The murders of four University of Idaho students in November was a mystery that transfixed the nation. The question many asked was who would stab to death four young people in their rental apartment located in a quiet college town?

Investigators believe the mystery may have been solved when 28-year-old Pennsylvania native, Bryan Kohberger was arrested at his parents home in Monroe County last week. Kohberger, who was a criminology doctoral student at Washington State University, was returned to Idaho Wednesday and faced court arraignment Thursday.

Charging documents outlined some of the evidence that led to Kohberger’s arrest for the first time.

Lauren Paterson, who has been the lead reporter covering the murders for Northwest Public Broadcasting at Washington State, joined us on The Spark Friday.

Paterson described some of the evidence that was outlined Thursday,"The white car (Kohberger drives a white car) was captured on nearby surveillance footage driving around late at night near the killings. This was what first led law enforcement to here in late November. Investigators were also able to find footage from cameras in Pullman and at Washington State University that identified Kohberger's car on the WSU campus where he was living. But they spent time building up other evidence, including cell phone location records."

Police also indicated they found DNA at the murder scene. Paterson talked about what that,"It was found on the empty leather sheath from a knife found at the scene. The DNA was taken from the snap of the knife sheath. Detectives say the sample matches family DNA they identified from the garbage they took from Kohberger's home in Pennsylvania. Law enforcement should be able to confirm a match by taking a sample from the suspect in custody. Another thing we learned from the affidavit is that one of the surviving roommates heard crying and a thud from one of the victim's rooms. She didn't know what was going on. The dog was barking. She opened her door and saw someone dressed in black with a mask walking toward her. She said he walked by her and toward the sliding glass back door."

What has Paterson learned about Kohberger's time at Washington State,"WSU officials confirm Kielburger completed his first semester as a Ph.D. student in the university's criminal justice program earlier this month. He applied for an internship with the Pullman Police Department in the fall of 2022 and mentioned helping rural law enforcement using technology to enhance public safety, according to the affidavit. He at some point posted a Reddit survey asking participants to provide information to, quote, understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision making when committing a crime, unquote."

Kohberger's next court appearance is scheduled for January 12 at 10 a.m.

The murders of four University of Idaho students in November was a mystery that transfixed the nation. The question many asked was who would stab to death four young people in their rental apartment located in a quiet college town?
<a href="https://www.witf.org/2023/01/06/the-white-sedan-how-police-found-the-suspect-from-pennsylvahia-in-idaho-slayings/">Investigators believe the mystery may have been solved when 28-year-old Pennsylvania native, Bryan Kohberger was arrested at his parents home in Monroe County last week.</a> Kohberger, who was a criminology doctoral student at Washington State University, was returned to Idaho Wednesday and faced court arraignment Thursday.
Charging documents outlined some of the evidence that led to Kohberger’s arrest for the first time.
<a href="https://www.nwpb.org/lauren-paterson/">Lauren Paterson</a>, who has been the lead reporter covering the murders for Northwest Public Broadcasting at Washington State, joined us on The Spark Friday.
Paterson described some of the evidence that was outlined Thursday,"The white car (Kohberger drives a white car) was captured on nearby surveillance footage driving around late at night near the killings. This was what first led law enforcement to here in late November. Investigators were also able to find footage from cameras in Pullman and at Washington State University that identified Kohberger's car on the WSU campus where he was living. But they spent time building up other evidence, including cell phone location records."
Police also indicated they found DNA at the murder scene. Paterson talked about what that,"It was found on the empty leather sheath from a knife found at the scene. The DNA was taken from the snap of the knife sheath. Detectives say the sample matches family DNA they identified from the garbage they took from Kohberger's home in Pennsylvania. Law enforcement should be able to confirm a match by taking a sample from the suspect in custody. Another thing we learned from the affidavit is that one of the surviving roommates heard crying and a thud from one of the victim's rooms. She didn't know what was going on. The dog was barking. She opened her door and saw someone dressed in black with a mask walking toward her. She said he walked by her and toward the sliding glass back door."
What has Paterson learned about Kohberger's time at Washington State,"WSU officials confirm Kielburger completed his first semester as a Ph.D. student in the university's criminal justice program earlier this month. He applied for an internship with the Pullman Police Department in the fall of 2022 and mentioned helping rural law enforcement using technology to enhance public safety, according to the affidavit. He at some point posted a Reddit survey asking participants to provide information to, quote, understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision making when committing a crime, unquote."
Kohberger's next court appearance is scheduled for January 12 at 10 a.m.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from <a href="https://www.witf.org">WITF</a>, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

Advertisement