In 2022, four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death in their off-campus home in the quiet town of Moscow, Idaho. The killings shocked the small community especially since it had been eight years since the last reported murder in the area.
The documentary One Night in Idaho – The College Murders is a must-watch for true crime fans, not just for the facts of the case, but because it focuses on the people most affected by this horrific tragedy: the families, friends, and the broader community.
Unlike many true crime documentaries that sensationalize the killer, this film deliberately avoids centering Bryan Kohberger, the criminology student charged with the murders.
Instead, directors Liz Garbus and Matthew Galkin made a conscious choice to highlight the voices of those left behind. As Galkin said, their focus was “for the people, the family members, the friends of the victims that had not spoken to the media.”
This shift in narrative is both powerful and necessary. Too often, these stories become more about the perpetrator’s dark mind than the lives that were lost. In this case, the documentary reminds us who the true focus should be.
Filming occurred during a gag order, meaning many details remain undisclosed. Detectives and key witnesses have yet to speak publicly, which leaves many unanswered questions but this silence also adds a chilling and raw perspective. It’s a haunting reminder that even in the era of 24/7 media coverage, not everything can be neatly resolved.
The interviews with the victims’ families and friends were heartbreaking. By the end, you feel as though you knew them. Their lives, though tragically short, were filled with meaning, connection, and promise.
Still, I found myself wanting to know more—why them? What led Kohberger to commit such a senseless act? But perhaps that’s the hardest part of any murder: sometimes, there is no answer that can make sense of the violence.
This documentary is deeply emotional, and I wouldn’t recommend watching it alone at night it gave me nightmares but it’s an important story that deserves to be told with care and compassion.
In honor of the documentary’s commitment to remembering the victims, I’ll end this article with their names:
Madison Mogen, 21
Kaylee Goncalves, 21
Xana Kernodle, 20
Ethan Chapin, 20
Their memory lives on.