authorities also say Kohberger likely didn’t intend to kill four people when he entered the home that night. Investigators may never know what Kohberger did for nearly 13 minutes in the house, especially since recreations showed he only needed a little less than four minutes at the longest to commit the crimes.

In July 2025, Kohberger accepted a plea deal, agreeing to plead guilty to the crimes to save himself from the death penalty. He is currently serving four consecutive life sentences with no chance for parole or appeal at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution near Boise. Authorities never determined a clear motive.