(RepublicanReport.org) – Over a year has passed since Bryan Kohberger allegedly stabbed four students to death in their Moscow, Idaho, home, but details on the tragic event remain fuzzy. Recently released clues, including DNA evidence, could offer a clearer picture of the initial target and provide additional details about the murder.
One year ago on Monday, November 13, 2023, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, both 21 years old, along with Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, both 22, were murdered for reasons yet unknown to the public. The information openly available on the case has been limited, but experts believe a couple of details could help pin down the intended target.
The New York Times released a copy of the original arrest affidavit. It states that police found a leather sheath, which they believe belonged to the murder weapon, lying beside Mogen’s body. An analysis found male DNA on one of the sheath’s snaps. Investigators obtained genetic material from the suspect’s father’s trash and determined, with 99.9998% certainty, that the sample connected Kohberger to the knife sheath.
Statements from a surviving roommate, along with video footage allegedly showing the suspect’s car circling the area before the murders, appear to paint a timeline. A search through the suspect’s cell phone records indicates previous surveillance in the area, evidence that the murder may have been premeditated.
Newsweek spoke with cold case expert Kenneth Mains, who said the sheath would most likely be recovered where the first — and intended — victim was, which narrows down the target to Mogen and Goncalves, who was in Mogen’s bed. The expert said the fact that the killer didn’t eliminate Chapin, the only other male in the house, first, implied that one of those two women was the priority in the attack. The placement of a bloody footprint appears to corroborate his theory.
A hearing in October determined that members of the media could bring cameras into the courtroom, but the judge indicated that they planned to place limits on their use. Advocates for the victims’ families have pushed for more transparency in the case, noting the heavy secrecy has done nothing but push speculation about its details.
Kohberger maintains that he is innocent.
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