Idaho Survivor Seeks to Keep Her Face Blurred in Records

Dylan Mortensen is asking a Latah County judge to keep her face blurred across officers’ interviews, camera-worn video and additional inquiry materials tied to the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students in Moscow. In an affidavit, she said her family has relocated nine times since November 2022 and that strangers and reporters have appeared outside their homes and followed relatives.

Mortensen said years of threats, hostile messages and speculation about her actions have affected daily life. She uses an alias at work and for deliveries, and worries that unblurred footage could make her easier to recognize. She is not seeking to block release of the recordings, she said, but wants her face obscured.

Judge Megan Marshall ordered Moscow to release records sought by EWU Media LLC on October 20, finding that the city had not shown the records were properly withheld. Mortensen’s attorney, Robyn McPherson, has asked to intervene, seek a pause on disclosure and have the judge review the records privately. McPherson argues that the city did not provide the records to the judge before the ruling and that Mortensen needs more information about them to make her privacy case.

Mortensen was a roommate of the four students killed on November 13, 2022. She told authorities she saw a masked man in the house that night. Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 and was sentenced to life in prison; he is seeking to withdraw his plea.

A hearing on Mortensen’s request is scheduled for November 12. Kohberger is due in court on December 10 for a hearing on his post-conviction petition.

Public Records Shouldn’t Expose an Idaho Survivor to More Harm

Dylan Mortensen says the consequences of public attention have followed her for years: threats, accusations and nine moves by her family. Now the University of Idaho murder survivor is asking a Latah County judge not to expose her face in police interviews and body-camera footage tied to the killings.

Her request does not seek to hide the recordings or the investigation. Mortensen says the public can hear her statements with existing redactions in place, while removing the blur would make her more recognizable and invite scrutiny of her expressions during a traumatic period. She uses an alias at work and for deliveries, and says strangers have appeared at family homes and followed relatives.

Judge Megan Marshall ordered Moscow to release records sought by EWU Media LLC on October 20, saying the city had not demonstrated that the records were properly withheld. Mortensen’s lawyer, Robyn McPherson, is seeking to intervene, pause disclosure and have the judge examine the material privately. The request highlights the cost of treating disclosure as automatic when a survivor says exposure could compound harm.

Mortensen was a roommate of four students killed in Moscow on November 13, 2022, and told authorities she saw a masked man in the house. Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 and was sentenced to life in prison; he is seeking to withdraw his plea. A hearing on Mortensen’s request is set for November 12.

Keep Idaho Records Public While Protecting a Survivor’s Face

The public has a legitimate interest in investigative records, and Judge Megan Marshall ordered Moscow to release records sought by EWU Media LLC. But disclosure need not mean making a survivor’s face identifiable when her statements can remain available with the blur intact.

Dylan Mortensen says her family has relocated nine times after the 2022 killings, amid threats, harassment and strangers appearing outside their homes. She uses an alias at work and for deliveries. She argues that lifting the blur adds little to what the recordings communicate while increasing the risk that strangers will recognize and scrutinize her.

Mortensen is asking to keep police interviews, body-camera footage and other recordings available, with her face concealed. Her lawyer, Robyn McPherson, has asked to intervene and for the judge to review the records privately before disclosure. That is a targeted request: it seeks to protect personal privacy without demanding that the investigation be hidden from the public.

Marshall’s October 20 order said Moscow had not shown the records were properly withheld. Mortensen was a roommate of the four students killed in Moscow on November 13, 2022, and told authorities she saw a masked man that night. Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 and was sentenced to life in prison; he is seeking to withdraw his plea. The judge is scheduled to hear Mortensen’s request on November 12.