Latest news with #UniversityofIdaho
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Newly unsealed Bryan Kohberger docs reveal creepy incidents at victims' home before University of Idaho murders
The University of Idaho victims murdered by Bryan Kohberger came home to find their front door wide open and loose on its hinges — just days before they were viciously stabbed to death. The students also spotted a man lurking outside their home in the weeks before the shocking quadruple murder. The eerie happenings were laid bare in a massive trove of documents released by cops late Wednesday after the 30-year-old cold-blooded killer was sentenced to life in prison for butchering Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin in their off-campus Moscow home. Advertisement In one frightening ordeal, a disturbed Goncalves had told her roommates that she'd seen a strange man staring her down when she took her dog, Murphy, outside roughly a month before the Nov. 13, 2022, slayings. 4 Documents surrounding the gruesome slaying of four University of Idaho students by convicted murderer Bryan Kohberger have been released. AP Bethany Funke, who was one of two roommates to survive the night of the stabbings, told cops in an interview after the murders that Goncalves saw the unknown man 'up above their house to the south.' Advertisement The run-in was concerning enough that Goncalves had 'told everyone' about it and even called her roommates to ask if they'd be home soon, Funke told police. Then, just nine days before the attack, the roommates came home at 11 a.m. on Nov. 4 to find their front door open, loose on its hinges, as the wind blew, the documents revealed. Funke told police in her interview that Kernodle's father fixed the door. 4 The documents outline the heartless killings, stating that 'a lot of force' was used. Advertisement It remains unclear if Kohberger was the man spotted outside the home in the lead up — or if the strange occurrences were in any way linked to the murders. The newly released documents, though, shed light on the frenzied efforts by law enforcement to follow every possible lead as they hunted down the killer. Here's the latest coverage on Bryan Kohberger: The documents also disclosed gruesome, bloody details of the vicious killings — including how Kernodle had sustained more than 50 stab wounds — including two to the heart — as she attempted to fight off her deranged killer. Advertisement Police said they found her lying on her back in her bloodstained underwear and shirt, with defensive knife wounds to her hand, including a deep gash between her index finger and thumb on her left hand. 4 The off-campus home where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death on Sunday, November 20, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho. James Keivom The files also detailed how investigators processed the gruesome crime scene and ran down tips from people who claimed to have gone on a Tinder date with Kohberger or to have seen him walking along a highway. The chilling documents were released just hours after Kohberger, who pleaded guilty weeks before his trial was to start in a deal to avoid the death penalty, was handed four life sentences over the killings. During the sentencing, Kohberger refused to explain why he slipped into the rental home in Moscow through a sliding glass door in the early hours and stabbed his victims. 4 Blood oozes out of the side of an off-campus home where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death on Thursday, November 17, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho. James Keivom 'I share the desire expressed by others to understand the why,' Judge Steven Hippler told the packed courtroom. Advertisement 'But upon reflection, it seems to me, and this is just my own opinion, that by continuing to focus on why, we continue to give Mr Kohberger relevance, we give him agency and we give him power.' With Post wires
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Chilling Idaho murder details finally emerge from 'motive' to horrific injuries
Three years after the brutal University of Idaho massacre, killer Bryan Kohberger has been given four life sentences without the possibility of parole. And haunting details have emerged concerning the scene that left officers 'unable to comprehend' what they were looking at In the early hours of Sunday, November 13, 2022, horror came to the University of Idaho. PhD student Bryan Kohberger broke into an off-campus rental property in the close-knit college town of Moscow, Idaho, where he ruthlessly murdered Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, both 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Xana's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20. Two other housemates were also present when the slaughter unfolded, but escaped unharmed. For years, the community has had to continue on in the shadow of an unthinkable tragedy. Number 1122 King Road, the house where the killings took place, has since been demolished, but memories of this terrible time continue to linger. Until recently, details of the shocking case have been kept under wraps to ensure that Kohberger could undergo a fair trial, leaving loved ones with many questions. Now - after taking a plea deal to avoid a death sentence - the 30-year-old has been handed four life sentences without the possibility of parole, following more than two hours of heart-wrenching statements from bereaved families. Handing down sentencing on July 23, Judge Steven Hippler said: "I'm unable to find anything redeemable about Mr Kohberger. His actions have made him the worst of the worst." Bryan Kohberger sentenced: father of murder victim damns killer in three simple words 'Bryan Kohberger butchered my flatmates while I was next door - here's how I escaped' Warped 'motive' In their book The Idaho Murders, extracts of which have been published in the Mail Online, writers James Patterson and Vicky Ward offer an insight into the warped mind of Kohberger. Nicknamed "the ghost" by classmates at DeSales University, anti-social Kohberger was known for his fascination with killers, in particular, Elliot Rodger. Regarded as an early influence on incel culture, Rodger, 22, went on a shooting rampage in 2014 as revenge against rejection by women, detailing his frustrations in a lengthy manifesto. The wealthy student killed six, before turning the gun on himself. Drawing parallels between Kohberger and Rodger, Patterson and Ward detailed how Kohberger had a hatred of women, and was infuriated by attractive girls he perceived as "Stacys" who would date handsome "Chads". One day in class, Kohberger was apparently caught unprepared by a question posed by female lecturer Dr Hillary Mellinger, a specialist in the field of gender-based violence. Humiliated and red-faced with rage, misogynist Kohberger is said to have later gone for an evening drive and headed to a restaurant he'd heard about online, the Mad Greek. It was here that Madison "Maddie" Mogen, one of the four Idaho victims, worked part-time alongside her studies. Marketing major Maddie was blonde, pretty, and interested in fashion and beauty products. In Kohberger's twisted view of the world, she was a 'Stacy' - the book claimed - and he did not take kindly when she spurned his awkward advances. In The Idaho Murders, which will be published July 31, Patterson and Ward detailed the apparent interaction that unfolded. They wrote: "Maddie wipes down a table and turns to get fresh cutlery to seat new customers. Then she notices him. Unusual-looking. Intense bulging eyes. Thin, almost emaciated. And pale, almost ghost white. He's staring at her intently. Maddie is used to male attention, but this time it feels uncomfortable. 'I'm Bryan,' he says. 'What's your name?' Maddie hesitates, then tells him. Why wouldn't she? Everyone here knows it. "He asks, 'Would you like to go out sometime?' This is an easy one, Maddie thinks. The idea of going out with this strange-looking guy is surreal. Maddie is anything but easy, even for guys she likes. And she doesn't know or like this one. She flicks back her hair. 'Uh, no,' she says. She smiles, laughs a bit. It's a nervous habit she has, especially with guys she turns down. She doesn't mean anything rude by it. "But this guy looks at her strangely, like he doesn't believe what he's hearing. He gets up slowly, still staring at her, and walks out. Maddie shakes her head and goes about her business. She doesn't see the guy walk to his car, a white Hyundai Elantra, sit in the driver's seat, and type her name into his phone." Stalking campaign Newly released police records suggest that Kohberger carried out a practice run one month before the murders. From July 2022 right through to November 13, 2022, Kohberger's phone pinged in the vicinity of the three-storey student house at least 23 times, with the timings indicating that he mostly visited under the cover of darkness. Chillingly, housemates would reportedly make "lighthearted talk and jokes" about a potential stalker, but "were slightly nervous about it being a fact". There were also a few incidents which stood out as being strange. It's understood that victim Kaylee had confided in at least two friends about having spotted a man watching her from the trees just outside the house where she would be ruthlessly murdered. Meanwhile, survivor Dylan Mortensen spoke of how Kaylee had described seeing the 'shadow' while taking her pet dog Murphy outside. Dylan also opened up about how, just two or three weeks before the tragedy, Kaylee had mentioned being followed by someone. These accounts were supported by another unnamed friend, who told officers that Kaylee had seen a dark figure staring at her from the trees while she was outside with Murphy. Devastating injuries Officers responding to the terrible scene noted that there was so much blood that it was initially difficult to determine what injuries some of the victims had suffered. In a police report seen by the Idaho Statesman, one officer said: 'I was unable to comprehend exactly what I was looking at while trying to discern the nature of the injuries." The recent Amazon Prime series, One Night In Idaho, showed blood seeping through the outside walls of the property. Kaylee and Madison were found together in the latter's bedroom on the third floor, lying on a single bed covered with a blood-soaked pink blanket. Discussing how her daughter had been "trapped" during the attack, Kristi said: 'The side where Kaylee was, was up against the wall. And if you can imagine, Kaylee in an upright sort of position – up in the corner – slumped. I mean she was trapped. The bed was the entire room. You could barely open up the door without swiping the foot of the bed - and it was wall. The headboard was up against the wall.' It's been theorised that evil Kohberger had only intended to target Madison, and hadn't expected to find her close friend Kaylee in her bed. It was noted that Madison had a wound to her face, as well as lacerations to her upper body, with fatal injuries to her liver and left lung. During an appearance on the Today show, Kaylee's father, Steve Goncalves, described the stabbing injuries his daughter suffered as comparable to "drowning". Appearing alongside Kaylee's mother, Kristi Goncalves, Steve shared: 'She had definitely been stabbed multiple times, and they kind of described it as a drowning that can occur. But she did say gagging; [Kohberger] struck her in the face.' Kristi also detailed how Kaylee had sustained a broken nose, septal hematomas, asphyxial injuries and defence wounds to her arms during the attack. She said: "She [was] stabbed many, many times. But how many, we don't know." As explained in a police report obtained by ABC News, Kaylee's injuries had 'made her unrecognisable." The report asserted: "Madison appeared to be laying up against Kaylee. Madison had what appeared to be wounds to her forearm and hands. Madison had a gash under her right eye, which appeared to go from the corner of her eye to her nose. Kaylee was unrecognisable as her facial structure was extremely damaged." Xana and Ethan, who were in a relationship, were found in Xana's bedroom. It was determined that Ethan suffered a fatal stab wound to the neck, severing his jugular vein, subclavian vein and artery. Xana, who was stabbed more than 50 times, died from lacerations to the heart and lungs. The medical examiner concluded that the majority of her wounds were defensive, sustained while fighting off the killer. Faulty lock Known as a party house, it reportedly wasn't unusual for students to pop in and out of Number 1122 King Road at all hours. Friends of the housemates knew that they could easily get access via the sliding doors by the kitchen, which had a broken lock. All party guests had to do to release the door was lift up the mechanism.
Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Police documents released after Bryan Kohberger sentencing detail strange happenings weeks before slayings
Hundreds of documents were released by police within hours of Kohberger being sentenced to life in prison Wednesday Published Jul 24, 2025 • 4 minute read Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen were murdered alongside two friends in a shocking quadruple murder in Idaho. Photo by MADDIE MOGEN / INSTAGRAM BOISE, Idaho — In the weeks before Bryan Kohberger killed four University of Idaho students, there were strange happenings at their rental home near campus. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account One of the victims, Kaylee Goncalves, told her roommates she saw a man she didn't recognize staring at her when she took her dog outside. Another time, the residents came home to find the door open, loose on its hinges. They grabbed golf clubs to arm themselves against a possible intruder. Those details were included in hundreds of documents released by police within hours of Kohberger being sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for the brutal stabbing murders of Gonclaves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin early Nov. 13, 2022. It remains unclear whether the strange happenings had anything to do with the killings. But the documents do illustrate the frenzied efforts by law enforcement to follow every possible lead to find and convict Kohberger. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Here's a look at some information from the documents: Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse, for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death nearly three years ago. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool) Curious happenings at 1122 King Rd. Bethany Funke was one of two roommates to survive the night of the stabbings. In interviews after the murders, she told police that about a month earlier, Goncalves had taken her dog, Murphy, outside when she saw an unknown man 'up above their house to the south,' staring at her. It was concerning enough that Goncalves 'told everyone' about it and called her roommates to ask if they'd be home soon, Funke said. Then, on Nov. 4, nine days before the attack, the roommates came home at 11 a.m. to find the door open, loose on its hinges, as the wind blew. Goncalves was away at the time. Kernodle's father fixed the door, Funke reported. On Nov. 13, police found a gruesome scene. Blood pooled on bed comforters, covered floors and was splattered on walls. One the victims, Kernodle, had extensive defensive wounds; in her room 'it was obvious an intense struggle had occurred,' one office wrote. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The moon rises on Nov. 29, 2022, as a police officer stands guard in his vehicle at the home where four University of Idaho students were found dead on Nov. 13, 2022 in Moscow, Idaho. Photo by Ted S. Warren, File / AP Photo Tips poured in. A staff member at Walmart told police that two to three weeks earlier, a white, college-age male had come in looking for a black ski mask that would cover his face. People who saw online feeds of some of the victims at a food truck offered their thoughts about a possible perpetrator, and investigators also looked into leads about bar-goers they had seen earlier in the night or an Uber driver they frequently used, the documents show. A woman who lived nearby told police that in either August or September 2022, she and her daughter saw a man in their yard who 'looked nervous.' She said she was almost certain it was Kohberger. Officers eventually identified Kohberger — a doctoral student in criminology at nearby Washington State University — using a DNA sample found on a knife sheath at the crime scene. They tracked his movements that night with cellphone data, obtained online shopping records showing he had purchased a military-style knife, and linked him to a car that repeatedly drove by the students' house. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The documents include memos memorializing the subpoenas or warrants they served seeking records and the responses to those requests. Investigators served a warrant on the dating app Tinder, looking for accounts Kohberger might have created with certain emails and which might link him to his victims. No such evidence emerged, and the motive for the killings remains a mystery. MURDERED: Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen were killed off campus at the University of Idaho. FACEBOOK/ INSTAGRAM Kohberger spoke with police — briefly Kohberger was arrested at his parents' home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, about six weeks after the killings. He was taken to a state police barracks to be interviewed by officers from the Moscow police department, Idaho State Police and the FBI. They chatted about the Washington State football team, Kohberger's doctorate studies in criminal justice, his required duties to be a teaching assistant while in college, and why he wanted to become a professor. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Kohberger eventually said he understood they were engaging in small talk, but he would appreciate if the officers explained what they wanted. One detective told him it was because of what had happened in Moscow. Asked if he knew what had transpired, he replied, 'Of course.' Did he want to talk about it? 'Well, I think I would need a lawyer,' Kohberger replied. He continued speaking, though — asking what specific questions they had and asking if his parents and dog were OK following his arrest. Kohberger finally said he would like to speak to an attorney, and police ended the interview because he had invoked his Fifth Amendment right. Behind bars with Kohberger A man incarcerated at the Latah County Jail who was once housed next to Kohberger's cell told a detective Sept. 16, 2024, that Kohberger would often question him about his past criminal offenses and why he was in the maximum security wing of the facility. The man said Kohberger's habits annoyed him, including how he washed his hands dozens of times each day and spent 45 minutes to an hour in the shower. He said Kohberger stayed awake almost all night and would only take a nap during the day. Sports Golf Canada Canada Sunshine Girls
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Fascinating reason Bryan Kohberger's inmates WON'T kill Idaho murderer revealed by expert
Quadruple murderer Bryan Kohberger is not likely to be killed by his fellow inmates because the risk of them ending up on death row is too high, an expert has claimed. Kohberger, 30, was sentenced Wednesday to four consecutive life terms for the brutal November 2022 slayings of four young University of Idaho students. A plea deal struck earlier this month saw him spared the death penalty, but he will never be able to apply for parole. He was handed a life sentence for each life he took - one for Madison Mogen, a second for Kaylee Goncalves, a third for Ethan Chapin and the final one for Xana Kernodle, all aged just 19 or 20 at the time of their deaths. Several of the victims' loved ones shared their desire for Kohberger to be attacked in prison during their addresses to the court. And even though his fellow inmates already think he is a 'f*****g weirdo', a former police investigator warns murder is not something Kohberger has to fear. Kohberger is 'vulnerable' being confined in the general population unit, retired NYPD inspector Paul Mauro admitted to Fox News, but can find some safety in the fact that 'Idaho is a death penalty state'. 'If you're in for life, and you kill somebody, well, that's going to get you to death penalty,' Mauro explained, suggesting that for most prisoners murder is too risky. Inmates sentenced to execution are housed in a designated part of the prison referred to as 'death row' and remain in isolation for 23 hours a day. As a result of his plea deal, Kohberger won't be kept near death row inmates - those most likely to be unbothered by the repercussions of committing murder. Kohberger was already in custody at the Idaho State Correctional Complex in Kuna by Wednesday afternoon, a source familiar with the case told Fox. The facility is located about 16 miles away from the Ada County courthouse in Boise, where he was sentenced earlier in the day. Once in custody, inmates go through an evaluation process to asses their 'needs' and 'determine appropriate housing placement', a state corrections department official said. The evaluation, which typically takes seven to 14 days to complete, includes a psyche check to determine whether a prisoner poses a threat to themselves, fellow inmates or prison staff. The prisoner's 'classification, housing placement, and privileges' will be determined after the evaluation process is complete. Mauro predicts Kohberger will be temporarily placed in solitary confinement, but eventually join the general prison population with other killers. And although the victims' families want Kohberger to 'living in fear' and thinking he is a 'target' in prison, the ex-inspector does not think threats on his life are likely. At least one fellow prisoner has already admitted he would have 'physically assaulted' Kohberger if he 'wasn't worried about further legal repercussions', jail records reveal. The inmate was talking about Kohberger during a jail transfer and branded him a 'f*****g weirdo'. Another prisoner alleged Kohberger became aggressive during a phone call with his mother MaryAnn after hearing an inmate shout 'you suck' at a sports match on TV. The killer allegedly thought the prisoner was talking about him and his mother and, according to records, 'immediately got up and put his face to the bars'. Mogen, Kernodle, Goncalves and Chapin were found stabbed to death on November 13, 2022 in their shared home on King Road in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania, where his parents lived, in connection to the gruesome slayings roughly six weeks later. Police said they recovered DNA from a knife sheath found at the home, and used genetic genealogy to identify Kohberger as a possible suspect. They accessed cellphone data to pinpoint his movements and used surveillance camera footage to help locate a white sedan that was seen repeatedly driving past the home on the night of the killings. A Q-tip from the garbage at his parents' house was used to match Kohberger's DNA to genetic material from the sheath, investigators said. The 30-year-old killer - who spent years studying criminology - pleaded guilty to the quadruple murder earlier this month in a deal to avoid the death penalty. Kohberger's attorneys got his trial moved to Boise after expressing concerns that the court wouldn't be able to find enough unbiased jurors in Moscow. But Hippler rejected their efforts to get the death penalty taken off the table and to strike critical evidence - including the DNA - from being admitted in trial. The trial had been set to begin next month. In exchange for Kohberger admitting guilt and waiving his right to appeal, prosecutors agreed not to seek his execution. Instead, both sides agreed to recommend that he serve four consecutive life sentences without parole for the killings. The victim's families were split on how they felt about the plea deal. If investigators know why Kohberger committed the crime, they haven't said so publicly. Nor is it clear why he spared two roommates who were home at the time. Cellphone location data did show Kohberger had been in the neighborhood multiple times before the attack. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson has said that Kohberger used his knowledge about forensic investigations to attempt to cover his tracks by deep cleaning his vehicle after the crime. Police say Kohberger's Amazon purchase history shows he bought a military-style knife as well as the knife sheath found at the home. But the knife itself was never found. The case drew widespread interest and judges feared the publicity could harm Kohberger's right to a fair trial. A sweeping gag order was imposed and hundreds of court documents were sealed from public view. After Kohberger pleaded guilty, a coalition of news organizations asked that the gag order be lifted and the case documents be unsealed. Hippler agreed, but said unsealing the documents will take time. It's not clear how many answers they might contain.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Idaho murders: Did Bryan Kohberger have any connection to the 4 victims? Investigators reveal details
Following the sentencing of Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger, investigators revealed that he had no apparent real-world or online connection to any of the victims – Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. The 30-year-old former PhD student of criminology stabbed the four University of Idaho students to death in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, at a rental home near their campus in Moscow, Idaho. Idaho murders: Did Bryan Kohberger have any connection to the 4 victims? (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool, File)(AP) Also Read | Bryan Kohberger sentencing: Victim's sister rips suspect in scathing statement, 'The truth is, you're basic' | Watch 'We have never, to this day, found a single connection between him and any of the four victims or the two surviving roommates,' Idaho State Police Lt. Darren Gilbertson said during a news conference after the hearing, the New York Post reported. 'We had every resource possible and we worked that tirelessly.' Various theories emerged after the murders Several theories surfaced after the murders, one saying Kohberger dined at a local restaurant where Mogen and Kernodle worked, and saw them there. However, the restaurant owner dismissed these claims, saying Kohberger never entered the place. Another claim was that Kohberger repeatedly messaged one of his victims on social media, but she did not respond, which made him furious. However, on Wednesday, July 23, investigators said there was no social media connection whatsoever between Kohberger and the victims. Read More | Idaho murders: Bryan Kohberger sentenced to life in prison without parole Investigators also dismissed claims that after the murders, Kohberger discussed the case in Facebook groups under the name Pappa Rodger. They said it was determined that Papa Rodger was not Kohberger. The user seemed to have had intimate knowledge of the case, and group administrators said the user argued with commenters in 'creepy' posts. Kohberger has provided no explanation at all. Judge Steven Hippler asked him before the sentencing, 'Mr. Kohberger, you have an opportunity to make a statement. I take it you are declining?' 'I respectfully decline,' Kohberger replied. Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders. The sentencing took place in a Boise court on July 23.
