On November 13, 2022, 28-year-old criminology student Bryan Kohberger allegedly murdered four University of Idaho students in Moscow, Idaho.
A Washington court unsealed Kohberger's search warrant on Wednesday, January 18, 2023. The warrant was filed before authorities investigated his apartment in Pullman, Washington, where he was staying while pursuing a PhD in criminology at Washington State University.
The New York Post reported that while the search was conducted on December 29, Kohberger was arrested in a pre-dawn raid on his family home in Pennsylvania on Friday, December 30.
Authorities believe a degree of planning was involved in the massacre, as Bryan Kohberger was allegedly in possession of a "nitrite type black glove" which may have been used in an attempt to prevent leaving DNA samples at the scene.
In Kohberger's Pullman apartment, authorities also recovered a Dickies tag, a Walmart receipt, and traces of blood.
How was Bryan Kohberger linked to the scene of the crime?
While authorities have neither disclosed a potential motivation behind the slayings, nor a connection between Bryan Kohberger and his supposed victims, investigators have noted that he was linked to the crime scene through surveillance, phone records, and DNA evidence.
As per Fox, during the search conducted in Kohberger's Pullman home, investigators recovered bloodstained pillow cases and mattress covers. They also discovered strands of hair, one of which was confirmed to belong to an animal. The victims were known to have a pet dog, though it is unknown whether or not this is the source of the animal hair.
Joseph Giacalone, a former NYPD officer and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said that the hair samples could prove to be crucial evidence in the case against Kohberger. Giacalone said:
"I’m sure by now they have the DNA on the human and animal hair and know exactly where they came from. If those hairs came back to any victim or the dog, they hit the jackpot."
Giacalone added that he is certain Kohberger will be convicted of the slayings:
"The only defense argument I can see to discredit the evidence is to say that it was transferred there by the police themselves, which of course depends on what substrate it was found on and if those cops were recently at the crime scene."
According to People News, an anonymous source told reporters that Kohberger had attempted to contact one of the victims via social media in October, approximately a month before the killings. The name of the victim has not been confirmed. The source said:
“He slid into one of the girls’ DMs several times but she didn’t respond. Basically, it was just him saying, ‘Hey, how are you?’ But he did it again and again.”
Bryan Kohberger has been charged with four counts of murder and one count of felony burglary. If convicted of the quadruple homicide, he could receive the death penalty.