Bryan Kohberger carried out one of the most shocking crimes in modern American history. And, now, what happened in the hours and days afterwards has come under almost as much scrutiny as the shocking murders themselves. The now 31-year-old former criminology PhD student was charged with the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students – Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin – at an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho, in the early hours of November 13, 2022. The attack sparked weeks of fear and shock on campus and sent tremors across the US and beyond. (Picture: REUTERS)
Kohberger was arrested six weeks later at his parents’ home over in Pennsylvania and charged with four counts of first degree murder and one count of burglary. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences. With no motive or links to the victims ever being established, attention has shifted to what investigators believe happened after the violence and whether steps were taken by the callous killer to cover his tracks. (Picture: Ian Fox)
One detail which stands out in documents brought before the court has nothing to do with the two bedrooms where the four students were found. Instead, it concerns what was discovered in the shared areas of the house. Investigators located some diluted blood belonging to the victims beyond those rooms, Daily Mail reports. The droplets appeared in communal spaces including the second floor living room and along the stairways linking the first, second and third floors. Some of the watered-down blood was also found on a beer pong table. Yet there was no evidence that any of the victims suffered blood loss outside the bedrooms. (Picture: Idaho State Police)
Forensic teams described the marks as being ‘cast off’, meaning blood released from an object in motion. Basically something bloodied was moved through the house. The diluted quality of the stains suggests that another liquid was involved. The suggestion being that something was washed or wiped before the suspect left. The theory isn’t that the entire property was cleaned. It centres on the possibility that the alleged murder weapon was rinsed in the moments after the attack. (Picture: Idaho State Police)
Ohio-based crime scene expert and former investigator Dr. Richard English said that only one conclusion immediately presented itself. ‘The first thing that came to mind was that the suspect tried to rinse the knife off,’ he told Daily Mail. Prosecutors allege a KaBar knife purchased from Amazon months earlier was used in the murders. English believes that the staining is much more consistent with a quick wash than a lengthy clean up. (Picture: Idaho State Police)
There are bathrooms on both the second and third floors of the house. Court records state that Kohberger would have passed the second floor bathroom after leaving Xana Kernodle’s room on his way towards the back door. English also highlighted red solo cups on the beer pong table that may have contained liquid suitable for rinsing a blade. Despite the brutality described by investigators, no trace of the victims’ blood or DNA was ever found in Kohberger’s car or apartment after his arrest. (Picture: Idaho State Police)
For English, that absence points pretty clearly towards preparation. ‘When CSI teams go into a crime scene we wear a Tyvek suit, booties, mask, goggles and gloves to protect the scene and evidence,’ he told the Mail. ‘I would say Kohberger was likely wearing something like a Tyvek suit, booties or gloves or that he had a change of clothes and shoes and tried to clean himself up.’ Prosecutors have said that removing protective clothing could take only ‘seconds.’ English also accepts diluted blood can have other causes, adding: ‘Kohberger is the one person who knows all answers and he’s probably never going to reveal them all.’ (Picture: AP)
Newly unsealed court filings are shedding fresh light on what prosecutors say unfolded during the attack. The 155-page exhibit suggest that Bryan Kohberger may have arranged at least two of the victims’ bodies after killing them. Independent experts say that kind of staging can sometimes point to an offender acting out a deeper fantasy around the crime and/or victim. (Picture: AP)
Dr Gary Brucato, a clinical and forensic psychologist who has put together one of the largest ever studies on mass murders, said that staging can form part of the thrill for some offenders. ‘Staging of this type is only necessary for the sexual gratification of the offender. They want to take control of the scene and move people around because it means something to them. It is part of the thrill,’ he said. Brucato stressed it is not possible to determine if Kohberger did or didn’t pose the bodies, adding: ‘I don’t know that that happened here but it would not be inconsistent with this type of offender.’ Other theories suggest the position of the bodies may have been due to blows from the killer during the attack. (Picture: Getty Images)Add as preferred source