(Image via abc7.com) 

Staff Writer: Aliyah Santana 

Email: asantana5@umassd.edu 

New details have emerged in the case against Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death. 

Background 

In November 2022, four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered in their off-campus apartment in Moscow, Idaho.

The victims: 

• Madison Mogen, 21
• Kaylee Goncalves, 21
• Xana Kernodle, 20 
• Ethan Chapin, 20. 

Ethan did not live in the home but was staying overnight with his girlfriend, Xana Kernodle. 

On the night of November 12, Kernodle and Chapin were seen at the fraternity Sigma Chi, which was only a short walk from the apartment where the roommates lived. They returned home around 1:00 A.M. 

Meanwhile, Goncalves and Mogen were at a sports bar ordering food. Afterward, they returned home around 1:50 A.M.

The following image provides a timeline of the victims’ locations on the night of November 12th.

The four students had what appeared to be a typical college night out. There were five people in the home that night: four roommates and one boyfriend. 

At 11:58 P.M. on November 13, a 911 call was placed by one of the surviving roommates, requesting medical help for an unconscious person. It was during this call that the four victims were discovered. 

The victims were found in two different bedrooms on the second and third floors of the rental home. Kernodle and Chapin were found lying on the second floor, deceased. Goncalves and Mogen were found on the third floor in the same bed. All four were brutally stabbed to death. 

On November 15, police stated that an edged weapon, likely a knife, had been used in the attack, but they had not yet located it. 

Goncalves and Morgan were driven home the night of the murder, but the driver was quickly ruled out as a suspect. On November 20, police stated that they had a suspect but had not yet made an arrest. They also ruled out the surviving roommates and others who had visited the house. 

Investigators later announced they were searching for the driver of a white Hyundai Elantra that was seen near the crime scene.

The case remained unsolved for over six weeks as law enforcement conducted extensive interviews and analyzed all evidence they could find. 

A breakthrough occurred when DNA at the crime scene was linked to Kohberger. Investigators discovered DNA on a knife sheath left at the scene and used genetic genealogy to trace it back to Kohberger. 

On December 15, police stopped a white Hyundai Elantra twice in Indiana for traffic violations. It turned out the driver was 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger. 

On December 30, Bryan Kohberger was arrested and charged with burglary and four counts of first-degree murder. At the time, Kohberger was working on his PhD in criminology and was a teaching assistant at Washington State University, located just eight miles from the crime scene. 

Everyone close to Kohberger, including his two sisters, colleagues, and friends, responded, saying that they were deeply shocked by his arrest. 

On January 5, 2023, officials released an affidavit detailing key evidence in the case: 

• A witness claims they saw a 5’10” or taller male in black clothes and a mask on the night of the murders.
• DNA found on the button of the knife sheath is a strong match for Kohberger. 
• Investigators place the homicides between 4:00 A.M. and 4:25 A.M. 
• Kohberger’s phone stops signaling at 2:47 A.M. and turns back on at 4:48 A.M

Kohberger’s trial has been marked by legal complexities and delays. A gag order was put on the case, which prohibited officials and others involved in it from speaking about it due to the media attention the case received. 

New Details on the Case 

Kohberger’s defense team has argued that investigators have acted inappropriately in their use of investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) to identify him as a suspect. 

IGG is a technique that analyzes DNA found at a crime scene by comparing it to public ancestry databases to identify potential relatives and suspects. These databases are generally off-limits to law enforcement without proper authorization. 

The defense claims that the use of IGG in Kohberger’s case infringes upon his constitutional rights. They argue that identifying him through these methods without a warrant violated his Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. 

Specifically, they contend that law enforcement searched private genetic databases without probable cause or a warrant, infringing on Kohberger’s right to genetic privacy. 

However, Judge Steven Hippler ruled that the DNA evidence was admissible in court, rejecting the defense’s argument. He found that the law enforcement did not violate the Fourth Amendment because there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in abandoned DNA.

Kohbergers Trial is scheduled to begin on August 11th, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. Prosecutors have indicated that they plan to seek the death penalty if he is convicted.