A newly unsealed court filing has revealed harrowing details about the final moments of Xana Kernodle, showing that she fought back as Bryan Kohberger stabbed her dozens of times inside the off-campus Moscow, Idaho, home on November 13, 2022.
According to the autopsy report reviewed by People, Kernodle was stabbed 67 times during a prolonged struggle. Unlike the other victims, she was awake, unarmed, and not in bed when the attack began.
Medical findings indicate extensive defensive wounds, including deep cuts to her hands that reached bone, along with injuries to her face, neck, chest, abdomen, back, and legs.
Blood found on the bottoms of her feet and wiped across her body further supports that she was moving and actively resisting during the assault.
The filing states that Kernodle suffered punctures to the skull, perforations to major blood vessels and organs—including the jugular vein, heart, and lungs—and severe internal bleeding.
The extent of her injuries was so extreme that a surviving roommate initially misidentified her body when speaking with police.
Investigators believe Kernodle may have encountered Kohberger after he attacked Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves upstairs. Evidence suggests she had been eating a late-night food delivery when she heard disturbing noises and went to investigate.
Blood transfer patterns show traces from Mogen and Goncalves on a bedroom door, the stairwell, and walls near Kernodle’s room, indicating movement through the house after the initial killings.
The filing outlines a possible sequence in which Kernodle encountered Kohberger, fled back toward her bedroom, and was followed.
Despite being significantly smaller and unarmed, she continued to fight.
Her body was later found on the bedroom floor just feet away from her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, who was killed before he could stand up, according to his autopsy.
Additional forensic findings show Kernodle’s blood and DNA under Chapin’s fingernails, and Chapin’s blood and DNA under Kernodle’s nails, suggesting the two were in close proximity during their final moments.
The violent struggle may also explain why Kohberger left behind a KA-BAR knife sheath containing his DNA, a critical piece of evidence in the case.
Prosecutors believe the commotion caused by Kernodle’s resistance is what drew the attention of the surviving roommate, who later saw Kohberger leaving the home.
Kohberger ultimately pleaded guilty in 2025 to the murders of Kernodle, Chapin, Mogen, and Goncalves, avoiding the death penalty. He is now serving four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
