A California woman defends the roommate who didn’t contact 911 when Bryan Kohberger reportedly killed four University of Idaho students, stating that she reacted similarly following a rape at the University of Buffalo almost 30 years ago.
In 1992, the Independent reported that Alana Zabel, 50, of Santa Monica, was living in a three-story home with five Chi Omega sorority sisters when one of them was savagely attacked and raped.
Upon entering the residence, she was struck by an odor that she initially disregarded.
“I was drunk and couldn’t figure out why my room smelled strange, so I crashed in my room,” Zabel told the news source.
She stated that she heard someone briefly enter her room before departing shortly after. She believed it was one of her roommates, but the intruder was actually the attacker.
The following morning, Zabel saw her roommate laying in a pool of blood that she had overlooked the night before.
Alana Zabel, age 50, defends the roommate who did not dial 911 when Bryan Kohberger reportedly murdered four University of Idaho students.
She told the Independent, “I had a very unusual experience because I discovered my roommate without seeing any blood.” “I simply saw liquid. While my friend was taking her pulse, I feared that she had suffocated on her own vomit. I immediately identified it as vomit.
“Then, when the paramedics entered the room, they uttered the word ‘blood.’” In that instant, the entire room was red,” she continued.
Zabel explained that her first failure to see the blood was a protective mechanism against trauma.
When she saw her roommate covered in blood, Zabel likewise experienced a delayed reaction due to trauma.
Courtesy Alanna Zabel
“It is still a mystery to me that, in our human experiences, we can see the same light and color, or that if I see a dog on the street, you will see the same dog on the street,” she added.
“However, when we are in a traumatic state, the mind will protect us. If we cannot experience something without suffering harm, the mind will block it out, according to Zabel.
“That continues to astound and humble me,” she continued.
Zabel stated that her terrifying experience helped her understand why Dylan Mortensen, 21, waited eight hours before calling the police after seeing a black-clad figure when she opened her bedroom door in response to a disturbance on the night of the November 13 massacre.
Zabel stated, “You feel a tsunami of chaos and horror, so I can understand why she froze and why you are at a loss for what to do.”
“You question yourself. “If there is even a one percent chance that something traumatic is not true, you should lean in and believe it is not true,” she continued.
“When we are in a traumatic state, our mind will protect us. “If something cannot be experienced without harm, the mind will block it out,” she explained.
Zabel stated that her roommate survived the incident in 1992 but sustained brain damage.
“I carry the guilt of wondering if I had called earlier, would she have suffered the same amount of harm,” she told the Independent, adding that she felt obligated to defend Mortensen.
“I comprehend the agony you feel when reading the affidavit. I also believed, “Oh my God, you saw him!” “However, as a human, you must see that this 19-year-old girl has endured something atypical, horrific, and traumatic,” Zabel added.
She stated that Mortensen “will seem and live with this for the remainder of her life… “A single remark has the power to crush someone’s spirit.”
On November 13, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, her boyfriend, were murdered.
Bryan Kohberger is charged with four charges of murder in the first degree.
Paul Martinka
The attacker of her roommate was ultimately convicted of rape and attempted murder.
At the time of the incident, Kohberger, 28, was a doctoral student in criminology at Washington State University. He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20.
Bond for his release from the Latah County Jail is $500,000.
Alivea Goncalves, sister of Kaylee, has also justified Mortensen for her inaction.
“She was likely really terrified. Alivea told NewsNation, “Until we have more information, I think we should all refrain from passing judgment because we don’t know what we would do in that situation.”
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