Idaho witness asks court to blur face

Dylan Mortensen is asking a judge to hide her face in upcoming video releases. She says this step is necessary to let her live a normal life. The request comes as more evidence from the 2022 case becomes public.

Four University of Idaho students died in their Moscow home on Nov. 13, 2022. Mortensen was one of six people in the house that night. She told police she saw a man with bushy eyebrows and a ski mask inside the home. Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the killings last year. He is now trying to withdraw that plea.

No clear motive for the deaths has emerged. It remains unclear why Mortensen and one other roommate survived. The legal fight over the records began when EWU Media sued the city of Moscow. The company produces crime documentaries and wants access to investigative files.

Judge Megan Marshall ordered the city to release the records last month. She ruled on Oct. 20 that the city did not prove the records should stay hidden. Marshall noted that Idaho law does not automatically protect the identity of witnesses. EWU Media and Mortensen’s attorney have not yet commented on the decision.

Mortensen filed an affidavit on Oct. 29 to support her motion to intervene in the case. She stated that the amount of attention and hostility she has faced affected nearly every aspect of her life. This pressure forced her and her family to move nine times over several years.

She described receiving years of hateful messages and threats. Strangers have accused her of participating in the murders or blamed her for the deaths. She now uses an alias at her job and avoids using her real name for package deliveries. These measures help keep her current address secret.

Mortensen argues that existing privacy protections are not enough. She is already being recognized by people despite current safeguards. She worries that releasing longer footage of police interviews and body-camera recordings will make identification even easier. She does not want her facial expressions analyzed or criticized by the public.

A hearing on her motion is scheduled for next week. Mortensen wrote that she wants to work, attend concerts, and meet new people without constant worry. She believes there is a major difference between existing photos and the lengthy videos of her during a traumatic period.