New details revealed in case of Idaho student killings

The murder trial for Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, is scheduled for August. 

“From my perspective, it’s still a little bit of an open question as to whether that’s going to happen,” said Andrea Burkhart, a criminal defense attorney in Washington state. She’s been following the case from the beginning. Burkhart thinks the date for the trial, which has been pushed out before, could be delayed again. 

Recently, Kohberger’s defense team filed a motion that accused the state of Idaho of violating numerous disclosure violations when it comes to evidence for the case. 

In total, the state has turned over 68 terabytes of data. That includes over 20,000 videos and more than 13,000 photographs, according to recent court filings. 

“There’s no feasible way for the defense to be able to review all of this information and see what’s there, let alone respond to it in the time frame for the trial,” Burkhart said. 

To tie Kohberger to the killings, investigators are relying on key DNA evidence from the knife sheath found at the scene of the crime, and witness testimony from the surviving roommates. Victims Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle lived in the house together with two roommates who survived the attack, identified in court documents by their initials D.M. and B.F. Ethan Chapin, Kernodle’s boyfriend who was also killed, was at the house spending the night.

Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle pose for a photograph on Nov. 12, 2022. (Credit: Kaylee Goncalves’ Instagram)

D.M. stated she had gone to bed the night of Nov. 12 but was awoken at 4:00 a.m. by sounds in the upstairs bedroom. Shortly after, she thought she heard Goncalves say, “There’s someone here.” 

D.M. looked out of her bedroom, twice, and on the second time, she said she heard a male voice say, “It’s okay, I’m here to help you.” 

D.M. opened her door for the third time after she heard crying. She saw a figure dressed in black clothing, wearing a black mask that covered his mouth and nose, walking toward her. She described the person as male, athletically built and with bushy eyebrows. He walked past her as she stood frozen in shock. 

Recently filed documents reveal new details about the moments shortly after.

At 4:19 a.m. the morning of Nov. 13, D.M. used her phone to call Kernodle, Goncalves and Mogen. 

“No one is answering,” D.M. texted to B.F. “I’m rlly confused rn.”

“Ya dude wtf,” B.F. replied, and mentioned their roommate Xana was wearing all black. 

“No it’s like a ski mask almost,” said D.M. She said the man had something covering his head and mouth. “I’m so freaked out.”

“So am I,” said B.F.

D.M. said her phone was going to die, and B.F. told her to come to her room. At 4:24 a.m., D.M. tries to call Chapin. The calls all went unanswered. 

In a statement on Friday, the Goncalves family said they had been reading the texts between the roommates, and the latest documents released on the 911 call.

“Its time reality is gonna hit us in the gut again. This fight is no where near over,” they shared on their family Facebook page. ”These girls were our kids. Forever will my heart hurt over how they lost their lives.”

Despite the troves of evidence submitted in the case, Burkhart said a lot of it is circumstantial. That includes the proposed map of Kohberger’s alleged travel on the night of the killings based on his cell phone data. Even Kohberger’s DNA, which investigators said they found on the knife sheath next to one of the victim’s bodies, might not be enough, she said. 

“They don’t have, apparently, any body fluid or something associated with it that might tell a clearer picture about how that DNA came to be in that location, and when it came to be in that location,” she said. 

From her perspective as a criminal defense attorney, Burkhart said Kohberger’s team needs to present why his DNA was found on the knife sheath, and convince the jury that their explanation constitutes reasonable doubt. 

One of the most frustrating parts for people following the case is that the answers are hard to come by, Burkhart said. 

While more information gives a better picture of what transpired, it isn’t giving great certainty about how events transpired, she added. 

“The challenging part of this case is overcoming the preconceptions that people have already formed about the evidence just from what has been reported in the media, some of which may not be true, and some of which may be understated,” Burkhart said. 

The combination of the brutal nature of the stabbings, young victims and an unknown killer on the loose for weeks caused the case to garner international attention. 

After his arrest in Pennsylvania on Dec. 30, 2022, Kohberger was extradited to Idaho where he was indicted on murder charges in Latah County Court in Moscow, the city where the crime was committed. 

Kohberger’s defense team argued that sensationalism on news and social media would make it impossible to have a fair trial in the small town of Moscow.

In September, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled the trial should be moved to Ada County, where Idaho’s state capital and largest city, Boise, is located. 

At the time of the killings, Kohberger was studying criminology at nearby Washington State University, just across the state line, about 7 miles away. 

The weapon used in the killings has still not been found. Jury selection for the trial is set to begin in July.