Not sure what they mean by “sprawling” either, perhaps it had additions added over the years? At least one news account said the students were renting the house. It’s common for students to rent a large house and share rent. As an undergrad, I rented an apartment in a huge Victorian house on the edge of the campus that had been cut up into apartments. Other nearby houses were not cut up, just shared by a group of students. In grad school, I shared a charming Arts and Crafts house near campus with three other women.
Nothing has been said about what the two unharmed students were doing. There have been indications those two students had rooms in the basement. If true, they may have slept through the attack? And slept late after a night of partying? Who knows? So little information has been made available.
It appears at least one victim fought back:
Based on what little we know, it all sounds quite strange. But that could well be because we know so little.
How could one person overtake four people? How could two people sleep through the stabbing deaths of four people? Who discovered the bodies? Who made the 911 call? There is a lot that is not making any sense.