Here is the new evidence we learned about during Bryan Kohberger's court hearing

CNN

17 hours ago

After two and a half years of desperately searching for answers in the deaths of four Idaho college students, the case reached a bitter resolution as Bryan Kohberger admitted guilt for the first time.
Kohberger, seated behind a table in an off-white button-up shirt and patterned tie, responded to questions from Judge Steven Hippler with a series of simple yeses and a neutral gaze, admitting in one-word answers Wednesday that he planned and carried out the brutal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin at their off-campus Moscow, Idaho, home in November 2022.
While Kohberger himself didn't give a direct account of what happened, Wednesday marked a pivotal moment as a case shrouded in secrecy from gag orders and sealed filings momentarily shared a wider picture with the victims' families and the public who have been begging for answers.
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson, who has led the case since the early winter days of Kohberger being charged, gave a play-by-play of the evidence prosecutors intended to present at trial, painting the most detailed look at a case that has only been revealed through broad strokes pieced together from court documents.
The new evidence shared during Wednesday's hearing included a car rushing away from the scene, new insight into how Kohberger encountered a roommate, and a used Q-Tip abandoned in the trash linking Kohberger to the crime.
While the image of what happened in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, is now sharper, many details are still left out of focus, and it's unclear whether we will ever have full clarity of why those horrific acts occurred.
Here is what Thompson shared during his office's account of events.
In July 2022, four months before the murders, Kohberger's cell phone began pinging a cell tower near 1122 King Road, the victims' home, Thompson said.
From July 9 to the time of the murders, Kohberger's phone connected to the area approximately 23 times between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m., he said.
While Kohberger was in the area, prosecutors have no evidence that shows he had direct contact with the King Road home or its occupants, Thompson said. Prosecutors didn't share insight into why he was in the area or how he ended up coming upon the residence.
He also noted that while his phone connected to a nearby cell tower, the area is densely populated and includes a lot of homes.
In the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, Thompson said, Kohberger left his home in Pullman, Washington, to drive the 10 miles to Moscow and turned off his cell phone from 2:54 a.m. to 4:48 a.m.
While there were no cell phone tower pings during at this time because his phone was off, compiled video surveillance showed Kohberger's car entering Moscow, driving around the neighborhood, including to the end of the dead-end road where the roommates' house was located, Thompson said.
Kohberger ultimately parked his car behind the residence, he said.
Previously released court documents said Kohberger entered the home through a sliding glass door and made his way to the third floor, where he fatally stabbed Mogen and Goncalves, but new details were shared Wednesday about his exit from the house.
The evidence shows Kohberger 'encountered' Kernodle in the hallway and 'ended up killing her,' Thompson said, implying that he may not have originally intended to do so. Chapin, who was asleep in Kernodle's bedroom, was also fatally stabbed by Kohberger, the prosecutor said, without sharing details on how or why Chapin was targeted.
This realization is especially haunting given that Dylan Mortensen, one of the surviving roommates who was awake at the time of the murders, saw someone in a black mask walk through the house. No explanation was given by prosecutors on why she was not targeted.
While prosecutors believe Kohberger went to the home with the intent to kill, 'We will not represent that he intended to commit all the murders, but that is what happened,' Thompson said.
At 4:20 a.m. that morning, a car identified as Kohberger's was seen leaving the area 'at a high rate of speed' on nearby cameras, and 'almost loses control' around a corner, Thompson said.
Prosecutors believe Kohberger then took a series of back roads to return to Pullman, as no video of his car was seen from nearby highway cameras that morning. Cameras show him enter Pullman from the south around 5:26 a.m. and arriving at his apartment several minutes later, Thompson said.
Prosecutors previously said in court filings and during hearings that a single source of male DNA was discovered on the sheath of a Ka-bar knife, the weapon believed to have been used in the stabbings, found near two of the victims. The murder weapon hasn't been found, Thompson said Wednesday.
Investigators ultimately narrowed in on Kohberger and tested trash at his parents' Pennsylvania home, where a Q-Tip was found containing DNA matching his father, Thompson said. Investigators later tested Kohberger's DNA and found it to be a match to the DNA on the sheath, he added.
A search of Kohberger's Pullman residence six to eight weeks after the murders found it to be nearly empty, with Thompson saying there was 'virtually nothing there.' His car, which was seized, had also 'been meticulously cleaned inside,' he said. Even parts of the car that are often dirty from use, like side door compartments, were spotless, Thompson added, calling the intensive cleaning part of Kohberger's plan.
Wednesday's hearing left one giant hole in the story: why Kohberger targeted the residents of the King Road house. And it's unclear if the public will ever get an answer, as it's not required by the plea deal.
The plea agreement and the written factual basis, filed Wednesday following the hearing, offer little insight into why Kohberger committed the appalling crimes he admitted to. The victims' families, in particular, are left without answers, leaving them to wonder why this happened to their loved ones as they began their adult lives.
There is also no stipulation in Kohberger's plea agreement to prevent him from doing interviews with media or writing a book.
A trove of documents and discovery that could shine more light on the case remain sealed by the court and is expected to stay that way until after the sentencing on July 23. But it's unclear how the court will handle the large volume of material.
Steve Goncalves, Kaylee's father, spoke after the hearing about his disappointment, saying 'It was terrible. We let her down, they let my daughter down.'