The King Road house is gone now. It was demolished in late 2023, turned into a patch of gravel and memory, but the digital footprint of what happened inside that structure on November 13, 2022, is permanent. When people search for idaho house crime scene photos, they’re usually looking for one of two things: the gruesome reality of a quadruple homicide or the forensic breadcrumbs that led investigators to Bryan Kohberger.
It's heavy. Honestly, the fascination with these images isn't just morbid curiosity; it’s a collective attempt to solve a puzzle that felt unsolvable for seven weeks. We saw the white house on the hill through the lens of news cameras for months. We saw the frosted windows, the string of party lights still glowing on the balcony, and those red evidence bags being carried out by men in Tyvek suits. But there is a massive gap between what the public sees on social media and what is actually contained in the official discovery file.
The Reality of Publicly Available Images
You’ve likely seen the exterior shots. They are everywhere. There's the one of the front door with the black keypad lock, or the rear sliding glass door that investigators focused on so heavily in the early days. These aren't just "photos." They are spatial markers.
Most of what people call "crime scene photos" currently circulating online are actually press photos or stills from bodycam footage. True forensic photography—the high-resolution, grisly, 3D-mapped imagery used by the Moscow Police Department and the FBI—is under a strict non-dissemination order (a gag order). Judge John Judge has been very clear about protecting the integrity of the trial. If you see a grainy image on a forum claiming to be "inside the room," it’s almost certainly a leaked real estate photo from Zillow or a screenshot from a 2021 TikTok recorded by the victims themselves.
The distinction matters.
Real estate photos show a home. Crime scene photos show a nightmare.
Why the Forensic Mapping Matters
During the initial investigation, the Idaho State Police used a Matterport camera. If you’ve ever looked for an apartment online, you know the tech. It creates a 3D walkthrough. This allowed the prosecution and defense to "walk" through 1122 King Road long after the physical building was torn down. This digital twin of the house contains the actual idaho house crime scene photos that will be shown to the jury.
The spatial layout is confusing. It’s a three-story house built into a hill. The "first floor" is actually the ground level at the front, but the "second floor" is at ground level in the back. This weird architecture is why the movement of the intruder, as described in the Dylan Mortensen affidavit, is so hard to visualize without those specific forensic images.
✨ Don't miss: Carlos De Castro Pretelt: The Army Vet Challenging Arlington's Status Quo
Bloodstains and the Exterior Leaks
One of the most haunting images that actually is real and public wasn't taken by a cop. It was taken by a freelance photographer. It shows the exterior foundation of the house, where a dark liquid had seeped through the siding and down the concrete.
It was harrowing.
Experts like Joseph Scott Morgan, a well-known death investigator, have talked extensively about what that specific visual tells us. It indicates a massive volume of blood. In a tactical sense, those images confirmed to the public that the attacks were focused on the upper floors and were incredibly violent. It destroyed the "quiet" narrative of a midnight intruder. It was loud, it was messy, and the photos of the house's exterior became a grim testament to that.
The Problem with "Leaked" Content
Social media is a mess.
You'll find "tribute" videos on TikTok that splice together old party photos of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin with dark, filtered shots of the house at night. People label these as idaho house crime scene photos for clicks. It’s predatory, frankly.
The actual evidence photos mentioned in court filings include:
- Close-ups of a Tan leather knife sheath found on a single bed.
- Latent shoe prints (specifically a "Vans type" print) found outside Dylan Mortensen’s room.
- Photos of the victims' wounds, which are classified as "medical-legal" and will likely never be released to the general public.
The Affidavit and the Visual Narrative
When the 19-page probable cause affidavit was unsealed in early 2023, it acted as a map for the photos we didn't see. It described the placement of bodies. It mentioned the "diamond-shaped" pattern on the knife sheath.
🔗 Read more: Blanket Primary Explained: Why This Voting System Is So Controversial
Wait. Why does that matter?
Because the photos of that sheath are the "smoking gun" of the digital evidence. Investigators photographed a single source of male DNA on the button snap of that sheath. When people talk about idaho house crime scene photos, they are often referencing the concept of this evidence. The physical sheath, documented in situ (in its original place), is what connects the suspect to the scene.
The defense, led by Anne Taylor, has scrutinized these images. They’ve looked for "discovery gaps." They want to see what else was photographed. Were there other footprints? Were there photos of the kitchen that showed signs of a struggle? The defense's job is to look at the photos and find what’s missing, while the prosecution uses them to build a wall of inevitability.
How to Discern Fact from Fiction
If you are looking at images online and trying to figure out if they are legitimate evidence from the 1122 King Road investigation, keep these points in mind.
First, look at the watermark. If it’s from a news agency (AP, Getty, Fox News), it’s a "public view" photo. These are legal and verified, but they don't show the interior crime scene. Second, check the lighting. Forensic photos use specific lighting—sometimes alternate light sources (ALS) to find fluids—that looks very different from a standard cell phone flash.
Third, realize that the most sensitive idaho house crime scene photos are currently sitting on encrypted hard drives in Latah County. They aren't on a random "True Crime" subreddit.
The Ethical Weight of the Imagery
We have to talk about the families. The Goncalves and Kernodle families have been vocal. They’ve seen things no parent should ever see. When images of the house—even just the boarded-up windows—circulate, it restarts the clock on their grief.
💡 You might also like: Asiana Flight 214: What Really Happened During the South Korean Air Crash in San Francisco
There's a balance here. The public has a right to an open trial, which includes the presentation of evidence. But there’s a difference between "evidence" and "spectacle." The 3D scans of the house were intended to preserve the scene for justice, not for viral content.
What Happens Next in Court?
The trial is the finish line. That is when the seal is broken.
During the trial, the prosecution will project idaho house crime scene photos onto screens for the jury. Most of the time, the gallery (the public and press) is not allowed to see the most graphic images, or they are angled away. However, the descriptions of those photos will become part of the public record.
We will learn about:
- The exact positioning of the sliding door.
- The path the "bushy-browed" man took.
- The state of the bedrooms on the second and third floors.
Actionable Insights for Following the Case
If you're following this case and want to stay grounded in reality rather than rumors, here is how you handle the "visual" side of the investigation:
- Stick to the Court Repository: The Idaho Judicial Branch has a dedicated page for the "Moscow Residential Homicides." Every motion and exhibit list is posted there. If a photo is officially released, it will be mentioned there first.
- Ignore "Gore" Sites: Any site claiming to have "uncensored" interior photos of the victims is lying. The chain of custody for this evidence is some of the tightest in modern legal history.
- Analyze the Affidavit, Not the Rumors: Use the unsealed probable cause affidavit as your guide. It tells you exactly what the police photographed. If you hear a claim that isn't supported by the affidavit's description of the scene, it’s likely speculation.
- Understand the Gag Order: The "Nondissemination Order" means that neither the police nor the lawyers can confirm or deny the legitimacy of "leaked" photos. Silence isn't a "yes." It’s just the law.
The King Road house is gone, but the forensic story is just beginning to be told. The photos aren't just images; they are the silent testimony of four people who can no longer speak for themselves. Focus on the verified facts, the legal filings, and the official court schedule to understand the true weight of the evidence.