With more information being released, a roommate detailed seeing an individual dressed in black the night four University of Idaho students were killed.
Murder suspect Brian Kohberger is now in Latah County and has completed his first court hearing. Kohberger was a Washington State University student who resided in Pullman. He was later arrested over winter break in Pennsylvania and returned to Moscow on Jan. 5.
The probable cause affidavit was released an hour before Kohberger made his first appearance in court at the Latah County Courthouse. The trial explained his rights and the four counts of murder against him, as well as a burglary charge.
The affidavit details the account of MPD Officer Brett Payne’s initial investigation as he and Officer Corbin Smith found the four victims. Witness statements from the two surviving roommates listed as B.F and D.M recount the night.
The two roommates confirmed that all four victims were in the home by 4:00 a.m. on Nov. 13.
D.M. heard what she believed was Kaylee Goncalves playing with her dog and later heard her say that there was someone there.
Peeking out her door, D.M. did not see anyone at the time. She later heard crying coming from Xana’s room. D.M. said they heard a male voice saying, “it’s okay, I’m going to help you.”
Nearby cameras were able to hear a dog barking at the residence at 4:17 a.m., which is when D.M. allegedly looked out their door again, spotting an individual dressed in black. D.M. stated that the individual walked towards them, passing by to head towards the sliding glass door on the back of the residence.
The person was described as wearing a mask that hid their mouth and nose but left their eyes visible. The individual also had bushy eyebrows and appeared to be a man around the height of 5 feet 11 inches or taller.
Kohberger was arrested in part based on security footage from the area around King Road. A vehicle, later identified as a white Hyundai Elantra, was seen driving by the apartment more than three times.
“Based off of my experience as a patrol officer this is a residential neighborhood with a very limited number of vehicles that travel in the area during the early morning hours,” Payne stated in the affidavit. “Upon review of the video there are only a few cars that enter and exit this area during this time frame.”
Investigators were given access to video footage from WSU that shows a white vehicle leaving for Moscow and later returning a couple of hours later.
On Nov. 25, WSU Police Officer Daniel Tiengo found a white Elantra at the university that was registered to Kohberger. Later the same day, the vehicle was found at an apartment that houses WSU students, where Kohberger resided.
Payne stated that he was able to review Kohberger’s driver’s license and found he was 6 feet tall with eyebrows that matched D.M.’s description of the killer.
Using information from a previous routine stop on Aug. 21, the MPD was able to retrieve the phone number of Kohberger that ends in 8458. Investigators conducted electronic database queries and found that the phone was registered with AT&T.
Police used cell site location information to track Kohberger’s whereabouts at the time. They were able to see that the 8458-phone number received coverage heading south from Kohberger’s residence, then stopping service.
The phone later reconnected to the network at 4:48 a.m. on the highway south of Moscow.
Investigators were able to trace the movement of the phone heading through Genesee, Idaho Uniontown, Idaho and back to Pullman. The estimated locations were consistent with that of the white Elantra.
Investigators were able to identify that the 8458 phone was receiving signal from nearby cell towers near King Road at least 12 times before Nov. 13, usually in the late night or early morning hours.
More evidence connecting Kohberger, DNA was found on a leather knife sheath found next to Madison Mogen’s body. The knife was stamped with “Ka-Bar” and the United States Marine Core insignia. The knife sheath was sent to the Idaho State Lab where an isolated male DNA sample was retrieved.
Officers in Pennsylvania recovered trash from Kohberger’s family residence on Dec. 27 through which the ISL was able to make a DNA profile. The DNA showed a 99% match showing the DNA from the family home was likely the father of the suspect.
With this evidence, Payne administered an arrest warrant on Dec. 29, with Kohberger’s arrest occurring the following morning. Kohberger’s next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 12. Daniel V. Ramirez can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @DVR_Tweets