NewsWorldAmericasUS Crime NewsBryan Kohberger is charged with the murders of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow on November 13
Bryan Kohberger appears in court in Idaho for the first time
Sign up to our free US news bulletin sent straight to your inbox each weekday morningSign up to our free morning US email news bulletin
Authorities have seized a trove of evidence from Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger’s Washington apartment – but several key items, including the murder weapon, remain unaccounted for.
Among the evidence seized items with “reddish or brown stains”, a computer tower and a disposable glove, according to search warrant records released Wednesday. Investigators also seized mattress covers and the dust container of a vacuum cleaner.
Mr Kohberger is accused of the fatal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.
Officials stated in the search warrant application that they hoped to find hair strands that could link the suspect to the scene of the horrific crime.
They said in the application that this could be either through the four victims or through a dog that was at the rental house at the time of the slayings.
Police said that one of the items found at the suspect’s apartment at nearby Washington State University was a “possible animal hair strand.”
But many items that investigators were looking for were not found – including clothing and the knife allegedly used in the stabbings.
1674168469Kaylee’s ex pens tribute posts on IG account for their dog Goncalves’ mother Kristi Goncalves shared that Jack DuCoeur is behind an Instagram account dedicated to Murphy, the pet dog found inside the home when police made the grim discovery on 13 November.
The dog was handed over to animal services and was later released to Mr DuCoeur.
Although the couple had recently broken up ahead of Goncalves’ move to Texas, they had remained friendly, their relatives have said.
On the account’s first post on Monday, Mr DuCoeur posted a picture of the Labradoodle with the caption: “Missing my mom every day, but trying to live my best life. I got to admire her beauty in the sky this evening.”
“This is a throwback photo of me. My mom loved this one,” another post read.
On Thursday, Mr DuCoeur posted a picture that Goncalves had taken of him and Murphy.
The account already has more than 10,000 followers, with people commenting heartfelt messages.
“This hurts my heart. You’re a good boy Murphy. So happy you and your Dad have each other,” an Instagram user wrote. “You’ll be best pals for life. Much love and sympathy to everyone mourning Kaylee.”
Andrea Blanco19 January 2023 22:47
1674163874ICYMI: Kaylee Goncalves’ family reveal potential reason why she called ex-boyfriend before Idaho murdersKaylee Goncalves’ family has now shed new light on why she might have been calling her ex-boyfriend Jack DuCoeur in the hours before she was brutally attacked.
In a sit-down interview with the YouTube channel Chronicles of Olivia — filmed two days before Mr Kohberger’s arrest– the Goncalves said their daughter broke up with Mr DuCoeur ahead of her post-graduation move to Texas, but had later voiced concerns that she “might not ever find another Jack” and was considering getting back together with him.
Kaylee’s father Steve Goncalves said that the couple had remained friends and the slain student was looking “for every excuse for [Mr DuCoeur] to pick up the phone.”
The Independent has the story:
Andrea Blanco19 January 2023 21:31
1674161504Could Bryan Kohberger get the death penalty?If convicted of the four murders, Mr Kohberger faces the possibility of lethal injection, should the prosecution seek the death penalty.
In the state of Idaho, the maximum sentence for first-degree murder is death and the suspect is facing four counts of this charge.
While the Latah County prosecutor has not yet confirmed whether or not he plans to seek the death penalty in the case and he is unlikely to show his hand over the coming weeks due to the gag order now in place.
Goncalves’ parents have already said that they want their daughter’s killer to be sentenced to death saying he “has to pay” for what he has done.
“If you want to play god’s role, you’re gonna have to go answer to him,” Steve told NewsNation in early-January.
Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, spoke to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case and what to expect next as it makes its way through the courts.
According to Mr Levin, in a death penalty case, the only possible plea deal would be for the suspect to be given life in prison instead.
However, he said it is “too early” to tell whether this is likely in this case.
“At this point, it is too early for the two sides to have a discussion about a plea deal,” he said.
“On a death penalty case, the only plea on the table is life in prison but both sides have too much investigating ahead of them to discuss that at this time.”
Andrea Blanco19 January 2023 20:51
1674159030ICYMI: Everything we know about Bryan Kohberger’s next court hearingSuspected quadruple killer Bryan Kohberger made a brief appearance in Latah County Courthouse in Moscow last week for a status hearing in his murder case.
Mr Kohberger spoke only to answer “yes” when asked if he understood his rights to a speedy preliminary hearing within the next 14 days and if he agreed to waive those rights.
His public defender Anne Taylor then requested that his next court date be pushed back until June.
The prosecution agreed to the request and the judge scheduled the preliminary hearing for the week beginning 26 June.
The entire week has been set aside for the hearing – when evidence of the case against Mr Kohberger will be laid out for the first time in court and he is likely to enter a plea on the charges.
His request for a delay before the next court appearance came after the defence asked the prosecution to hand over all discovery in the case in the next 14 days – including witness statements, digital media and police reports.
Ms Taylor told the judge that waiving the 14-day deadline would give the defence more time to review all the evidence in the case.
Now, the families of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin will have to wait six more months to face their childrens’ accused killer in the court.
Until then, Mr Kohberger will be held behind bars at Latah County Jail after he was ordered to be held on no bail for a second time.
Mr Kohberger did not enter a plea at Thursday’s hearing – his second appearance in an Idaho court since being extradited from Pennsylvania last week.
However, he is said to be planning to fight against the allegations that he broke into a student home in Moscow in the early hours of 13 November and stabbed the four students to death in a savage knife attack.
Andrea Blanco19 January 2023 20:10
1674156625Police seize mattress covers, hairs, computer from Idaho stabbing suspect’s homeInvestigators seized stained bedding, strands of what looked like hair and a single glove when they searched the Washington state apartment of Bryan Kohberger.
The search warrant for Mr Kohberger ’s home and Washington State University office was unsealed by a Washington state judge on Tuesday.
Mr Kohberger is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary in connection with the slayings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in the neighbouring town of Moscow, Idaho.
Investigators did not find anything noteworthy in Kohberger’s office at WSU, where he was a teaching assistant and graduate student studying criminology.
They took 15 things from his on-campus apartment, including a nitrite-type black glove, cuttings from a pillow with a reddish-brown stain, and a stained mattress cover.
Andrea Blanco19 January 2023 19:30
1674155085She slept through an attack that nearly killed her roommate. Now, she’s defending a stranger in the Idaho murdersThere are many chilling similarities between the murders of four Idaho students in November and a 1992 attack at a student home in Buffalo – none more so than the experiences of the roommates who survived.
Alanna Zabel tells The Independent’s Rachel Sharp why she feels the need to defend the surviving roommate in Idaho and how she understands the way trauma can shape reactions to such horrifying events.
She slept through an attack in her home – and has a message about the Idaho murdersThere are many chilling similarities between the murders of four Idaho students in November and a 1992 attack at a student home in Buffalo – none more so than the experiences of the roommates who survived. Alanna Zabel tells Rachel Sharp why she feels the need to defend the surviving roommate in Idaho and how she understands the way trauma can shape reactions to such horrifying events
Andrea Blanco19 January 2023 19:04
1674153098Speculation that Bryan Kohberger has ‘co-defendant’ in Idaho murders case debunkedA prominent attorney has debunked speculation that suspected killer Bryan Kohberger had an accomplice in the stabbing murders of four University of Idaho students.
Mr Kohberger is facing the death penalty on charges of murdering Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:
Andrea Blanco19 January 2023 18:31
1674150761Trove of evidence seized from suspect’s apartmentInvestigators stated in the search warrant application that they hoped to find hair strands that could link the suspect to the scene of the horrific November crime in Moscow, Idaho.
They said in the application that this could be either through the four victims or through a dog that was at the rental house at the time of the slayings, reported The New York Times.
Police said that one of the items found at the suspect’s apartment at nearby Washington State University was a “possible animal hair strand.”
In the documents, investigators said one item had a “collection of dark red” spotting, and that a pillow had a “reddish/brown stain” on it.
Andrea Blanco19 January 2023 17:52
1674148928Why did the defence request the next court hearing be pushed six months? At his status hearing in Latah County Courthouse on 12 January, Bryan Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial – which would have set his preliminary hearing within 14 days.
Instead, his attorney asked that the next court date instead be delayed until the summer, to give defence more time to review all the evidence in the case.
The prosecution agreed with the request and the judge scheduled the preliminary hearing for the week beginning 26 June, setting aside the entire week for the hearing.
Officers on the scene at the student home on King Road on 13 November
Now, the victims’ families and the public will have to wait another six months to learn further details about the murders and the case against Mr Kohberger.
Mr Levin said that a six-month time gap between a status hearing and preliminary hearing is “somewhat unusual” but it’s a marker of the complexity of the case.
“It is somewhat unusual to see such a long gap but then again nothing is normal in this case,” he said.
“Death penalty cases do mean that everything will take longer and be done a little bit differently than one might expect to see on a typical case.”
The six-month delay is a benefit to both sides, he added.
“The defence wants as much time as possible to conduct their own investigations before they have the opportunity to cross-examine the state’s witnesses. So they’re eager to have more information in their hands before any testimony is heard in the preliminary hearing,” he said.
“Similarly, the prosecution needs time to conduct further investigations. For example they will be likely doing a forensic examination of Kohberger’s automobile and residence. And they are still yet to uncover a motive. They have a lot of work yet to do.”
He added: “Both sides really need more time to review evidence and develop their cases.”
Andrea Blanco19 January 2023 17:22
1674146982Expert attorney explains ‘unusually detailed, damning’ affidavit Suspected mass killer Bryan Kohberger should “get an F in his criminology class” after the damning affidavit laid out evidence linking him to the murders of four University of Idaho students, according to a prominent criminal defence attorney.
Duncan Levin, the former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office and attorney at Levin & Associates who has represented clients including Harvey Weinstein and Anna Delvey, spoke exclusively to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case against the 28-year-old PhD student.
“In short he should get an F in criminology class,” he said. “He did not do a good job of covering his tracks.”
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:
Andrea Blanco19 January 2023 16:49
