Idaho murders: Top 5 takeaways from affidavit [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Authorities released a probable cause affidavit detailing newly published evidence regarding the Idaho murders.
• One of the surviving roommates said she saw a figure walk past her at around 4 a.m. on November 13.
• The suspect, Bryan Kohberger, was linked to the crime scene when evidence was linked to his father’s DNA.

Newly published evidence regarding the Idaho murders was revealed on Thursday when authorities released the probable cause affidavit in the arrest of suspect Bryan Kohberger.

Kohberger maintained his innocence after being arrested on December 30 on four counts of first-degree murder. He has since been extradited back to Idaho and is scheduled for a court appearance on Thursday.

University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in an off-campus residence at 1122 King Road on November 13, 2022.

Here are the key takeaways from the affidavit:

Survivor heard one of the victims

Dylan Mortensen, one of the surviving roommates, told Moscow Police investigators that she thought she heard Goncalves say, “There’s someone here” during the night of the murders.

Investigators noted that she may have heard Kernodle instead, since phone records showed her using TikTok at around 4:12 a.m. local time.

Survivor saw murderer

Mortensen said that she opened her door several times at around 4 a.m. local time.

After opening her door for the third time, she “heard the crying and saw a figure clad in black clothing and a mask that covered the person’s mouth and nose walking towards her.” While she “stood in a ‘frozen shock phase,’ the man “walked past” her “towards the back sliding glass door.”

She “locked herself in her room,” but did not say if she recognized the man. Her statement led “investigators to believe that the murderer left the scene.”

Suspect was linked to crime due to father’s DNA

At the crime scene, police recovered a knife sheath with the U.S. Marine Corps eagle globe stamp and the labels “Ka-Bar” and “USMC.” Pennsylvania investigators recovered trash from Kohberger’s parents’ home to build a DNA profile.

The Idaho State Lab found on December 28, 2022, that both DNA profiles from the sheath and the trash “identified a male as not being excluded as the biological father of Suspect Profile.”

Suspect was near the area 12 times

Investigators obtained Kohberger’s phone number and discovered records linking it “to the area” for “at least twelve occasions” before the crime.

The number was not linked to cell towers near the residence between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. local time on November 13, however.

Suspect applied for local police internship

Kohberger was a Ph.D. student at Washington State University’s criminology department. He also earned his bachelor’s degree in criminology from DeSales University in Pennsylvania.

According to his records, Kohberger “applied for an internship with the Pullman Police Department in the fall of 2022.” He wrote an essay detailing his interest to assist local law enforcement agencies in collecting and analyzing technological data.

Source: Newsweek