Haunting 'dolls house' that takes you room-by-room through Bryan Kohberger's student slaughter

Daily Mail​

20 hours ago

The home where four University of Idaho students were slaughtered by mass killer Bryan Kohberger has been frozen in time in a 3D model built by state prosecutors.
The three-story property at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, was once a place of youthful fun where five young women were enjoying college life with their friends.
On November 13, 2022, the house was transformed into a horror crime scene when Kohberger broke in and stabbed to death Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
One year later in December 2023, the home was demolished to rid the college town of the painful visual reminder of what had taken place - against some of the victims' families wishes.
'It is the grim reminder of the heinous act that took place there,' University of Idaho President Scott Green said at the time. 'While we appreciate the emotional connection some family members of the victims may have to this house, it is time for its removal and to allow the collective healing of our community to continue.'
Now, days after Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison for the murders, photos of a 3D reconstruction of the home have been released by Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson's office, giving a glimpse inside every room of the home.
The images show the interior and exterior of the home, detailing the layout of the rooms belonging to the victims and survivors.
The model house is not furnished as it was when the murders took place.
It was built by the prosecutor's office to be used as a demonstrative aid at Kohberger's capital murder trial.
The 30-year-old criminology PhD student's defense team had objected to the so-called 'doll house' being presented to the jury, arguing that it was not to scale.
Prosecutors argued a 'to-scale' model was not necessary for the structure's purpose to show jurors the floor plan layout and be a helpful tool for witnesses when explaining their testimony.
Judge Steven Hippler ruled that prosecutors could use the model house during trial, but only for demonstrative purposes - and not as evidence.
But on July 2, Kohberger changed his plea, pleading guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.
The bombshell plea hearing came after he struck a controversial deal with prosecutors to take the death penalty off the table.
He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in an emotional hearing in Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on July 23. Kohberger also waived his right to appeal.
Kohberger is now being held in solitary confinement inside the Idaho Maximum Security Institution where he will see out his dying days.
With the trial no longer going ahead, a broad gag order has been lifted and investigators and officials connected to the case have released never-before-seen evidence and records.
In an interview with the Idaho Statesman, Thompson revealed for the first time that Kohberger collected creepy trophies from women in his past life.
At the time of his arrest, Kohberger was in possession of 'ID-type cards' belonging to two women he knew years before the murders.
At least one of the women was the killer's former colleague at the Pleasant Valley School District in Pennsylvania.
Kohberger attended Pleasant Valley School District schools growing up, graduating from the high school in 2013. He then worked part time as a security officer for the district from 2016 through 2021, while pursuing his studies in psychology and criminology.
Kohberger's parents also worked for the district, Michael as a maintenance worker and MaryAnn a special needs paraprofessional.
The IDs were found hidden inside a glove inside a box during a search executed at Kohberger's family home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, following his December 30, 2022, arrest.
The prosecutor - whose decision to strike a plea deal with the mass killer divided the victims' families - said the discovery came as a surprise to both women. Neither of the women had been 'harmed or threatened,' Thompson said.
As well as sharing new information about evidence in the case, Thompson revealed for the first time which of Kohberger's family members would have testified against him at trial.
Prosecutors previously revealed plans to call some of Kohberger's immediate family members - his parents and two older sisters Amanda and Melissa - as witnesses for the state.
Which family members and why remained a mystery, with the details kept under seal.
Thompson told the Idaho Statesman the plan had been to call Kohberger's sister Amanda and either his mother or father if the case went to trial.
He did not divulge the exact reasoning for this.
But, as the trial date loomed, the state decided against calling any of the Kohberger family because they weren't the 'best witnesses' and they had not shared anything 'substantively incriminating' during police interviews.
Moscow Police have also released a trove of 314 records from the investigation that ultimately led to Kohberger's arrest.
The records include details of eerie encounters the students had at 1122 King Road before they were murdered.
Goncalves had told friends she had seen a man watching her in the trees around the home and the roommates had come home to find the front door open one day.
The home at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, on November 20, 2022 - one week on from the murders
It is not clear if these incidents are related to Kohberger but cell phone evidence does indicate he was surveilling the home months before the murders.
Other documents reveal that, following Kohberger's arrest, several women came forward to police about creepy interactions they had with Kohberger.
One unidentified woman claimed to have matched with Kohberger on Tinder in September or October 2022 - just weeks before the murders.
The woman broke contact with Kohberger after he allegedly asked her a chilling question: what did she think would be the worst way to die?
She told police that when she told him by knife, he responded with an eerie comment to the effect of, 'like a Ka-Bar?'
Around one month later, Kohberger is believed to have used a Ka-Bar knife to slaughter his victims.
Despite the flurry of new information released and Kohberger's guilty plea, many unanswered questions remain, including Kohberger's motive, who his intended target was and why he chose his victims.
Kohberger refused to shed any light on the murders or provide any answers at his sentencing.