Idaho Murders: In November 2022, four University of Idaho students were brutally and mysteriously killed in an off-campus Moscow residence.
The pals had left their shared house late that night and gone out in the college town. Police discovered the four students dead inside the next day; there were no indications of forced entry or damage.
The killings sparked weeks of police inquiry, anger from the relatives of the victims at the probe’s slow pace, and concern of a mass murderer on the loose in the neighborhood.
A 28-year-old man was apprehended by Moscow Police in Pennsylvania about two months later on a murder warrant related to the deaths of the four students.
Bryan Kohberger was a graduate student in criminal justice who resided in Pullman, Washington. On his behalf, a judge entered not guilty pleas, and he is currently being detained without bond in the Latah County Jail. There is no definite date for the trial.
The public has been captivated by the graphic case, but authorities have not disclosed a possible reason, and a broad gag order has prevented the persons involved from speaking out or disclosing any information.
Northeasternpost.com created a timeline that illustrates our understanding of the victims’ last hours, the police’s pursuit of the suspect, and the development of the legal case over the year after the murders.
Idaho Students Murders Timeline
November 12th, Saturday
University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle resided at a neighboring off-campus housing complex in Moscow, a town of around 25,000 people.
The three-floor, six-bedroom residence was shared with two other tenants.
With the comment, “one lucky girl to be surrounded by these ppl every day,” Goncalves shared a series of pictures on her Instagram at one point. One of the pictures has Mogen sitting on Goncalves’ shoulders, with Chapin and Kernodle standing next to them.
According to authorities, Mogen and Goncalves proceeded to a pub in the downtown area, while Chapin and Kernodle attended a party on campus.
November 13, a Sunday
At about 1:41 a.m., Mogen and Goncalves placed an order at a late-night food truck, according to the food truck’s live Twitch video.
They waited for their dinner for almost ten minutes after placing a $10 order for carbonara from the Grub Truckers. They were spotted conversing with one other and the folks waiting beside the vehicle while they waited.
According to Joseph Woodall, 26, who oversees the vehicle, neither of the two pupils appeared to be in trouble or in any danger.
According to authorities, Chapin and Kernodle are thought to have arrived home at around 1:45 a.m., while Goncalves and Mogen took advantage of a private party to get a transport home at approximately 1:56 a.m.
One of the roommates who survived, D.M., as she was named in court documents, told detectives she “heard crying” in the house the morning of the murders and that she heard someone say, “it’s ok, I’m going to help you.”
According to the affidavit, she then observed a “figure clad in black clothing and a mask that covered the person’s mouth and nose walking towards her.”
“M.D. characterized the figure as masculine, 5’10” or taller, athletically built, not very muscular, with bushy eyebrows. The man strolled by D.M. court records state that she was in a “frozen shock phase” at the time.
The man moved in the direction of the back sliding glass door. M.D. The affidavit states that the roommate did not recognize the man, and that she “locked herself in her room after seeing him.”
The surviving witness’s statements together with further evidence have led detectives to conclude that the killings happened between 4:00 a.m. at 4:25 a.m.,” as stated in court records.
Because they thought one of the victims had passed out and was not waking up, the two roommates in the house who were not hurt got up later in the morning and called friends to the house. Just before noon, authorities said, a 911 call about an unconscious individual at the property was made.
When the door to the apartment was found open by the arriving cops, they found four pupils who had been fatally stabbed.
“Finding four dead college students in a house was a pretty traumatic scene,” Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt subsequently told CNN station KXLY.
According to authorities, there was no indication of damage or forced entry.
On November 13, police are looking into a killing that occurred in an apartment building south of the University of Idaho campus.
According to phone records, Kohberger’s phone was close to the students’ house around 9:12 a.m. between 9:21 a.m. – according to court records – hours after Kohberger was suspected of killing the university students.
According to a statement from Moscow Police, four bodies were discovered in a house off campus. President of the University of Idaho Scott Green postponed classes on Monday after revealing that the four victims were students.
14 November, Monday
In a statement, the Moscow Police named Chapin, Goncalves, Kernodle, and Mogen as the four victims of the murder.
According to police, not much was known and nobody was being held. They stated that “based on information gathered during the preliminary investigation,” Moscow police did “not believe there is an ongoing community risk.”
In a statement, Moscow Mayor Art Bettge referred to the fatalities as “senseless acts of violence” and stated that only some details could be disclosed in order to protect the “integrity of the investigation.”
In a statement, Green expressed sympathy to the families and the community of the slain.
According to the information obtained during the preliminary inquiry, “Moscow police do not believe there is an ongoing community risk.
However, we ask our employees to be empathetic, and flexible, and to work with our students who desire to return home to spend time with their families,” he stated.
November 15, a Tuesday (Idaho Murders)
According to a statement released by Moscow Police, the murders included the use of an “edged weapon such as a knife.” According to authorities, no murder weapon had been discovered and no suspects were in custody.
Additionally, police stated that they “believe this was an isolated, targeted attack and there is no imminent threat to the community at large based on information from the preliminary investigation.”
To allay concerns about a murderer on the loose, authorities issued another statement later in the day.
The cops said, “We hear you and we understand your fears.” Early on in the study, we concluded that there was no continuing threat to the community’s members. There is evidence to suggest that this was a deliberate attack.
November 16, Wednesday
At the department’s first press conference on the matter, Police Chief Fry reaffirmed that there was no suspect. In addition, he reneged on his claims that nobody was in danger.
Fry stated, “We cannot say there is no threat to the community.” As we’ve already said, please continue to remain watchful, report any suspicious behavior, and always be mindful of your surroundings.
According to Fry, there were two other housemates there at the time of the incident, but they were unharmed.
“We’re not just focusing on them, we’re focusing on everybody that may be coming and going from that residence,” he added, adding that there were other individuals home at the time.
18 November, Friday
According to court records, Kohberger got a new license plate for his white Hyundai Elantra five days after the students died.
A redacted copy of a vehicle record with a license plate number that matched the one stated as the new license plate in the court records was given to CNN by the Washington State Department of Licensing.
By that time, the detectives claimed to have interviewed 38 persons “who may have information” on the killings and to have removed the contents of three dumpsters close to the residence in case they contained evidence.
According to the police update, investigators also spoke with nearby businesses about any recent sales of “fixed-blade knives.”
A map showing the whereabouts of the four University of Idaho students on the night of their deaths was made public by the investigators.
In an attempt to gather information from the public, detectives published a chronology and map of the victims’ travels. The four pupils spent the majority of the night apart in pairs, as seen on the map.
According to the authorities, the victims were “probably asleep” when they were attacked.
According to Idaho State Police spokesperson Aaron Snell, the bodies were discovered on the second and third stories of their house, as reported by CNN.
The coroner, Mabbutt, told CNN that upon arriving at the site, she noticed “lots of blood on the wall.” She acknowledged that each person had several stab wounds, most likely from the same weapon, but she would not say how many or where the majority of the wounds were.
20 November, Sunday
According to Moscow Police Capt. Roger Lanier, a week has passed since the remains of the four kids were found, and officials still lack a weapon or suspect.
During a press conference, Police Chief Fry stated that the department had received 646 tips and performed over 90 interviews.
Fry said that just one of the surviving roommates’ phones made the 911 call from the house where the students were killed, declining to reveal who made the call. He declined to say who made the call.
Other “friends that had arrived at the location,” according to Fry, who also stated that the 911 caller was not a suspect.
Tuesday 22nd, November
Moscow Police stated that despite their thorough investigation, they have not been able to confirm or identify the existence of any information indicating Goncalves had a stalker.
29 November, Friday
In a parking lot of an apartment building, a Washington State University officer discovered a 2015 white Hyundai Elantra registered to Kohberger.
His driver’s license details and photo matched the roommate’s description, allowing the authorities to identify Kohberger.
November 30, Wednesday
The two surviving roommates, the man in the Grub Truck surveillance footage, the private party driver who drove Goncalves and Mogen home, the man Goncalves and Mogen called multiple times the night they were killed, and anyone present at the residence, when 911 was called, are among the people Moscow Police have released as not being involved in the crime.
Law enforcement officers made many remarks that further complicated the inquiry.
According to Thompson, the prosecutor for Latah County, the attack “undoubtedly targeted” at least one of the victims.
Moscow Police confirmed shortly afterward that they had spoken with Thompson and that his remarks had been misunderstood. Police seemed to rescind their earlier claims when they claimed, “Detectives do not currently know if the residence or any occupants were specifically targeted but continue to investigate.”
The police were subsequently forced to elaborate, saying that they thought the attack was “targeted,” but they are still unsure if the home or its inhabitants were the intended target.
December 5th, Monday
About Goncalves’ potential stalker, authorities claimed that an investigation turned up an October event in which two males were spotted at a company, and one of them seemed to follow Goncalves inside before heading out to her car. She never received a response from the man.
After speaking with the males, investigators discovered that they were attempting to meet ladies at this establishment. There is no evidence to suggest the guys were engaged in the deaths, according to detectives, who think this was an unusual occurrence rather than a practice of stalking.
December 7th, Wednesday
The occupant or occupants of a white 2011–2013 Hyundai Elantra that was seen close to the murder site at the time of the deaths are of interest to investigators, they added.
According to the police statement, “investigators believe the occupant(s) of this vehicle may have critical information to share regarding this case,” noting that the car’s license plate was unknown.
Additionally, according to sources, Moscow police started giving the relatives of the four victims back some of their things.
In a brief video message, Police Chief Fry stated, “It’s time for us to give those things back that really mean something to those families and hopefully to help with some of their healing.”
“As a father, I can relate to some of those things,” Fry remarked. According to the police agency, the objects being taken out are “no longer needed for the investigation.”
December 9th, Friday
Regarding their hunt for a white automobile that was spotted close to the murder site at the time of the deaths, Moscow police reported that they have received an enormous amount of suggestions.
According to Idaho State Police spokesperson Aaron Snell, CNN, investigators were going through more than 6,000 tips they had received throughout the inquiry.
Police added that calls were being sent to an FBI contact center to assist with sorting leads received due to the volume of reports received.
12 December, Monday
Moscow Police explained their decision to withhold more case facts.
In a video update on the investigation, Moscow Police Capt. Lanier stated, “We are still 100% committed to solving this crime.”
“We don’t want to jeopardize this inquiry, so we’re not disclosing specifics. That’s what we have to do. Both the victims’ relatives and ourselves owe them that. We want a conviction, not just an arrest,” Lanier remarked.
The week before the fall semester closed, Lanier made these comments as hundreds of University of Idaho students were sitting for their final examinations.
“Our analysts have been sifting through for hours, attempting to identify the most pertinent leads first so the investigators may investigate further. To get further information, they have re-interviewed a few of the people we spoke with early in the inquiry,” Lanier stated.
December 15, Thursday
In an interview that aired on NBC’s “Today” show, Kristi Goncalves, the mother of victim Kaylee Goncalves, 21, voiced anger with police contacts regarding the state of the investigation into the deaths.
“There are no sleepy evenings. You feel ill to your stomach about it. In the interview, Goncalves stated, “It’s just being kept in the dark.”
Goncalves also related the day she found out her daughter had suffered an injury.
She remarked, “We’re running around for hours just not knowing what happened or what was going on.” We learned about it through phone calls. And after almost three hours, the sheriff arrived.
Goncalves stated that she read about the police interest in a white Hyundai vehicle that was spotted in the vicinity at the time of the stabbings in a press release that was forwarded to her by someone else, rather than from investigators.
“I immediately started wondering, ‘How long have they had this information?'” How do they find out about this stuff? Was it captured on film? Goncalves said.
Tuesday 27th of December
According to court records made public on January 5, trash gathered by Pennsylvania law enforcement from the Kohberger family home and forwarded to the Idaho State Lab for DNA testing helped detectives identify Bryan Kohberger as the primary suspect in the Idaho homicides.
According to the records, the next day “the Idaho State Lab reported that a DNA profile obtained from the trash” matched a tan leather knife sheath that was discovered “laying on the bed” of one of the victims.
The paper states, “On December 28, 2022, the Idaho State Lab reported that a male was not ruled out as the biological father of Suspect Profile based on DNA profiles recovered from the trash and the sheath.”
“It would be expected that the suspect’s biological father would be at least 99.9998% of the male population.”
29th of December, Thursday
Police reported that they have conducted over 300 interviews in the case of the four students who were killed at an off-campus residence, and they have received about 20,000 tips through more than 9,025 emails, 4,575 phone calls, and 6,050 submissions of digital media.
According to officials, the house where the deaths occurred will be cleaned up but will still be a crime scene under police supervision.
According to the update, Moscow police have been working with a property management services business to get rid of “potential biohazards and other harmful substances used to collect evidence.” The property management business will receive possession of the house.
30 December, Friday
Authorities reported that Kohberger, a 28-year-old graduate student at Washington State University, was taken into custody in connection with the crimes that occurred in his native Pennsylvania.
In a criminal complaint, he was accused of four first-degree murder charges as well as felony burglary. He was a graduate student in the criminal justice department at the university and lives in Pullman, Washington, which is around nine miles from the crime scene.
Law enforcement officials informed CNN that Kohberger is the owner of the white Hyundai Elantra that was spotted near the scene of the murders. According to people who spoke to CNN, his DNA was also linked to genetic material found at the off-campus home where the murders occurred.
According to Fry, police will try to provide as much evidence as they can on the extradition to Idaho and the criminal proceedings; but, they are only permitted to provide as much information as they can until the defendant makes his initial court appearance in Idaho, per state law.
January 3rd, Tuesday
At the Monroe County, Pennsylvania, extradition hearing, Kohberger consented to be sent to Idaho. Within ten days, the judge mandated that he be turned over to the Latah County District Attorney’s Office in Idaho.
January 5, Thursday
On January 5, Kohberger appeared in court for the first time in the Latah County Courthouse in Moscow, Idaho.
When Kohberger entered the courtroom, he grinned at his public lawyer. Throughout the whole trial, Kohberger did not seem to look at anybody else, not even the sobbing relatives of the victims in the front row.
A CNN crew in the courtroom stated that Steve Goncalves, whose daughter Kaylee Goncalves was among the dead, was in the front row with his wife and other family members. They added that family members were observing Kohberger during the hearing.
The prosecutor asked and the judge upheld a two-year no-contact order for the surviving roommates and relatives of the victims.
The magistrate judge overseeing Kohberger’s case denied bail to the accused killer after prosecutor Bill Thompson contended that no bail should be granted and Kohberger’s court-appointed counsel Anne Chere Taylor asked for a reconsideration of the bond amount.
March 2nd, Thursday
Unveiled court records from Monroe County, Pennsylvania, showed a trove of objects taken from Kohberger’s parents’ house soon after his apprehension. A silver flashlight, black socks, a black hoodie, “medical style” gloves, and a pair of size 13 Nike sneakers were among the things.
Investigators also seized knives, a mobile phone, computers, black gloves, black masks, dark clothing, dark shoes, brown boots, and New Balance sneakers, according to an evidence record. Among the knives were a pocket knife made by Smith & Wesson and a knife housed in a leather sheath.
The log also reveals that a shop-vac, personal documents, and books on criminology, including one labeled “criminal psychology,” were taken.
May 17, Wednesday
Kohberger was charged with murder and burglary by a grand jury. He may get the death sentence if proven guilty.
May 22, Monday
On behalf of Kohberger, an Idaho judge entered not guilty pleas. When the court asked him to enter a plea to each of the murder and burglary counts, he stayed mute.
June 16, Friday
Kohberger’s DNA was a “statistical match,” according to a court filing from the prosecution, with DNA discovered at the murder site and on the weapon used in the stabbings. According to the complaint, the two samples were compared using a “STR” assay, or short tandem repeat analysis.
June 22, Sunday
In a court document, Kohberger’s lawyer Jay Logsdon stated that “there is no connection between Mr. Kohberger and the victims.”
The lawyer went on, “There is no explanation for the complete lack of victim DNA evidence in Mr. Kohberger’s apartment, office, home, or car.”
June 23, Friday
Two requests to be excused from or have the gag order lifted were refused by the judge. According to the judge, Kohberger has a responsibility to protect his right to a fair trial because the case against him is well-known.
June 26th, Monday
It was declared by the prosecution that Kohberger would face the death sentence.
August 2, Wednesday
Kohberger was “driving during the late night and early morning hours,” so his lawyers claimed, they would use this as an alibi defense for their client, but they were unable to pinpoint his precise position on the night of the deaths.
“Mr.” According to Kohberger’s attorneys in a court document, “Mr. Kohberger is not claiming to have been at a specific location at a specific time; at this time there is not a specific witness to say precisely where Mr. Kohberger was at each moment of the hours” of the assaults.
August 23, Wednesday
It was agreed by Judge John Judge to postpone Kohberger’s trial, which was scheduled to begin on October 2. Kohberger renounced his claim to a prompt trial. There isn’t a specific date for the next trial.
August 23, Wednesday
Court documents show that Kohberger’s lawyers submitted a move to have the charge against him dismissed. The grand jury’s prejudice, inadmissible evidence, insufficient evidence, and prosecutorial misconduct—withholding exonerating evidence—were among the points they brought up.
September 28, Thursday
According to previously disclosed court filings, prosecutors requested consumer information from Amazon regarding knife purchases as part of their investigation.
October 26, Thursday
One of the two motions to dismiss Kohberger’s indictment was turned down by the judge. The judge’s ruling on the other request is still pending.
The article is sourced from CNN
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