Witness statements from a roommate of the murdered Idaho students who saw a masked man in the apartment on the night of the killings and DNA on an empty knife sheath next to a victim’s bed led police to the arrest of criminology student Bryan Kohberger, according to unsealed police records.
Phone records along with several videos of a white Hyundai Elantra in both Moscow, Idaho, and Pullman, Washington, led investigators to Kohberger.
Kohberger was arrested last week in connection with the murders of four University of Idaho students — Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen were found dead inside a Moscow, Idaho, residence on Nov. 13. He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
What does the probable cause warrant say?
The probable cause warrant unsealed Thursday details evidence police relied on to support Kohberger’s arrest. East Idaho News published a copy of the court documents, which was reviewed by the Deseret News.
A roommate saw a man inside the residence
Investigators interviewed two roommates of the victims who were in the apartment when the slayings occurred, according to the police report. Investigators believe that all residents of the apartment were home by 2 a.m. and most of them had gone to their rooms by around 4 a.m.
A roommate said she was woken up at around 4 a.m. and thought she heard Goncalves playing with her dog, then she said she heard Goncalves say that someone was there, the probable cause statement reports. She looked out of her bedroom, but didn’t see anyone.
A short while later, the roommate told police she heard crying from Kernodle’s room and a male voice say, “It’s OK, I’m going to help you.”
She opened her bedroom door after she heard the crying and then, she saw a man walking toward her, according to police.
Investigators said the roommate described the masked individual as a male around 5 feet 10 inches tall with an athletic build and bushy eyebrows. He was dressed in black.
The man walked past her as he went to the back sliding door, and the roommate went into her room and locked her door, the report states. Police did not say why the roommate didn’t call for help after seeing the man. A 911 call was not made from the apartment until around noon that day.
DNA evidence from the scene
Investigators found a tan leather knife sheath next to Mogen’s bed, according to court documents. This knife sheath had the U.S. Marines eagle globe and anchor insignia stamped on the outside of it.
On the left button of the knife sheath, investigators found a single source of male DNA. Later on Dec. 27, they went through the trash at the Kohberger residence in Pennsylvania and were able to obtain a DNA sample.
The Idaho State Lab found that, “At least 99.9998% of the male population would be expected to be excluded from the possibility of being the suspect’s biological father.”
Hyundai Elantra and cellphone records
Earlier in the investigation, police said they were looking for a white Hyundai Elantra. The new court documents show why.
Investigators were able to obtain video footage of a white sedan that was traveling through the neighborhood around the time of the homicides, which was unusual in the early morning hours.
Investigators determined the vehicle was a 2011-2016 white Hyundai Elantra. Later, they saw footage of a vehicle matching the description of the sedan in Pullman, Washington, and on Washington State University cameras.
Investigators learned that there was a 2015 white Elantra registered to Bryan Kohberger. From there, cellphone records showed Kohberger’s phone stopped reporting to the network (meaning it was turned off or on airplane mode or in an area without coverage) from around 2:47 a.m. until 4:48 a.m.
When his phone reconnected to the network, he was in Idaho on a highway south of Moscow near Blaine, matching up with reports of the white sedan.
Why were documents sealed?
Documents were previously sealed as required by Idaho law, per The Associated Press. Now that Kohberger is in custody in Idaho and has made his initial court appearance, more information about the case can be made public. However, Judge Megan Marshall has issued a nondissemination order prohibiting investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys and their agents from talking or writing about the case other than what’s found in public records.
Kohberger was transported from Pennsylvania to Idaho on Wednesday after he waived extradition, per CNN. He was booked into jail that evening, according to the Latah County jail roster.