Summary
If you enjoy true crime documentaries, you will not want to miss this.
You won’t want to miss this one. After watching the true crime documentary One Night in Idaho: The College Murders, I need an emotional-support coffee. I need to process what I’ve just watched.
The four-part series, released on Prime Video, was one I approached with some trepidation. My previous experiences with true crime documentaries, such as Netflix’s Night Stalker, often left me feeling that the victims were overshadowed by sensationalism. However, this documentary took a different approach, one that was respectful and empathetic towards the victims.
One Night in Idaho: The College Murders doesn’t just follow the typical true crime documentary style. It sets itself apart with its lack of sensationalism, drawing me in for all four episodes.
While the pacing of the documentary may have felt slow at first, the way it gradually revealed information made it impossible to look away. I found myself watching all four parts in one sitting, unable to tear myself away from the emotional journey.
A Quick Breakdown of the Case, Victims, and Perpetrator
Let’s get into the case. On November 13, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho, at approximately 4:00-4:25 AM, four young college students were brutally stabbed in their home at 1122 King Road House. The victims are named as Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin (may they rest in peace). Speculation encircles the murder with a few different theories of why and what happened on that sad Sunday morning. The series delves into the perpetrator, and convicted Bryan Kohberger, who is due to receive a life sentence. It has been theorized that he was a copycat killer of the infamous Elliot Rodger, though this is speculative.
The main question that will be on everyone’s mind is, “Do we find out what happened after the tragedy?”
The answer is yes, you will receive the answers to the questions you have in mind. However, instead of searching through TikTok, I recommend watching this documentary, which honors and pays respect to the victims.
Why This True Crime Series Is Worth Watching
There are numerous reasons why I thoroughly enjoyed this four-part documentary.
Firstly, and probably most importantly, the documentary covers several themes. It explores disbelief and denial, social media harassment, “incels,” differences in grieving styles between families, and how communities rally together – and this scratches the surface. For a true crime series to hit home on so many different angles of a horrific story is what truly makes it one worth watching.
Each theme in the documentary felt like a rapid-fire barrage of emotions, despite the stretched-out narrative, which was used for dramatic effect. The execution was almost perfect, taking me on an emotional journey.
Secondly, One Night in Idaho is an emotionally moving experience. You gain an understanding of the victims. You feel for the families. You get a glimpse into the pain that they feel in the present day. You pray that they will receive peace and healing for their heart and souls. Typically, in true crime, we are hyper-focused on the killer, the crime scene, and the motives, which is incredibly grotesque. In these sad stories, we ought to be learning about the victims and keeping their memory alive, not glorifying the perpetrator (in this case, Bryan Kohberger) by creating shows and podcasts solely on them.
My one main criticism of the series – and this is my problem, not a show problem- is that it takes me a long time to pinpoint “who is who”. To start with, it was hard to get clarification on who the victims were. Admittedly, I had to research it myself before delving into the episodes in depth. However, I still struggled with the friends who were speaking. I kept getting confused.
The true crime series leaves on a bittersweet note. The screen cuts to black, with updates appearing to provide present-day context on the victim’s families and the status of Bryan Kohberger’s conviction. However, what feels important to note, at least to me, is the two non-profit foundations that family members and friends created in the victim’s memory.
We learn about ‘Ethan’s Smile Foundation’, which the Chapin family created to keep Ethan’s legacy alive. The foundation aims to provide scholarships to students with the hope that it will enable them to follow their dreams.
And secondly, we learn about ‘Made With Kindness’, which was created in honor of Maddie, Kaylee, and Xana. The foundation also aims to provide scholarships for students, offer grief wellness seminars, and promote on-campus safety awareness in partnership with universities.
If you enjoy true crime documentaries, you will not want to miss One Night in Idaho: The College Murders. Or maybe you will if you’re looking to sensationalise the crime and the perpetrator because your fetish will not be fulfilled.
R.I.P. Maddie, Kaylee, Xana, and Ethan.
