“Shopping is better”: Bryan Kohberger allegedly shared reason behind being in Idaho amid quadruple homicide arrest

Following Bryan Kohberger's arrest from his family's house in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania on December 30, various reports about the accused killer's behavior in jail have surfaced online. Some of these reports have been contradictory, and with a gag order in place, almost all of them remain unverified.

Sources have alleged that during his time at the Monroe County Jail, he was asked why he made a 15-minute drive to Moscow, Idaho from his campus in Pullman, Washington. To this, the suspected murderer said:

"The shopping is better in Idaho."

Prior to his extradition to Idaho, Bryan Kohberger was held at the Monroe County Jail where his life was reportedly threatened by another inmate. According to a source, the inmate raised his middle finger at Kohberger as he sat behind a glass screen in his prison cell and said:

"F*** you! I’m going to kill you!"

According to The Post, the same source described an imprisoned Bryan Kohberger as "creepy" and remorseless. He refused to provide any further explanation regarding his presence in the college town where four students were found brutally murdered.

When asked why he killed Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, Kohberger maintained his innocence and allegedly said:

"I didn’t do anything."

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Probable cause affidavit reveals that Bryan Kohberger had frequented the area of the murders

The probable cause affidavit, which was released after Kohberger was extradited to Idaho, showed DNA evidence that ties the graduate student to the murders. The long document also revealed that Bryan Kohberger had made several trips to the area prior to the quadruple murder.

Both surveillance camera footage taken from the neighborhood and cell phone data has linked Kohberger’s presence near the area of the off-campus student house in Moscow before and after the murder.

According to the affidavit, Bryan Kohberger's cell phone pinged as many as 12 times near the crime scene area in the months leading up to November 13.

Interestingly, cell phone data collected by the investigators also revealed that he was in the area hours after the crime. The cell phone number attributed to Kohberger did not utilize cellular tower resources in the immediate area of the crime from 3 am to 5 am November 13, though the white Hyundai Elantra was spotted in the area.

According to the affidavit:

"A query of the 8458 Phone in these returns did not show the 8458 Phone utilizing cellular tower resources in close proximity to the King Road residence between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m...The 8458 Phone's movements are consistent with the movements of the white Elantra that is observed traveling north on Stadium Drive at approximately 5:27 a.m. Based on a review of the 8458 Phone's estimated locations and travel, the 8458 Phone's travel is consistent with that of the white Elantra."

The probable cause affidavit further stated that:

"After consulting with CAST SA, I was able to determine estimated locations for the 8458 Phone from June 2022 to present,...The records for the 8458 Phone show the 8458 Phone utilizing cellular resources that provide coverage to the area of 1122 King Road on at least twelve occasions prior to November 13, 2022. All of these occasions, except for one, occurred in the late evening and early morning hours of their respective days."

On one of these visits to the area, Bryan Kohberger was stopped by Latah County Sheriff's Deputy CPL Duke, whose name was also mentioned in the affidavit.