The Idaho murder victims’ surviving female roommate likely didn’t call for help after coming face-to-face with accused killer Bryan Kohberger because she may have been paralyzed by fear and confusion, experts told Fox News Digital.
The roommate — one of two who survived the attack — faced swift backslash after it was revealed in an affidavit Thursday that she awoke Nov. 13 and looked directly at the alleged murderer as he fled, then locked herself in her bedroom.
“When a person goes through trauma, they are going to experience fight, flight or freeze,” said Dr. Katherine Kuhlman, a police and public safety psychologist based in Arizona. “Most people in their entire lives won’t have to deal with this type of trauma and won’t mentally prepare for it.”
After hearing crying coming from Kernodle’s room, the roommate opened her bedroom door, which is on the same floor.
“[The roommate] saw a figure clad in black clothing and a mask that covered the person’s mouth and nose walking towards her,” the affidavit says. “The male walked past [the roommate] as she stood in a ‘frozen shock phase.’”
The man she described as having “bushy eyebrows” walked by her and exited the second floor sliding glass doors, she told police.
The roommate first awoke at 4 a.m. by what she thought was Goncalves playing with her dog, Murphy, then heard her say, “there’s someone here,” according to the affidavit.
After the intruder took off, nearly eight hours passed before a call was placed to 911 on one of the surviving roommates’ cellphones reporting an unconscious person. Police have not disclosed who placed that call.
Kuhlman, who primarily works with special responders who’ve been through mass casualty incidents, says a young woman likely wouldn’t pick up on the glaring cues that indicate a crisis situation.
“Trauma becomes more difficult to process when it’s something that is so far outside of our consciousness, it doesn’t seem to make sense to us,” she said. “In this case, no one ever thinks they’re going to have this man come into their home and brutally stab their roommates.”
The other surviving female roommate slept through the attack.
Read the full story here.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.