The mother of University of Idaho student Madison Mogen has broken her silence with a blunt message about the murder case against her daughter’s suspected killer.
Karen Laramie interviewed for the first time since her daughter was named as one of four victims in the tragic killings in Idaho on November 13, 2022.
Mogen, 21, her best friend, 22-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin were fatally stabbed in their off-campus home.
Laramie talked about her daughter Maddie on TV Today show on Wednesday, and spoke about her experiences finding justice ahead of Bryan Kohberger’s trial, which will take place three years after the gruesome murders.
“I feel like the justice system is not about the victims,” she said when asked about the time it has taken to reach the upcoming trial in August 2025.
Kohberger was charged in 2023 with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
Laramie had not spoken publicly since the students’ tragic deaths, but spoke deeply about the toll of losing her daughter in such a horrific way.
“It’s real, but I know where the girls are, and faith is really the foundation of how you get up every morning when you’ve suffered such a deep loss,” she said.
Posthumous bachelor’s degrees were awarded to the families of Madison Mogen (pictured) and Kaylee Goncalves, both of whom were seniors at the time of the Nov. 13 murders
Karen Laramie, Mogen’s mother, interviewed for the first time after her daughter was one of four victims in the tragic killings in Idaho on November 13, 2022
Laramie gushed over her lost daughter and delivered a blunt message about suspect Bryan Kohberger. She said: ‘I feel like the justice system is not about the victims, and I’ll leave it at that.’
“Madison is absolutely amazing and she always has been… she was just a joy.”
Appearing alongside the mother of Mogen’s best friend Ashlin Couch, Laramie discussed the Made with Kindness Foundation, founded in honor of her daughter and her friends.
“So I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to be part of the scholarship committee and just look at kids, read what they have to say, what’s in their hearts, and be able to give back to them,” she said.
“Everyone needs a helping hand, and I’m just really happy to see that.”
Laramie told the outlet that she was inspired for the foundation by a memory of the two visiting Seattle. She recalled, “I look at her as an adult, going shopping and being in these stores, and I’m like, ‘You’re just so nice to everyone.’ Have I really ingrained that in you? That’s great.” ‘
“One time she called my cousin on Veterans Day and said, ‘Thank you for your service,’ after living with him and burning half of his pans,” she said.
She described her daughter as having “that genuine love,” adding, “We miss our kids, and to have something that you can put your heart into… there are no words.”
Earlier this year, Ashlin shared the heartbreaking moment she knew something was wrong through a text message string and the grief of losing her friends.
She had lived with the girls until May 2022 before Xana Kernodle took over her lease.
Couch remembered receiving the alert that a murder had occurred near her former home and texted her friends to see if she was okay.
The four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in their off-campus home. Goncalves, 21, and Mogen, 21, were months away from graduating before their horrific deaths
Couch recalled the heartbreaking moment she received an alert that a murder had occurred near her former residence and texted her friends to see if she was okay.
Ashlin Couch (left), the former roommate of Madison Mogen (center) and Kaylee Goncalves (right), revealed the last message she sent her friends
“I texted like our friend group and just said, ‘Has anyone heard from Maddie?’ And I remember my last text message to her was something like, “Everything okay,” Couch said KXLY.
“I felt like at that moment I just knew something was wrong.”
“It occurs to me more that that could have happened while I was there. And you know, you never know how long someone will be watching your house,” she said.
Couch was also involved in the creation of the Made with Kindness Foundation in memory of her friends.
“I wish I could do at least one more time, like, you know, just give her one last hug to say goodbye,” Couch said.
In November, earlier this year, Kaylee Goncalves’ parents also spoke out when Kohberger tried to fight the death penalty and gave him a stern warning.
Kristi and Steve Goncalves told the suspected killer he would “burn in hell” as they stated they were “100 percent” determined he would receive the death penalty.
Kohberger’s defense claimed he was suffering “anxiety and fear” over his possible death sentence. Kaylee’s parents called the claims “absolutely ridiculous.”
‘Did my daughter know which way she would go? Did Maddie know? Did any of the children know which way they would go? Did they know they had two hours, one hour and five minutes to go,” Kristi asked.
Laramie described her daughter as someone who “had that genuine love,” adding, “We miss our kids, and to have something to put your heart into in a positive way… there are no words.”
Bryan Kohberger was arrested after a six-week manhunt and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. His trial is scheduled for August 2025
The scenes inside the house were so gruesome that blood dripped down the outside of the property’s wall, which investigators described as the worst crime scene they have ever seen.
When Kohberger’s defense presented their final arguments, arguing that the death penalty is inconsistent with international law and contemporary standards of decency, Judge Hippler was unconvinced.
“I understand the argument,” he said. “It falls about as flat as you’d expect.”
His defense team had successfully argued that Kohberger’s trial should be held outside Moscow, Idaho, where the killings occurred because of strong emotions and extensive media coverage.
Now his trial – scheduled to begin with jury selection on July 30, 2025 – will be heard in Ada County in Boise in hopes of a more favorable jury.
Prosecutors have alleged that Kohberger’s DNA was found on a Ka-Bar knife sheath found at the victim’s off-campus home, although a murder weapon was never found.
Officials have also claimed that cellphone data and surveillance placed Kohberger’s car at the crime scene.
Kohberger was a PhD criminology student and teaching assistant at Washington State University’s Pullman campus, a 15-minute drive from Moscow, Idaho.
Kohberger has maintained his innocence since his arrest, submitting his alibi in 2023 as “late night drives.”