Bryan Kohberger Prosecutor Says He'd Likely Been Inside Home Before Murders: 'Looking, Surveilling, Stalking'
Before he killed four University of Idaho students, Bryan Kohberger had likely been inside the home where the murders took place.
That's the belief of Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson, who shared new details about his office's investigation of Kohberger while appearing on the 48 Hours podcast.
Thompson based his belief on Kohberger's movements on the night of the murders, which included entering through a sliding glass door in the kitchen that was located on the second floor and was only accessible from the back of the house.
He revealed that the cell phone records obtained during the investigation showed Kohberger had been "stalking that neighborhood," and was possibly the unidentified person who had been watching at least one of the victims, as detailed in interviews police conducted with the two surviving roommates as well as a friend of that victim and the victim's ex.
According to Thompson, phone records showed that he was in that area more than 20 times. He went onto say that these visits all occurred after 10 p.m. — "when there would be no legitimate reason for him to be over here to shop."
Those trips were for "looking, surveilling and stalking," Thompson believes, adding that at some point during these trips, Kohberger may have broken into the victims' home.
When asked about this possibility, Thompson said there was never any definitive evidence that either proved or disproved this theory. But he said it was notable that Kohberger was able to move so freely in a house that is full of blind spots.
"The layout of the house is unique. It's a little bit confusing," Thompson noted of the now-demolished residence at 1122 King Road, where, on Nov. 13, 2022, Kohberger murdered four residents of the home: Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.
Thompson said that the big break for the investigation was the discovery of the knife sheath containing trace amounts of DNA that prosecutors were able to link to Kohberger's father.
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As for why he left that sheath behind, Thompson said that was likely due to the unexpected arrival of Xana Kernodle.
"Well, no plan is perfect and we don't know what may have changed his plans if it did inside the home. because we don't know who he intended to attack," Thompson explained.
He continued: "We do believe that Xana encountered him while she was still awake. She was up."
Thompson said that could have "put [Kohberger] into a panic" that night.
"And panicked people make some mistakes," Thompson said.
He then added about the Kohberger: "Or maybe it's just simply he's not as smart as he thought he was."
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