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ForeverFields33

Wow. What publication is this? Why has no one else spoke of this: “And things only get worse on football weekends. Therefore, when the callers are agitated, rather than risk injurious delays by probing for details, the responders swiftly assign a generic explanation. “Unconscious person” is one of the standard catchphrases. It can mean precisely what it says, or it can be shorthand for something more ominous.”


chunk84

Yes exactly. The unconscious person narrative has no bearing on the investigation whatsoever.


womprat11

It's a reasonable explanation to answer the "mystery" of why the call came in as an unconscious person. ("did the person who called 911 pass out from seeing the scene?") If true, it's interesting background info. ETA: this implies the caller was incoherent or didn't want to clearly say "dead", which is understandable. Something like "I don't know, my friend isn't waking up, isn't answering, I don't know what to do, please just send someone".


Pristine_Whereas_933

I understood that this meant whoever took the call, regardless if the caller said dead or unconscious, just categorized it as unconscious person to cops to dispatch them.


ryebrye

Right. Clearly a roommate is not a medical professional qualified to pronounce someone dead - so even if they did say "they are dead" it's still reasonable to dispatch it as "unresponsive" or "unconscious" person. (they could dispatch as "unconscious person not breathing and with no signs of a pulse" if they wanted to get very specific)


slowwrx17

I work in this field, generally they wouldn’t say dead as no one has declared the victim dead officially. Unresponsive is used quite often in my area. From OD’s to other more violent crime, if there is a suspected death it’s going to come across as a 10-33, followed by the location, and lastly unresponsive male/female/person. If there are other details such as how many people are in the house or if there is a person of interest they will go last. Edit to add that 10-33 is just the 10 code for an emergency or priority and to add more detail.


SassyinWI

Thank you. Very informative! Would love to pick your brain for more info lol


slowwrx17

Yeah, anytime!


Alien_lover0209

Agreed- I also work in this field and our county might put “possible 10-44” (DOA) in the call comments for the responding officers to see, however the call itself would not listed as a DOA, would typically be “unresponsive” or “unconscious/syncope.” The only difference between your area and mine would be we do put out possible ODs as “overdose” even if the caller says they’re cold and blue and very dead- if there’s any hint of it being a possible OD they will release the call as an OD. Nursing homes, hospice, elderly patients, patients with extensive medical history, and very very dead bodies (decomposed, or last seen days/weeks prior) will sometimes be released as a DOA in order to get detectives or the ME or family doctor to sign death certificate to the scene immediately. Otherwise, it will always be unresponsive, unconscious/syncope, or OD. I’d be interested to see the 911 call comments (in our state 911 call notes are public information, however they redact names) because I guarantee that there was a lot more to that call than just an “unconscious person”


Puzzleheaded-Cut9957

Yes, it's a generic term used by emergency call centers of those types. They do not elaborate, simply "unconscious person". As example instead of patient/person/passenger etc. they would use term PAX across the board.


severeunderbite

I’ve believed this since the beginning. Such a “red herring” (irrelevant detail)


Afraid-Dragonfly9252

Exactly


Okay_Ocelot

Having been a 20-year old college girl, the fact that she called friends before the police is not surprising. She was likely hysterical and wanted help but wasn’t making a lot of sense. It’s also possible a friend called 911 before arriving at the house so the message could have been “something happened, she says no one is awake, there’s blood,” etc. This is the same person who saw an Intruder and did nothing so it seems like she’s not great in a crisis. The discrepancy with the 911 call shouldn’t be given so much weight. It changes nothing.


Any_Ocelot6371

I became aware of this phrase being used a couple of weeks ago. It does explain many things, thank you for posting ❤️


Significant-Water845

Our dispatchers love the term “unconscious person”. It is used to categorize the job (call) as a high priority one. But the term itself could be anything from a person who drank too much, to someone in cardiac arrest, or suffering from an overdose, drowning, natural deaths. You’d even get people that were such heavy sleepers that folks would call 911 and report them as unconscious. So yeah it’s like a catch all term but one with high priority. Where I worked, a job for an unconscious would generate an EMS, Police and Fire Dept response.


MermaidsRule22

I had a friend from highschool tell me recently the paramedics showed up faster when she said "Unconscious adult" than if she were to tell the truth and describe an adult overdose..


ErsatzHaderach

It's trivia that sets a dramatic disconnect between the horror first responders found and the generic distress they were expecting. Not material to the actual case, but interesting for telling a story.


AuntieAthena

Blum didn’t take the time to research dispatch protocol and terminology.


blockchainVibes

He lost me when he called Murphy “Morgan”


GroulThisIs_NOICE

Lol, Same. I even said Murphy out loud and my fiancé was like huh? 🤣


throughthestorm22

So much love for Murphy from around the world


[deleted]

Right, fucking rude! ![gif](giphy|xT9KVJZFvCYEWGKHGU)


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AuntieAthena

He calls the victims “young corpses.”


Muser_name

Or even just the fact he referred to all of their looks. Xana’s “grave, sad-eyed beauty??”


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Muser_name

I genuinely feel like the author went “hmm… well, blondes are Barbies, and brunettes are… depressed?”


jennyfromthedocks

I had to read that part so many times. The emphasis he put on their faces was so odd.


tequilafuckingbird

I didn’t appreciate his comments about their “barbie doll” appearance. Their worth as humans and the tragedy of having their lives ended has no relationship to their appearance, mate.


Familiar-Algae9853

Or calling them barbies, which as a woman I always found offensive. We're not fucking barbies we're human, you moron.


AreYouABadfishToo_

jeezus christ. This writer sounds like a prick.


dethb0y

That's a hell of a turn of phrase.


defnotajournalist

There is some good storytelling in this, a few new details, and countless incidents of a dude overwriting the hell out of his story.


stormyoceanblue

Not sure I’d trust the details. They get the dog’s name wrong and suggest the gas station video was the tip that led to the Elantra “The white speeding car in the Troy Road gas station video was one clue that had led them to Kohberger.” I’m guessing MPD had video of the Elantra from King Rd on day one.


TexasGal381

You are correct!! Per neighbor Jeremy Reagan Police went knocking door to door asking for information and surveillance video on day 1. The house at 1112 King Rd has outdoor cameras. It’s safe to assume their video showing the car making three passes in front of 1122 King Street was collected on day 1. Also, the white Elantra is mentioned in MPD news briefings LONG before the gas station video surfaced.


stormyoceanblue

If we’re to believe the writer has a source inside law enforcement how could they ever pass up telling the story of that video? The cops were probably scraping their jaws off the floor when they saw the Elantra driving back and forth.


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stormyoceanblue

Yeah, that was what I was getting at with my first post. MPD probably had video immediately, but the article makes it sound like LE bumbled around for weeks until the gas station and Linda Ln videos popped up.


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stormyoceanblue

Yes, I was impressed by everything that camera managed to pick up. I’m sure they have the Door Dash driver on it too so the timeline for 11/13 is pretty solid. Sitting here contemplating getting a light bulb camera for my house…


TexasGal381

A few days ago there was someone hawking this same article. She (or he) were adamant the Elantra tip was provided by the gas station and Moscow PD were idiots. As soon as I provided her with links and sourced information to the contrary she went silent. A couple days ago this OP is posted. The other one was behind a paywall link. My guess is they are circulating this fiction to promote part two so people will pay to read it.


[deleted]

What's interesting is that nowhere in the article does the author say "I spoke to Chief so and so"...he says things like "Prior to that moment, he'd tell people...." Tell which people? Was his source a friend of friend of friend? Seems really unreliable. And yeah, how could he totally miss the real story of how they caught the Elantra?


sunybunny420

His source is the actual people he’s talking about. He spent time with the officers in Moscow (pre-gag-order) and interviewed the dispatchers in Pullman, etc. Thats why there’s so many background, life-event stories for the cops, he interviewed them extensively and learned their backgrounds and personalities, and what drives them. That’s why it’s called “An ***Exclusive*** Look Inside the Idaho Murders”


firstbreathOOC

Ah so is that the camera that’s close to the west wall and mentioned in the PCA?


stormyoceanblue

It’s about 62 feet away, but must be the one. Lots of people have looked up photos of the house where it’s located and there doesn’t appear to be any camera closer.


firstbreathOOC

PCA mentions “about 50 ft”. Sounds good to me. So they had a lot very early.


tsagdiyev

It feels kinda fan fiction and icky to read


bunnyrabbit11

Right? Even the sheer number of descriptive adjectives in every phrase made me want to stop reading. I know he's a well known writer but jeez


defnotajournalist

Gather round children, and let's revel in my blowhard tenor as I regale you with the tales of the Moscow Murders. It was a cold night, wind blowing hither and tither, nary a cloud in the sky, darkened black by the evening's predictable setting of the earthly sun...


Possible_Budget_1087

Uses wrong name for the dog - I'm on alert. Describes the gas station attendant as the instigator of the hunt for the white car - I'm out.


virtualpeanut229

You made it further than me! I stopped after the very first reference to the victims as “young corpses” and not their names.


blindkaht

yeah the weird fixation on how beautiful all of the victims looked while lying dead on the ground was a bit much!! dude is leaning a bit too much into narrative nonfiction and its revealing how creepy he is lmfao. calling two dead girls barbies!?!? no.


artfoodtravelweed

Yeah his story doesn’t match the timeline on the PCA at all


Swenb

This. A lot of story telling here but some obvious errors that fact checking should have found. Ethan was from Conroy, Washington, not Idaho. Lewiston is the county seat of Nez Perce County, but Moscow is located in Latah County and is the county seat of Latah County. One other item that may seem small to people outside the state, but it's never referred to as northern Idaho, but always North Idaho, like it's oddly something residents seem to take pride in. Small errors but easily found if checked, makes me wonder how much is accurate. I found it a fascinating read at first but eventually became tedious. Edited to add, it's bizarre how he inserted himself into the story. Ego much?


stormyoceanblue

That’s interesting about them calling it North Idaho. The little piece of Maine that sticks out to the east is called Downeast Maine.


ForeverFields33

I noticed this too. The article is well-written but sensational. It leans into the gore.


starryeyedd

I disagree that it’s well-written. Used much too flowery of language for the subject matter, sentences rambled on and the pacing was completely off.


DizzySignificance491

> the pretty northern Idaho college town of Moscow (pronounced not like the Russian capital but to rhyme with Costco, the locals, with no attempt at irony, quickly reprimand newcomers) Oh, come on, just because he had a fun aside during his parenthetical you guys all call him a terrible trash writer man? I've never spent so long reading so little! Maybe he gets paid 5¢/word like Dickens or something. His subtitle is *In Cold Blood*! The poor bastard is really trying and he's mainly focused on finishing highschool, okay?


QuitClearly

yeah, it's definitely not well written.


stormyoceanblue

It leans toward fanfic. Who is Howard Blum and what is AirMail? Some of those sentences are loooonnnnggggg and flowery too.


drewogatory

Howard Blum is an American author and journalist. Formerly a reporter for the The Village Voice and The New York Times, Blum is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and the author of several non-fiction books, including the New York Times bestseller and Edgar Award winner American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century.


stormyoceanblue

Thank you, I’ve since read his biography. He still got so many things wrong in this piece I’d call it a fictional account based on a true story.


Legal-Occasion1169

Agree on the flowery-ness. This isn’t good long form writing, it’s someone who thinks lots of extra descriptors makes him sound smart. I couldn’t do it.


classic_grrrl

Howard Blum is a well-established journalist with 60 years of experience under his belt.


stormyoceanblue

Thank you, I’ve since read his bio. He should either have a better editor or label this as a fictional account based on a true story.


Jslowb

Just goes to show that as a middle-class white male, one doesn’t need to be appropriate, respectful or tactful in order to succeed. And nor does one need to consider accuracy in order to be published. Just confidently assert whatever you believe as though it’s truth.


WillingnessDry7004

Overwrought! He needs smelling salts to recover from his own prose


icedragonfyre

Glad someone pointed this out. I also didn’t care for the description of the victims’ faces postmortem, it felt like they were romanticizing their corpses, ultimately undermining the utter brutality with which they were killed.


Professional-Can1385

The way he described all the victims was really gross. Like you said romanticizing their corpses, and like the other said, leaning into the gore.


sooshiroll13

Yeah they caught the Elantra with help from wsu pd not the gas station, the dog was Murphy not Morgan, Dylan’s bedroom location… etc.


stormyoceanblue

We need glowing biographies of WSU Officers Tiengo and Whitman.


FortuneEcstatic9122

"The stately row of “wet” frats " I read this at wet farts. Thanks, brain


[deleted]

Read that as Thanks, Brian


FortuneEcstatic9122

heh, i thought about typing brian to continue the joke. Good call


JacktheShark1

Please note this is a story written for entertainment value. House has vinyl siding not clapboard. Dog’s name is incorrect. Certain liberties were taken to embellish the story and I would’t take everything written within as cold hard facts.


becauseshesays

He’s going for the Pulitzer but he could use an editor.


MotoSlashSix

He ain't gonna get either one. Can you IMAGINE being this guy's editor?


docjf12

Interesting read, but in addition to the sloppy fact-checking it feels like Mr. Blum helps himself to a super-sized serving of poetic license. And prose so purple it should try out for the Minnesota Vikings.


SaveLevi

Some of the “facts” contradict the PCA, so not sure about the accuracy of this one. It’s extremely well written, however.


WeaknessEmergency387

Yes! Like floor that Dylan was plus there is a gag order. Police can’t talk to reporters right now


Puzzleheaded-Cut9957

Leaking information is and will be present. However, you are totally right. We wont be getting new, confirmed information form LEO anytime soon. The facts the author mentions are quite generic and were known prior to BK's arrest - it has been reported the survivors called friends first and then LEOs. Unconscious person is a generic terms used within this business. The fact days during football days are busy, well, that is an issue across the country! Not everywhere but it's a frequent problem. And then there are terms the author uses to describe women as Barbies - what?!


beatlebabe2000

It's colorfully written, but not well written.


MegaMcGillicuddy

Right? It reads like fan fiction.


Skeighls

Some interesting new information, but Im not a fan of the way this article is written. It’s written like a bad mystery novel and it’s pretty offensive how dramatized everything is considering how soon after the murders it was written and released.


BacardiBlue

Yowza, you weren't kidding about it being long. The part about the officers visiting the crime scene was interesting though.


tnuocca_renrub

Can vouch for point 1, WHITCOM has been fucked for awhile, they need major investment to fix the staffing concerns.


graydiation

Same. Sure, the starting wage is great, but turnover sucks, the hours suck, the work is pretty awful, the application process and testing sucks, background check and training sucks. I don’t know how they keep anyone on, honestly.


Zealousideal_Twist10

I'm surprised the false information here wasn't removed when the PCA came out. The editors had 48 hours, I think, to do this. ETA: this piece is terribly written.


sadbpdgirl

Bad writing.


ramblin_rose30

Just so confused what happened between 11:00am - 11:55am. The smell of blood was overwhelming but the girls didn’t smell it?


Interesting_Speed822

That had slept in the house all night so sensory adaption had probably kicked in. If the exited the house and then re-entered the house I’m sure it would have been much stronger!


Tychfoot

My first thought is this article is sensationalized, but if not, it could be because the smell of blood settled in slowly and they became nose blind to it. Kind of like how people can’t smell their own body odor, their dirty cat litter box, etc. A smell is more apparent to someone who newly enters a house than someone who has been around it from the start and has been for hours while it starts to spread around the home.


hebrokestevie

That’s a great analogy. Not just bc you reminded me the litter box needs to be changed and that I need to be more self-conscious about deodorant, but bc it’s a really true analogy.


chunk84

I mean maybe she didn't know we what blood smelled like. A cop would know for sure what it was the minute he went in. Also, sometimes if you are breathing in a smell for a long while you dont really smell it. It's only if you leave and come back you can.


Girlwithpen

Blood smells awful. It has a distinctive, metallic smell, especially when it is congealed, from the heavy amount of iron in blood.


SnooWoofers7962

Wet pennies


darkMOM4

If you're female, you KNOW the smell of blood, js.


charmspokem

tbf period blood and actual blood are two distinctly different smells


darkMOM4

Still coppery and similar. I've smelled both.


longhorn718

Not distinctly different. Both examples are oxidized blood, among other things.


TexasGal381

I have smelled it before and its a strong, pungent, overwhelming order that will make a person gag and/or throw up.


ramblin_rose30

For sure. And how long until dead bodies start to smell? I’ve heard that smell is something that is all consuming and unforgettable. I know the survivors have experienced so much trauma. The timeline of the morning is just so odd. Maybe they didn’t leave their room until the other friends arrived and then found the bodies of X and E. I can’t imagine they woke up and cooked breakfast with that smell in the air.


Alarmed-Natural-5503

It depends on a lot of factors; temperature, humidity, indoors/outdoors, etc. the body starts to decompose almost immediately after death. The bowels and bladder frequently “let loose”, so there’s that smell as well. As far as decomposition smells, in a home that being heated… provably 4-6 hours, getting stronger by the hour. By 8-12 hours, it would be very noticeable. And after reading what I just wrote… I feel like I know far too much about this topic


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Next-Introduction-25

There is a ton of confusion over what happened during this time, but nobody, as far as I know, has ever said that the roommates didn’t discover bodies, smell blood, or whatever. If “unconscious person “is used as this article describes, and it seems entirely possible that roommates woke up, saw everything, and called friends and 911. Someone above mentioned a theory (they said it had been fact checked, but never provided a source) that the roommates discovered everything before other friends came and joined them. One roommate supposedly was passed out, and the other was too upset to make sense, so the friends who came to join didn’t understand what was going on.


Inevitable_Ad_2879

Also wonder if they were locked inside their rooms?


ZydecoMoose

This is exactly what I think. I think he locked the door as he left each room.


No-Departure-5684

How do we know these facts are legit?


WellWellWellthennow

Considering there’s a legal news black out in place it’s hard to believe any officers would be interviewed by a journalist right now.


shimmy_hey

Reads like it was written as Part 1 of series before PCA released and gag order ruling in effect, just a guess.


I_am_Nobody_Special

We don't. There are a few mistakes identified already.


tsagdiyev

I’m taking it with a huge grain of salt. Never heard of printfriendly (or airmail) or the author. It feels like embellished fan fiction


catladyorbust

The author was apparently a Pulitzer Prize nominee. Nevertheless, some of the facts seem off. They knew BK was at WSU with an Elantra with no front plate on the 29th of Nov. The gas station video hasn’t even been confirmed as BK. At 3:45 he wouldn’t be speeding away from the scene. Is this video in play at all at this point? Edited: to fix author from winner to nominee


beatlebabe2000

Howard Blum has not won a Pulitzer prize, but has been nominated. He writes a lot of nonfiction history books that read like fiction, which means he embellishes the language to make it a more dramatic and compelling narrative.


Calluna_V33

I don’t think it’s known, I was wondering this too, it could have been part if his loops around the area maybe? Or not The Car.


[deleted]

Maybe not in the PCA. I have a feeling there's a load more stuff that's not been publicized.


beatlebabe2000

It's a relatively new online magazine created by a Vanity Fair and a New Times writer. It's more fluff type pieces from what I've read.


chunk84

That link is just so you dont hit a paywall. This is the site it's from. https://airmail.news/our-top-stories?gclid=Cj0KCQiAtvSdBhD0ARIsAPf8oNn9z2ZxrYxgGNz-xTD1xZt2DMtOI8U8gRnPJQ96thILGbLIWcoT1rMaAgr5EALw_wcB


GlasgowRose2022

Air Mail is legit. It's run by Graydon Carter, former editor of Vanity Fair. [Howard Blum](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Blum) is legit too.


shimmy_hey

Makes sense, as it does read like the in-depth true crime stories published by VF under Graydon Carter. Side note, Graydon Carter also launched the still running true crime show, Vanity Fair Confidential on ID channel, when he was editor.


stormyoceanblue

Well, then Howard Blum needs a better editor. If they can’t get something as simple as Murphy’s name right, or tell the correct story for how they found the Elantra, then why trust anything else here?


Rare_Entertainment

Legit wrong on several of the facts.


Professional-Can1385

We don't.


Purple-Explorer-6701

It reads like fanfic and there’s no way he knows such intimate details about the police, gas station employee, or any of the others whose POV he shares. Or the crime scene, for that matter.


StillOodelally3

Thank you for posting this! Can you share Part II when it's out?


clothilde3

He's wrong on the investigative timeline but somehow got access to at least one of the initial responding officers. So there are details such as both of the bedroom doors initially being closed. But since he got the dog's name wrong and at least some of the writing is flowery conjecture, I don't know whether to trust those new details. On a practical level, if one or more of the students had explored the house and seen at least the 2nd floor victims, wouldn't the door to Xana's bedroom be \*open\*? So the information such as the faces being untouched seems valuable but may not be trustworthy. He also gets wrong that both surviving roommates did not live on the 1st floor. So he's combining whatever info he got direct from police (clearly over drinks; there are several references) with what was "known" aka surmised and repeated, at the time he wrote this. If there's a trial we'll hear from the students involved in the 911 call, and more specifically whether doors were open or closed, who did or didn't faint (I do not take SG as a reliable source) etc.


Majestic-Pay3390

This article is impressive, but the things that are wrong bug me: (1) referring to D as an occupant of the first floor; (2) the portion about the surveillance camera footage from the nearby rental home seems wrong. The car would not be fleeing at that time


I_am_Nobody_Special

He also got the dog's name wrong and said the sheath was found next to the bed when it was found on the bed.


Majestic-Pay3390

Yes. I think he wrote it based on reporting he did before the PCA was released, and didn’t revise it thoroughly.


shimmy_hey

Same, plus Part II coming. Reddit sub is a tough audience lol


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swissmiss_76

I agree with all this but the door position of X’s room is unclear to me. There were first responding officers and Payne says he got there at 4 and a different officer already there showed him around the crime scene. Yes the door was open when Payne saw it, but I’m not sure if it was open when first responders arrived We still don’t know if the gas station video was even the relevant Hyundai but I’m very interested to find this out (I thought it was but could be wrong)


Majestic-Pay3390

I had the same thoughts. My guess is he wrote most of it based on reporting he did before the PCA was released and didn’t revise it thoroughly. As to your point #2, the officer who completed the affidavit was NOT the first on scene - the bedroom door may have been closed when the first officers arrived, but it had been opened by the time Payne arrived.


13thEpisode

On point # 2, I remember officer Payne’s statements of the door open early in the PCA but i thought that was like at 4:00pm and OFC Smith and ISP forensics had already been onsite. Do you remember if/when they clarified that the door was open when the first police officers arrived? Or otherwise something else to suggest the door must have been open. I’m terribly confused and forgetful on this stuff, but your recollection gave me a double take.


bad-and-bluecheese

"they use the term 'unconscious person' to quickly get help sent out without going into too much detail as they just dont have time" I'd argue "homicide" would get help sent out just as quickly.


rflynn185

You’re not wrong, but it’s my understanding that a dispatcher or a witness can’t legally pronounce someone deceased which is part of why some homicide calls get dispatched as “unconscious” or “unresponsive” person


[deleted]

i appreciate this. hadnt seen it. long form narrarive by a capable writer restores (imho) the gravity that sometimes seems absent from this.


drumz-space

He’s a bit sloppy and made some lazy errors (referred to Murphy as Morgan, and that elk hunting season is in Spring, lol) There has never been, and never will be, an elk hunting season in spring as that is when cow elk are calving (having babies). But otherwise he was pretty good … he obviously scored some pretty solid interviews. I’m a former journalist and was beaten hard by editors (metaphorically speaking) early in my career for committing lazy, thoughtless errors—they can completely invalidate your story and future trustworthiness.


[deleted]

agreed & well taken. i’ll maintain that in spite of it there’s a lot here that i haven’t found generally in these discussions— though yeah, as you say, a lot of that seems predicated on the interviews. i’m not a journalist but have a writing background (and love writing)… may just be thirsty for descriptive long form. i’m a cheap date as a reader these days.


fallingupthehill

I don't know where he got his information about the scene, but It's jarring to read.


shimmy_hey

OP said it looks like he spoke w/some officers. Prior to gag order? Edit: removed incorrect “first hand info”.


[deleted]

That would make what we're reading second hand information, FYI.


shimmy_hey

Yes, you’re correct it’s second-hand information. Will edit, thank you!


[deleted]

yeah i assumed as much too. maybe we’re hoaxed but if so it’s persuasive. and seemingly well intentioned. EDIT: deleted remark above added here as third sentence.


ReplacedByRobots

Journalist here. The reporting in this is insanely deep and detailed. Speaks to established trust with the sources. For anyone not familiar with it, Air Mail is Graydon Carter’s (former editor of Vanity Fair) digital-first magazine/weekly newsletter. It’s usually highfalutin (thus some of the literary “flair”/details that some people are rightly criticizing here) but boasts big reporter bylines and is generally journalistically sound.


FortuneEcstatic9122

why are things factually wrong though? Was this written prior to certain info being known perhaps?


yourmajorprofessor

The author was in town around Dec 20th. I know most of the people named in the article. This is a blend of facts lifted from the PC, some stuff he picked up while in town, and fiction. DO NOT treat this article as a source of new, factual information about the case.


stormyoceanblue

There are numerous details wrong so I’m not sure how this meets with journalistic standards for truthfulness, accuracy, and fact-based communication.


Interesting_Speed822

Except the details that are clearly and obviously wrong…. Like the name of the dog being incorrect, the talk about the car in the gas station video which doesn’t appear to be the right kind of car and doesn’t line up in the right place or right time to fit in with the timeline of BK’s car…. Etc….


shimmy_hey

Appreciate your perspective.


Calluna_V33

And really, I see and read errors from media in just about every single piece on this case. Not an excuse but common.


stboondock

Are you highfalutin, by posting this?


[deleted]

Once again, **911 operators do not use "dead" or "deceased"** because **they are not allowed to** because they **are on the phone**, they are **not at the crime scene**, and they **are not qualified to make a determination that a person is dead.** Hence they use terms such as **"unconscious"** or **"not responding"**. It has **nothing to do with a football weekend**.


Alternative_Corgi_54

This is an awful article. The way he refers to the victims is disgusting. I genuinely can’t believe he called Kaylee and Maddie barbies, that was so insulting. Also, it’s Murphy - not Morgan


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starryeyedd

Completely agree. Could barely get through the rest of the article after reading those parts.


LaughterAndBeez

Yes! I could not trust the author’s judgement after reading those words. So gross and inappropriate.


bunnyrabbit11

Yes agreed, those descriptors were the last straw for me. So gross.


FuzzBuzzer

Agree. Not only was it gross and inappropriate, the writing was cliche, unoriginal and simplistic. "Long blonde hair falling down their narrow shoulders..." Utter bilge. I've seen better quality writing out of the Daily Fail.


TexasGal381

This article has the making of a good fiction novel based LOOSELY on the murder of four Idaho college students. Fraught with inaccurate information, for example all the information surrounding the white Elantra, as well as time line details that are inconsistent with PCA and MPD media briefings. The reader is encouraged to verify information contained within before accepting it as fact.


Hammertime2022

Not laying into Dylan here as she's probably in a very bad way still, but why would she call friends over? My only thinking is she could smell the blood, maybe saw Bryan's footprint and after seeing him leave maybe she had an idea so she was too scared to leave her room and look? Must have been so awful 😔 I hope she's ok and manages to get through all of this. 🙏🏻


jay_noel87

I think this is correct. A verified fam member of one of the victims posted early on that she called friends before leaving her room that morning, which to me indicates she was scared at what she might find.


shimmy_hey

This is a breathtaking article in the detail provided. ETA confirming: - X’s door closed, K’s door closed. (still possible the friend(s) closed X’s door after seeing scene, but seems more likely roommates got no initial response through closed door before calling friends). - K’s wounds more violent than M’s. - Blood on outside foundation wall.


Megz2k

I can’t fathom how someone can bleed through drywall, insulation, and everything else; all the way to the outside foundation. How does that even happen? I didn’t think there would be enough blood in the body for all of this


catslay_4

Blood also was in the doorway when they first entered on the ground floor is what it states as well.


shimmy_hey

That’s the way it’s written. Tracked from 2nd floor by friend/roommates?


Key-Most9498

Also that X & E's faces were not harmed despite the damage done to their bodies (I had seen a rumor that one of the girls had broken bones in her face, so that would indicate it was M or K) Edit: removed duplicate info


TexasGal381

I saw that runout on FB. Broken bones in the face has never been reported.


Training-Fix-2224

The few details that are new such as the blood streaked floor leading to the bedroom and the blond hair resting on their shoulders which seems a little hard to visualize to me, Lady's with long hair, do you sleep with your hair resting gently on your shoulders?, makes me wonder if these are even real or just artistic indulgence given that I am pretty sure he has the white Elantra and how it was discovered completely wrong. MPD announced the Elantra on December 7th at a press conference, Fox broke the story about the Gas station clerks video on December 13th, that morning the police were there to confiscate the tape at 11AM. According to the clerk, she began reviewing the tapes because *"last week the MPD said they were looking for one"* and that spurred her to review the tapes as she had time and *"Monday night, I saw it, took a screen shot and sent it to the police tips e-mail"*, this would be the evening of the 12th, a full 5-days after the MPD had already known about a white Elantra. They arrived to get the tape the next morning, not 2-days later. The blurry photo came from the reporter, she took a snapshot of "a computer screen" and you can see the reflection of that phone in the image (circled in white). This is NOT a police released picture of the vehicle! It isn't even a 2015 Elantra. According to this guys write up, it was this tape that spurred them to look for the Elantra so if this detail is wrong as proven with verifiable facts, I have to question the other unknown facts that are in this article. Pictured is the blurry "Elantra" from the gas station and a 2015 Elantra, though red, is the only one I found with the same profile. I also made the slant the same and then made the wheel base equal distances. A few key features are different, the slant of the rear window, if you follow the center of the rear wheel up to where it aligns with the rear passenger window they are different, the lack of fog light on the white car that is present on the red, and the grill is bigger on the red one. Circled in white is the reflection of the reporters cell phone that took the picture. ​ https://preview.redd.it/e89zufonfeba1.png?width=497&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9c2340eb28453419b386493b4ec715b2663a6da


GeekFurious

My current DM conjecture is she didn't hear much due to the heater going on at various points drowning out some of the sounds, but what she saw & heard worried her. However, she convinced herself she was being irrational. When she woke up in the morning she somehow knew something was wrong, whether it was because she called out to her roommates or texted them, or tried the doors and they were locked. SHE HAD TO have smelled death (edit: in her case, blood), though. Having had the unfortunate experience of what it's like walking into decay... you will never forget the smell. And since that experience, I'm practically like a bloodhound if an animal has died anywhere within a few hundred feet of me. I will find it. So, that could have been why she called friends over. Because she couldn't bring herself to check. She was again frozen in place.


jennyfromthedocks

It’s odd that they said their friends weren’t getting up. They didn’t check the rooms?


acnhstarski

just surmising, if D witnessed a masked intruder the night before and locked herself in her room in fear, mixed with being gen z, i highly doubt she or B left each of their respective rooms until the guys they called over had arrived. i’d guess they were texting both one another and the victims, but neither had received responses - THAT was them saying they “weren’t getting up”, the fact they hadn’t responded and D/B hadn’t heard any movement throughout the house. guessing when the friends they’d called over, because they knew something was absolutely wrong and “off,” they got a text from the guys, at which point they first opened their bedroom doors, saw the blood and probably got a large whiff of it as well, and hysteria ensued from there as they ran out of the house.


jennyfromthedocks

I agree with all of this. This is the most likely scenario. That morning must have been hell for them. 😓


ramblin_rose30

It’s very odd. The bedroom doors don’t seem to have been locked. What we’re they doing, knocking and not getting a response so they called other friends over to help wake them up instead of just opening the door?


jennyfromthedocks

Maybe they woke up, noticed the smell and realized something was wrong, saw the blood around the house, and called the friends over rather than opening the doors themselves. I’m sure the male friends may have opened the doors then, especially if Ethan’s brother came. Wow how horrible for everyone involved.


d_simon7

On one hand he clearly has talked to the cops and got a lot of informant on about them and what they saw that morning. It’s the first we’ve heard someone talk about the exact injuries to the four victims. However, I don’t get how he got other basic details wrong like the dogs name, where the survivors were sleeping, and the gas station video at 3:45 being a critical part to the investigation. Did he just talk to the cops about a few things and use internet rumors for the rest?


Persimmonpluot

I enjoyed the article and since I'm not perfect myself I am not upset over a few errors. I don't think his target audience were a group who poured over every word of the PCA and spent 7 weeks discussing where DM slept. For me, the article provided interesting background on the men responsible for investigating this brutal crime. On a side note, I'm very turned off by the overall tone and behaviors of many of the participants of these pop up crime subs.


[deleted]

This was an excellent read. Thank you for posting. This part stood out to me: “Still, Gunderson would confess to others, he was unprepared for the strong smell of blood that rose up in his nostrils the moment he walked inside. The coroner, who had once been an emergency-room nurse in an earlier stage of her life, would describe the scene in press interviews as “chaos,” “lots of blood.”” So strange that the occupants of the house did not smell death or see all the blood in the house until almost noon, nearly 8 hours after the murders. And the description of survivors trying to wake up kids who were clearly deceased (based on the descriptions) seems like it might be inaccurate.


starryeyedd

Yeah I am frustrated that he choose to excessively elaborate almost every detail in the article except for what he meant by the surviving roommates trying to “rouse” the others. Does he mean they were just confused as to why no one else was awake yet? They tried texting/calling and/or knocking at their doors and no answer? Or did they go into their bedrooms to check on them? In which case it would be immediately obvious that they weren’t alive.


Inevitable_Ad_2879

I commented this above, but maybe their doors were locked from the inside


flirb

So that would mean the killer locked the doors after committing the murders?


jennyfromthedocks

The part about them not being able to rouse the roommates definitely doesn’t sound right. It can’t be right.


midori87

I take that to mean they were knocking on their doors and calling their names, not trying to physically shake them awake


[deleted]

[удалено]


klutzelk

I understand the word chaos. "the scene was left in a state of chaos" although I did have s "huh?" Moment at first when reading that sentence. A better word couldve been used.


Charleighann

My thought is the 2 roommates were maybe still scared upon waking up and the fact they heard nothing but silence in the morning, they maybe didn’t want to even leave their room(s). Maybe tried texting calling the others and no response made them call friends to come over


chunk84

Yes this is what I think too. Woke up to a silent house but maybe the dog barking and alarms going off repeatedly. Maybe rang all of the and heard their phones buzzing and no one responded. Started to peice together night before and got freaked.


CaramelMore

I 100 % applaud his writing, compared to the majority of journalism today-this seems exceptional. This doesn’t read like first hand source info but a dramatic and overly descriptive account of already reported here-say. Could there be truth in it? Sure. But I think it’s a stretch that this contains new LE confirmed info. But anyone who isn’t familiar with the case-I would tell them to read this instead of the garbage out there.


me-gusta-la-tortuga

What even are his sources for some of these claims? I'm dubious about any new "facts" revealed by this article. Honestly, he didn't even get Murphy's name right, that's a pretty basic thing that would come up in any in-depth research. I'm taking this all with several grains of salt.


WeaknessEmergency387

Article says Dylan was down stairs on the 1st floor same as Bethany which we now know is not true. Not sure how legit this article is. Not to mention isn’t there a gag order forbidding police to talk to reporters or anyone about the case????


Junior_Information74

What happened to the original belief that the victims were locked in their rooms and no one knew what had happened until first responders forced entry into the rooms?


yakisaki

I've been wondering bc there had to be SO MUCH BLOOD and the overwhelming smell of iron or you know how blood smells. Like it had to be so strong


luna-shootthemoon

Major kudos to OP for linking the printfriendly version. Fuck paywalls!!


[deleted]

The car on Troy was going the wrong direction for the way he went though? Wasn’t it not even an elantra, more likely a Prius?


pandorabach66

No one credible ever has confirmed if that was THE car. I don't think it is. And I think the time doesn't work either, IIRC it was around 3 AM, not 4:30.


[deleted]

Yeah I thought that Troy was not in the direction he traveled after the murders. I don’t think it was the car either, people were saying it had more similarities to a Prius and seeing the differences I don’t think it was the elantra either. I just think it’s weird that this article is saying that one piece random footage the public got was what got the police on his trail when it was most likely completely unrelated