A judge’s October ruling could soon release unblurred police footage of Dylan Mortensen, and the 23-year-old is asking the court to reverse course.
Mortensen lived in the Moscow, Idaho, house where Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were killed on November 13, 2022.
She now sits at the center of a records dispute with an independent outlet, EWU Media LLC.
EWU filed a public records request in August 2025 for investigative video and images. City officials approved only part of it. The company then asked a court to force the release of the rest.
Judge Megan Marshall granted that request on October 20, according to Fox News. In the recordings now on file, including police interviews and body-camera footage, Mortensen’s face appears blurred.
Mortensen answered with a sworn affidavit. She told the court she does not want the recordings buried.
“I am not asking for the interviews or body-camera recordings to be withheld from the public, nor am I for information about the investigation to be hidden,” the document read.
Her objection centers on a narrower point. “I am asking the Court to consider what additional information is actually gained by removing the blurring from my face,” the affidavit read.
She also wrote that “My statements do not change when my face is visible, and the information being discussed in those recordings remains the same.”
In the next line, she said, “What changes is the public’s ability to examine my facial expressions, become more familiar with my appearance, and circulate images of me during an incredibly vulnerable time.”
Her attorney, Robyn McPherson, filed a motion to intervene. It asks Marshall to reconsider the order and pause it until Mortensen’s petition and any appeals are resolved.
The motion also directs Moscow authorities to identify the withheld records and prepare a detailed index. Under the request, a judge would examine them privately in an “in-camera” review.
McPherson argued this would let Mortensen learn what the records contain so she can argue her case with full knowledge.
The affidavit describes what Mortensen says the past four years have looked like.
She wrote that public attention, threats and speculation about her role have shaped her daily routine, including where she goes and what she shares about herself.
Her family has moved nine times, according to the filing.
It says “reporters and strangers investigating the case on their own have shown up outside of our homes, followed family members and invaded our privacy in ways that have made it difficult to feel safe.”
Mortensen said she introduces herself to strangers under an alias and gives that name when taking deliveries. She also said she avoids being photographed and rarely goes anywhere alone.
She told the court she keeps more than 30 screenshots of messages sent over several years. “Some individuals have called me a murderer, accused me of lying, and told me that I should have died that night,” she wrote.
The messages allegedly include “I’ll find you” and “Don’t let me find out where you live.” Others allegedly threatened to publish her parents’ address.
Her mother also allegedly found a TikTok comment from a user who said they would put Mortensen in a car trunk if they spotted her in downtown Boise, so they could question her about the case.
Mortensen conceded that photos and videos of her already circulate online and that her identity is public.
She wrote that the lengthy interviews and body-camera recordings differ because they captured one of the most vulnerable stretches of her life.
She argued that new footage would give viewers more access to her mannerisms and demeanor. She said it could also give critics fresh material to pause, screenshot and dissect.
Mortensen told police that around 4 a.m. on the night of the killings she saw a masked man in the home. She texted fellow roommate Bethany Funke but did not call 911.
She and Funke found the four victims around noon the next day, and police responded. Mortensen later testified for the prosecution.
Bryan Kohberger, 31, pleaded guilty to the murders in July 2025 and tried to withdraw the plea earlier this year.
He returns to court December 10 for a hearing on his petition for post-conviction relief.
A hearing on Mortensen’s request is set for November 12. The Daily Mail contacted McPherson, the Moscow Police Department and Marshall for comment.
