Netflix’s three-part documentary on the victims of the Idaho Murders has left viewers with “aching hearts”.
The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare has just arrived on Netflix and the harrowing series investigates the horrifying murders of four University of Idaho students in November 2022.
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin were fatally stabbed in an off-campus house in the early hours of the morning, but the motive behind the killings has never been disclosed.
Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen survived the attack, and have since spoken out on how they are still impacted by the tragedy.
Fans have taken to Reddit to praise the Netflix series for focusing on the victims which was a conscious decision by the streamer. One shared: “This show does a really good job of looking at the victims as people. It’s really heartbreaking.”
Another commented: “I feel like the documentaries we had so far had a part for them, but they focused so much on their killer. Glad it’s different this time.”
A third viewer struggled to comprehend the level of heartbreak felt by the victims families, saying: “Every time I watch a new documentary on these 4 beautiful souls being taken I find myself at the end of it being like, I need more, I need to know more.
“As if more will help make sense how this could ever happen. Then I imagine how the family and friends must feel, and my heart aches for them. I wish nothing but healing for all of them.”
Another responded: “I totally feel the same way. Truly a heartbreaking and unreal situation. Four beautiful souls robbed of their lives.”
The documentary features bodycam footage, texts and interviews with the victims’ loved ones, with one viewer sharing a crying face with the words: “So many videos I’ve never seen.”
Another viewer shared: “This has my heart racing and broken at the same time. I feel so bad for all the kids.”
“Seeing so many new videos of them was nice and also heartbreaking,” a final viewer concluded.
Director Skye Borgman explained the reason for the victim-first approach, saying: “That choice was probably the easiest choice to make — to really focus on these four individuals and not on the perpetrator.
“It’s because they deserve [it] … everything that was in the news was talking about ‘Who did this? Who could have done this?’ And their names were not front of mind.”
“They loved life, they loved each other, there was joy and there was ambition,” she continued.
The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare is on Netflix