Six weeks prior to the November 13, 2022, stabbing of four University of Idaho students, Bryan Kohberger, a 27-year-old criminology doctoral student at Washington State University, faced growing pressure at work. Complaints from students regarding his teaching style prompted a meeting with a dean. Around this time, Kohberger’s cellphone activity came under scrutiny, revealing numerous pictures of female students from both universities. Some of these women were connected to the victims: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin.
Kohberger moved to Washington from Pennsylvania and frequently visited Moscow, Idaho, with cellphone data indicating he connected to a tower near the victims’ home. In the weeks leading up to the murders, he conducted questionable online searches related to sociopathy and pornography.
On the night of the murders, Kohberger’s vehicle, a white Elantra, was recorded circling the victims’ neighborhood. The stabbings occurred just after the students returned home from a night out. Survivors reported seeing a masked figure, and evidence suggested Mogen may have been the intended target.
After the killings, Kohberger’s cellphone records revealed searches related to the murders. Authorities later matched DNA found on a knife sheath recovered from Mogen’s room to Kohberger. In late December, investigators collected trash from his family home, yielding critical DNA that linked him to the crime.
Kohberger was arrested on December 30, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including first-degree murder. His defense has hinted at the possibility of an alternate suspect. If convicted, Kohberger could face the death penalty, though his lawyers have argued against this due to his autism.
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