Idaho Survivor Dylan Mortensen Says Family Moved Nine Times to Stay Private

Dylan Mortensen, a survivor of the November 2022 University of Idaho student massacre, has told a judge that her family has been forced to move nine times since the killings, as she asks the court to block the release of unblurred images and video that could show her face. Mortensen filed an affidavit with Latah County Judge Megan Marshall asking her to reconsider an October 20 order granting the release of additional public records connected to the case. Her lawyer, Robyn McPherson, filed a motion to intervene last week, seeking a stay until the petition and any appeals are resolved. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for November 12.

The case centres on the killings at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of November 13, 2022, when four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in an off-campus house. Mortensen was one of two surviving roommates in the house that night. Bryan Kohberger later pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the murders, but proceedings over the release of investigative records have continued, and Mortensen says the attention that followed her has never stopped.

Key Points

• Dylan Mortensen, a survivor of the 2022 University of Idaho massacre, asks a judge to reconsider an order releasing additional public records.
• She says her family has moved nine times since November 2022 to protect their privacy and safety.
• Reporters and strangers investigating the case have shown up outside family homes and followed family members, according to her affidavit.
• She now uses an alias for delivery orders, at her job and when introducing herself.
• Her lawyer seeks a stay, private in-camera review of the withheld records and a detailed index before anything further is released.

What Happened

Mortensen filed her affidavit in Latah County, asking Judge Marshall to reconsider the October 20 order that agreed to release records sought by EWU Media LLC in a public-records request dated August 28, 2025. The records at issue include video and images that could show her face. Mortensen argues that the only protection she has left is the blur over her face in redacted police video and photographs already released, and that an unblurred release would be an unwarranted invasion of her personal privacy.

The affidavit sets out what Mortensen says has happened to her family since November 2022. She wrote that her family has had to move nine times to protect their privacy and safety, that reporters and strangers investigating the case have shown up outside their homes and followed family members, and that she now uses an alias for delivery orders, at her job and when introducing herself. The picture is not of a single intrusion but of a sustained pattern, in which the search for new details about a notorious case has followed her from address to address.

Background: The Idaho Massacre Case

On November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students were killed at a rented house at 1122 King Road in Moscow, a small college town in northern Idaho. The victims were Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. Two other roommates survived the attack, including Mortensen. The killings drew intense national attention, and the investigation was one of the most scrutinised in the country, with reporters, online commentators and amateur investigators poring over every detail.

Dylan Mortensen and the Fight Over Unblurred Images

At the centre of Mortensen's affidavit is a simple claim: the blur matters. In redacted police video and photographs released so far, her face is obscured. She argues that this redaction is the only protection she has left, and that removing it would expose her to a new wave of attention from people who have already shown, in her account, that they are willing to turn up at her home and follow her family. For a survivor who has already moved nine times, the difference between a blurred image and an unblurred one is not technical. It is the difference between being recognisable and not.

Her lawyer's proposed solution is procedural rather than absolute. By asking for a stay, an in-camera review and a detailed index, McPherson is asking the judge to look at the material herself, in private, and decide what should be released and what should stay protected. That approach is common in records disputes involving sensitive material, because it allows the court to test claims about privacy and public interest against the actual documents, rather than ruling on descriptions of them.

Reactions and What Comes Next

As of the filing, no decision has been announced on Mortensen's request, and the court has not yet ruled on the motion to intervene. The judge's October 20 order remains the starting point for the November 12 hearing, at which both sides will argue whether that order should stand, be narrowed, or be stayed pending further review. Moscow authorities, who hold the records, will also have a role in identifying and indexing the withheld material if the court orders that step.

Why It Matters

This case matters because it tests where the line falls between public access and personal privacy for people who never sought the spotlight. Mortensen did not choose to become a public figure. She survived a crime that made her one, and she has spent the years since trying to reclaim a private life. Her affidavit, with its account of nine moves, strangers at her door and an alias for everyday tasks, is a reminder that the aftermath of violent crime is measured not only in court dates and sentences, but in the daily decisions survivors make to feel safe.

What Happens Next

The immediate next step is the hearing on November 12, when Judge Marshall will consider Mortensen's request and the motion to intervene. The court could grant a stay, order in-camera review and an index of withheld records, narrow the release, or allow it to proceed. Separately, Kohberger is due back in court on December 10 for a post-conviction relief hearing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Dylan Mortensen?
Dylan Mortensen is a survivor of the November 13, 2022 University of Idaho student massacre at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho. She was one of two surviving roommates in the house that night.

What is she asking the court to do?
She asks Latah County Judge Megan Marshall to reconsider an October 20 order releasing additional public records, including video and images that could show her face, and to block unblurred material.

Why does she say she needs protection?
She says her family has moved nine times since November 2022, that reporters and strangers have shown up outside their homes and followed family members, and that she now uses an alias for deliveries, at work and when introducing herself.

What has her lawyer asked for?
Her lawyer, Robyn McPherson, seeks a stay until the petition and appeals are resolved, identification of the withheld records, private in-camera judicial review and a detailed index.

When is the hearing?
A hearing is scheduled for November 12. Bryan Kohberger is separately due back in court on December 10 for a post-conviction relief hearing.

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