Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sensitive docu about college homicide honors victims.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
THE IDAHO MURDERS: COLLEGE NIGHTMARE is a three-part docuseries about the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho college students. On the morning of November 13, 2022, college students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin were found violently stabbed in their off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho. Seven weeks later, Bryan Kohberger, a recently dismissed graduate student from Washington State University, was arrested and charged with the quadruple homicide. He was scheduled to go on trial at the end of July 2025, but ultimately took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. With the help of police body cam footage, archive news media, and interviews with law enforcement, witnesses, and some of the victims' family and friends, it offers first person accounts of and reactions to the chain of events that occurred from the moment emergency services were called. It also features lots of details about the intense investigative effort between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies that led to the arrest, and what transpired nearly three years later when case was finally scheduled to go to court. Throughout it all, the series sheds light on who Madison, Kaylee, Xana, and Ethan were and the lives they lived.
Is It Any Good?
The mildly sensational series is an attempt at recounting the already well-publicized story about the violent deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin without focusing on their murderer. While The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare deconstructs the events that transpired from the moment local police were called to the scene, most of the conversations with friends and family center on how they're coming to terms with their loss. They also share their frustrations with the legal system which made it possible for the murderer to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. Meanwhile, the series also highlights the far-reaching impact the students' deaths have had on the normally calm and safe college community. While conversations about the killer are inevitable, they're offered within the context of the investigation, and spend little time expanding on his life or potential motives. But outside of some updated details,The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare offers little new information beyond what has already been featured in other media. Nonetheless, it reminds viewers that Madison, Kaylee, Xana, and Ethan are more than just victims, and provides a platform for loved ones to be heard.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the work that goes into investigating criminal cases. What kind of details are investigators trained to look for that most people would usually miss?
How do documentaries about terrible crimes avoid sensationalizing them? Does The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare succeed at doing this?
TV Details
- Premiere date : July 29, 2026
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Reality TV
- Topics : Family Stories , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Perseverance
- TV rating :
- Last updated : July 30, 2026
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