The quiet community of Moscow, Idaho, was forever changed when Bryan Kohberger, a criminology doctoral student, pleaded guilty to the heinous murders of four University of Idaho students. The plea was entered on Wednesday, concluding a case that has been under the national spotlight since the brutal events unfolded in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022.
In a Boise courtroom, Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson delivered a somber testimony, revealing the chilling extent of Kohberger's premeditation. Kohberger had purchased a military-grade Ka-Bar knife from Amazon in March 2022 while residing at his parents' home in Pennsylvania. This weapon was later used to carry out the killings eight months after.
Kohberger moved to Pullman, Washington, in June 2022 to begin his PhD at Washington State University, positioning him mere minutes from the future crime scene. Cell phone records indicated a disturbing pattern of surveillance of the victims' house, with Kohberger's phone pinging off the local cell tower 23 times at late hours in the months leading up to the murders.
Kohberger's meticulous planning was evident in his actions on the night of the attack. He switched off his phone around 2 a.m. in Pullman before reactivating it near Moscow just before 5 a.m. Security footage captured his white Hyundai en route to the victims' house, where he discreetly parked and entered through a sliding door.
The attack began on the third floor, where Maddy Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21-year-old seniors, were asleep. They were killed without a chance to react. Kohberger then encountered 20-year-old Xana Kernodle on the stairs, who had been awake after receiving a food delivery. She was killed on the spot. Finally, Kohberger entered the second-floor bedroom and murdered 20-year-old Ethan Chapin as he slept.
Despite the planned nature of the attack, Thompson acknowledged that it could not be definitively proven that Kohberger intended to kill all four victims upon entering the house. The unintended escalation of violence hinted at a crime that spiraled beyond even the perpetrator's original intentions.
The crucial piece of evidence that led to Kohberger's downfall was the knife sheath found next to Mogen's body, containing his DNA. This forensic breakthrough, coupled with an eyewitness account of a man with "bushy eyebrows" leaving the scene, sealed the case against him.
NewsNation's @BrianEntin reported that Kohberger appeared emotionless in court as he admitted to the killings, a stark contrast to the emotional weight the case carried for the victims' families and the community at large.
