‘Are you okay’: Idaho quadruple murder victims’ ex-roommate Ashlin Couch reveals final text to her friend
MOSCOW, IDAHO: Ashlin Couch, a former roommate of the victims of a quadruple murder in Idaho, has spoken out about the last message she sent to her friends and how she is honoring their legacy.
In 2020, Couch moved in with her "best friends" Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen on King Road in Moscow, Idaho.
Ashlin Couch lived in the same bedroom where the murders happened
Couch lived with them at their off-campus house until May 2022 when Xana Kernodle took over her lease.
Tragically, in November 2022, Goncalves, Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin were brutally murdered in that same home by accused Bryan Kohberger.
Couch recalled the chilling moment she received an alert about a homicide near her former residence.
She immediately texted her friends, asking, ‘Has anyone heard from Maddie?’ and ‘Are you okay,’ she told KXLY.
The reality of the situation still haunts her as a horrific tragedy unfolded in her old bedroom.
“It crosses my mind more that, that could have happened while I was there," she told the publication, adding, "And, you know, you never know like how long someone is watching your house."
Ashlin Couch moved out six months before the Idaho murders
Ashlin had moved out just six months before the murders. The loss of her closest friends in a home that held some of her favorite memories has left a void that will never be filled.
“I just wish that I could do at least one more time is like, you know, just give her one last hug just to be able to say goodbye,” Couch said.
Couch and her mother Angela Navejas have found a way to honor her friends.
They founded the 'Made With Kindness foundation' and created a scholarship in their names.
“If we can help college students feel a little bit safer knowing that something like this had happened, I think is helpful in any way,” Couch said before adding, "I couldn't even walk to my car in the dark for months after, you know, it happened."
Delay in Bryan Kohberger trial accused of the gruesome murders
Initially set for spring 2024, the trial date was pushed back to at least spring 2025.
When Kohberger was arrested in December 2023, a key piece of evidence was a white Hyundai seen in surveillance footage driving to and from the site of the killings that matched Kohberger’s car.
However, Kohberger’s alibi filing claims that cellphone expert Sy Ray will offer testimony that shows his cellphone did not travel towards the home, and ‘thus could not be the vehicle captured on video.’
