Everything you need to get caught up on the Idaho College Murders
Everything you need to get caught up on the Idaho College Murders
Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November, made his initial appearance in court on Thursday.
Officers with the Moscow Police Department discovered four University of Idaho students stabbed to death in a home near Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022, when they responded to a report of an unconscious person just before noon.
The victims are identified as Ethan Chapin, a 20-year-old from Conway, Washington; Madison Mogen, a 21-year-old from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, from Avondale, Arizona; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, from Rathdrum, Idaho.
On December 7, police announced they were looking to speak with the occupant or occupants of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra that was in the "immediate area" of the victims' house in Moscow in the early hours of November 13 when the crimes occurred.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested on December 30 in his home state of Pennsylvania. A criminal complaint charging Kohberger with four counts of murder in the first degree and felony burglary was filed the day before his arrest.
Kohberger had moved to Pullman, Washington, in recent months and began studying criminology in a Ph.D. program at Washington State University in August, about a 15-minute drive west of Moscow.
Why did they focus on Kohberger?
Police were looking for a white Hyundai Elantra that was seen in the area of the murders. Police focused on Kohberger after tracing his ownership to his 2015 white Hyundai Elantra, originally registered in Pennsylvania on April 20, 2022. The title was transferred to Whitman, Country Washington, on November 18, five days after the murders.
In addition to tracing Kohberger to the vehicle, a DNA profile obtained from the trash was compared to the DNA profile obtained from the sheath.
Genetic genealogy helped investigators identify Kohberger. DNA found in Idaho was taken through a public database, think Ancestry DNA or GEDmatch, to find potential matches for family members. Once potential family matches were found, later investigative work by law enforcement led to the identification of Kohberger.
Following connecting the vehicle to Kohverger and the genetic match, a law enforcement coalition reportedly tracked accused Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger and his father as they drove from Washington State University to Pennsylvania — and asked Indiana cops to pull him over to secure images of his hands.
Kohberger’s father had flown from Pennsylvania to Washington to travel back home with his son for the holiday season.
During the road trip, Kohberger and his father were pulled over on two separate occasions on December 15 within a nine-minute timespan while driving on I-70 in Indiana.
According to the Hancock County Sheriff's Department, Kohberger, driving the vehicle, was pulled over for following a car too closely. Indiana State Police also pulled over Kohberger for following another car too closely and speeding less than 10 minutes after the first stop.
From the body cam footage that was released, it was speculated that the first stop could not get a good view of Kohberger’s hands, as requested by the coalition, which led to the second stop. The second stop got a clear view of Kohberger’s hands. It is believed that the coalition was looking for any injuries to his hands.
It was originally reported that Kohberger and his father were stopped at the request of the FBI. The FBI denied asking Indiana cops to pull over Bryan Kohberger as he drove with his dad to Pennsylvania – though the agency was part of a law enforcement coalition that made the request.
“The December 15th traffic stops conducted on the vehicle being driven by Bryan Kohberger in Indiana were not requested or directed by the FBI,” the agency told Fox News in a statement.
In both traffic stops, Kohberger was let off with a verbal warning.
Kohberger appears in court for the first time.
Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania and extradited to Idaho on Wednesday, Jan. 4, after a brief hearing the day before. Kohberger was booked into the Latah County Jail in Idaho at 6:44 p.m. local time on Jan. 4. It is reported that both the parents and Kohberger were "very cooperative" at the time of his arrest.
Kohberger made if first courtroom appearance Thursday, January 5th.
A no-contact order for the murder victims’ family members and the surviving roommates for two years was requested by the prosecutor and upheld by the judge.
After Kohberger’s court-appointed attorney Anne Chere Taylor requested a review of bail and prosecutor Bill Thompson argued that no bail should be upheld, the magistrate judge presiding over the case upheld no bail for the alleged murderer.
Kohberger answered “yes” when Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall asked whether he understood his rights and the charges against him.
Kohberger, with felony burglary and four counts of murder in the first degree, carries sentences that could include life in prison to the death penalty.
A preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 12 at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET)
Affidavit released
Kohberger's court appearance led to the release of previously sealed court documents detailing the police probe that led to his arrest.
Key Takeaways
Surviving Roommate
A woman who was in the house where the November 13 slayings happened but was not harmed told police she saw a figure "clad in black clothing and a mask that covered the person's mouth and nose" who "walked past" her as she "stood in a 'frozen shock phase.'"
The affidavit revealed a surviving female roommate identified only as D.M. She told investigators that she heard crying in the house the morning of the murders.
She also said she heard a voice say, "It’s OK, I’m going to help you," and then saw a “figure clad in black clothing and a mask that covered the person’s mouth and nose walking towards her” as she "stood in a 'frozen shock phase,’” according to the affidavit.
She reported locking her bedroom door at that point. It is unclear from the affidavit what happened next.
Police were not summoned to the scene for more than seven hours.
The affidavit said that the statements by the surviving witness and other evidence led investigators to believe the homicides occurred between 4 a.m. and 4:25 a.m. local time (7 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. ET).
DNA evidence
A tan leather knife sheath was found on an upstairs bed near Madison, and Kaylee’s body had a "single source of male DNA." The DNA sample was from a button snap on the sheath.
According to the affidavit, agents recovered trash from the Kohberger family residence in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, on December 27. They sent evidence to the Idaho State Lab to be tested, where authorities said they found genetic evidence that linked him to the Moscow murders.
A white car is seen at the victims’ house.
On the night of the murders, a white vehicle was seen on surveillance footage repeatedly passing through the dead-end street of the home where the victims lived.
The vehicle, identified by police as a Hyundai Elantra, first appeared at 3:29 a.m. The vehicle passed three times before passing a fourth time at 4:04 a.m. The vehicle was then seen speeding away from the area at 4:20 a.m.
The dog barked
A nearby security camera picked up distorted audio of what sounded like a whimper and a loud thud, and a dog barking numerous times at 4:17 a.m.
The dog was unharmed and found in the room with victim Kaylee Gonclaves.
One of the victims may have been awake at the time of the murders
It is believed that most of the victims were asleep at the time of the killings. However, one victim may have been awake. Victim Xana Kernodle received a DoorDash delivery around 4 a.m. A forensic review of her phone also indicated that she was using TikTok at around 4:12 a.m.
Campus officer spots Kohberger’s car in surveillance video
After the police identified a driver of a white Hyundai Elantra as a person of interest, a campus police officer at Washington State University found one in November registered to Kohberger.
It was determined that his height and build of Kohberger matched the physical appearance and recollection of the surviving roommate.
Tracking Kohberger’s cellphone
Investigators obtained cellphone records for Kohberger at the end of December.
The records revealed that Kohberger visited the area of the victims’ home twelve times before the night of the murders.
On the night of the killings, his phone was in Pullman at 2:47 a.m. and then disconnected from the network. It reconnected to the network at 4:48 a.m. south of the University of Idaho and traveled back to Pullman.
Kohberger revisited the scene of the crime.
At around 9:12 a.m., several hours after the killing, Kohberger’s phone connected to a cellular network near the crime scene and stayed there for nine minutes.
The phone then returned to the area of his home in Pullman. No calls to 911 had been made yet.
Kohberger applied for a police internship in Washington state
Kohberger applied for an internship last fall with the police department in Pullman, Washington, according to the affidavit. At his arrest, Kohberger was pursuing a doctorate in criminology at Washington State University in Pullman.
In an essay he wrote for the police internship, Kohberger wrote he "had an interest in assisting rural law enforcement agencies with how to better collect and analyze technological data in public safety operations," according to the affidavit.
Kohberger also posted a Reddit survey asking people to provide information to "understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime," according to the affidavit.
What we don’t know
Authorities have yet to release key details, such as whether Kohberger knew the victims and his alleged motive.
Did Kohberger have a relationship with the victims
Kohberger lived in the area; however, it is not yet known if he had any interaction or relationship with any victims. It is unknown if one victim was the primary target or if all were.
He was a Ph.D. student in the criminal justice program at Washington State University’s campus in Pullman, about a 15-minute drive west of Moscow.
The suspect’s alleged motive
Investigators also have yet to give any indication of why Kohberger allegedly carried out the stabbings.
There has been a heavy focus on Kohberger’s study of criminal justice and criminology as a Washington State University student.
“We have had other cases where offenders have been in areas of study that more or less prepare them to commit a crime,” Mary Ellen O’Toole told CNN on Sunday. If he is guilty, Kohberger’s “area of study is not a result of cause and effect,” she stressed, noting studying the criminal mind did not “cause him to do this.”
I am wondering why the roommate didn’t call the police till much later. No judgments on her, just wondering what the reasoning was.