November 13th, 2022 marks the date that four students attending the University of Idaho were murdered inside of their off-campus home. Not only did the devastation strike terror and trauma among Moscow, Idaho, residents – it also affected the nation. As present day, a surplus of media attention has latched onto the case. Grey areas were darkening in what is unknown to the public; now, the case finally has a suspect for the murderer. With new information being posted daily, here’s a guide to everything you need to know about the Idaho Murders case. 

Timeline 

A couple of months ago, right before the clock hit 2 am, two pairs of roommates made their way back inside their home located in Moscow Apartments. As couple Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin returned inside their home after being out, shortly followed the two other residents and victims, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen. The time of the murder was four a.m., to which Xana was awaiting a door dash order and her phone records showing her actively on TikTok at 4:12 a.m.  

The affidavit states that one of the two surviving roommates reported hearing Kaylee awake and what seemed to be her playing with her dog. The same roommate also reported hearing something along the lines of “there’s someone here,” coming from Kaylee, though this can easily be a mishearing due to Xana being on TikTok at the same time. Hearing this comment, the roommate in question looked outside of her bedroom but did not see anyone or anything. She thus repeated this action when she heard alleged crying coming from Xana’s room and a male voice say “It’s okay. I’m going to help you.” Though, instead of not seeing anything, she saw what appeared to be a man in all black wearing a black mask with a 5’10 frame. Adding along to these descriptions, the man she saw in front of her was not muscular but still an athletic build, had bushy eyebrows, and did not see her. The roommate expressed how she was frozen in pure panic and shock and then closed her door, secluding herself in her bedroom, doing what is unknown for hours.  

On the morning of November 13th, the bodies of all four victims were found by police after they received a call asking for help for an unconscious person.  Surveillance footage was then promptly looked over by authorities which showcased a white vehicle passing by the house three times before finally entering for a fourth at 4:04 a.m. The hunt for a suspect lasted a month before officers finally had their first lead, as on December 7th they show interest in speaking to the driver of the suspicious vehicle. It should be noted that, during the month of having no suspect, 113 pieces of physical evidence were examined and thoroughly reviewed.  

This hit leads us to the discovery of Bryan Kohberger; tracing the vehicle’s route on the night of the murders and finding it traveling back to where he lived: Pullman, Washington. Along with this, his phone was traced, showing it being manually turned off during 2:47 a.m. until 4:48 a.m. on that terrorizing night. His phone activity also shows him visiting around the house dating back to August and returning five hours after the four victims were murdered. The affidavit mentions that this behavior is “consistent with Kohberger attempting to conceal his location during the quadruple homicide.” On Tuesday, December 27th, DNA was taken from the crime scene coming from a possible murder weapon left: a knife sheath that was found lying on one of the four victims’ beds. Due to high suspicion of Kohberger at the time, trash was then taken from his parents’ residence located in Pennsylvania. Both DNA samples went to a lab, it was then released in the affidavit that the DNA from the trash was the father of whose DNA was left on the knife sheath. After all this time spent, questions raised, discoveries made – suspect Bryan Kohberger was officially arrested on December 30th.  

In the first week of January, alleged murderer Kohberger is seen making his first appearance inside court, presenting himself as very collected and calm. Families of the victims were inside the courtroom, shown to be overwhelmed with emotions and staring down at the man wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. The official preliminary hearing for Kohberger is set for June 26th – he waived his right to have a speedy hearing and his defense team began heavily preparing for the case.  

What’s Known about Bryan Kohberger 

When authorities finally had a suspect, it was none other than 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger. What makes Kohberger stand out, in the sense of him having a role in these crimes, is that Kohberger was a Criminology Ph.D. student studying at Washington State University. Not just a student, he was also an assistant teacher in the Department of Criminal Justice at his University. He has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology along with his master’s in criminal justice from DeSales University. Bryan Kohberger was passionate about criminal justice and understanding criminals and people.  

“People were not his strong suit … I think through his criminology studies, he was really trying to understand humans and trying to understand himself.” – Bree, a friend of Bryan Kohberger 

Bryan Kohberger’s friends have now recently spoken up on who he was and seemingly is as a person. The descriptions flying around of him range from a socially awkward teenager to a sudden egotistical, cunning individual. What most articles centered around this talk about is the drastic shift that occurred during his senior year of high school. Kohberger’s friends state how he was intensely bullied for his personality, looks, and weight. It’s said that Kohberger kept to himself and seemed to be more of a wallflower until he lost about 100 pounds and his confidence and arrogance were at an all-time high. This apparently led him to become aggressive and share similarities to the bullies he was tormented by for many years. Relating back to the case, Bryan Kohberger remains a suspect. Nothing is factual or confirmed and other than authorities, nothing can label him as the true perpetrator until further evidence is found and provided.  

Wrap-Up

Bryan Kohberger’s name has received countless attention since the second it was released into the media. Numerous articles and threads of speculation are now being made on his past, his personality, the what if’s surrounding who he is as a person, and so on. We do not need to investigate deeper and attempt to emphasize Kohberger whatsoever. The information flooding platforms regarding Kohberger do not serve a purpose other than focusing on someone who shouldn’t be in the spotlight, especially in a quadruple homicide investigation.  

The suspect should never overshadow the crime and what took place. Bryan Kohberger is a full-grown man. Kaylee, Xana, Madison, and Ethan had their whole lives ahead of them. Kaylee, Xana, Madison, and Ethan should be names that are said and written until the computer goes out and your voice is strained. Energy should be put fourth remembering the victims, respecting their families, and understanding boundaries.