When Karen Pryor heard the heartbreaking news about the four University of Idaho students brutally killed in their off-campus home in 2022, it triggered a wave of memories she had tucked away for over 40 years.
As someone who survived one of America’s most infamous serial killers—Ted Bundy—Pryor immediately saw haunting similarities between her past and this new tragedy.
“It just felt random… like what happened to us,” she shared in a recent conversation.
A Nightmare in 1978 That Never Truly Faded
Back in the early hours of January 15, 1978, Karen Pryor was asleep in her sorority room at Florida State University.
That night, Ted Bundy broke into the Chi Omega house and attacked four students while they slept.
Pryor suffered life-threatening injuries, including a fractured skull. Her roommate, Kathy Kleiner, was also seriously hurt but managed to survive.
Tragically, two other sorority sisters, Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy, didn’t make it.
Just blocks away, another woman, Cheryl Thomas, was also attacked and barely survived.
The violence shook the nation—and for Pryor, it became a permanent piece of her life story.
A Chilling Case in Idaho Brings it All Back
Fast forward to November 13, 2022, when another quiet college town—Moscow, Idaho—was rocked by horror.
Four University of Idaho students—Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin—were found murdered in their home after a night out.
Just like in Pryor’s case, most of the victims were asleep when the killer entered.
And again, it appeared to be a completely unprovoked attack by someone the victims didn’t even know.
The parallels were unsettling.
“It Felt Like Someone Random, Mad at the World”
When Pryor heard about the case, her gut told her the attacker was likely a stranger.
“I thought, I bet it’s not someone they knew… probably just someone angry who saw something that set him off,” she said.
And she was right. A month later, Bryan Kohberger was arrested.
To this day, authorities haven’t found a clear connection between him and the victims, and his motive remains unclear.
The randomness of both attacks only added to the pain—and the fear.
The Guilt of Surviving: Something Pryor Understands All Too Well
In Idaho, two young women—Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke—survived the massacre.
Mortensen reportedly saw the masked man pass her bedroom door around 4 a.m. but didn’t call 911 until nearly eight hours later. Critics online were quick to question their actions.
But Pryor offers them deep compassion.
“I’m sure they’ve been through hell,” she said. “Even if they had called earlier, it wouldn’t have saved anyone. The wounds were already too severe.”
Pryor knows that surviving something so senseless can leave lasting emotional scars.
But she urges survivors not to carry guilt they don’t deserve.
Sorority Sister’s Quick Thinking Saved Pryor’s Life
Back in 1978, a fellow Chi Omega member saw someone suspicious running from the house and acted quickly.
She woke up others, and they began checking on their friends.
That’s when they found Karen Pryor, injured and barely conscious in the hallway.
She and her roommate were rushed to the hospital and lived to tell the story.
That moment of quick action likely made the difference between life and death.
“My Heart Breaks for Them”
Pryor feels deep empathy for Mortensen and Funke, the two survivors in Idaho.
“They lost friends,” she said softly. “And they’ll carry that pain for life. My heart really breaks for them.”
They are now expected to testify in Kohberger’s upcoming trial, which could bring them face-to-face with the man accused of taking their friends’ lives.
Healing Looks Different for Everyone
Pryor eventually returned to the Chi Omega house and finished her studies.
Remarkably, she never saw a therapist—but talking with loved ones became her way of healing.
“Every time I talk about it, it feels a little easier,” she shared. “Like handing over a piece of the grief.”
Now a proud grandmother living in Atlanta, she encourages survivors to speak out and seek help if they need it.
But above all, she reminds them: don’t give your attacker any more control than they’ve already taken.
Closure Doesn’t Mean Forgetting
Bundy was executed in 1989. For Pryor, his death brought something she calls “closure”—not because it erased the pain, but because it allowed her to close the chapter.
“Closure doesn’t mean forgetting. It just means deciding to live on, with the memory, and honoring those who didn’t make it,” she said.
She hopes the survivors of the Idaho tragedy can someday find their version of peace too.
“One Foot in Front of the Other”
Pryor’s final words are a powerful reminder to anyone carrying trauma: “You are in control of your life. The best thing you can do is put one foot in front of the other—and keep going.”
