Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger gains sympathy from BTK killer Dennis Rader (2023)

U of I students launch fundraiser selling bracelets in victims’ honour

University of Idaho students have launched fundraiser selling bracelets in honour of the four murder victims.

The Vandal Strong bracelets are black silicon bands featuring the names of Ethan, Maddie, Xana and Kaylee.

They are for sale on the UI website with funds from the sales set to go towards a memorial for the victims.

“Student fundraiser organized by @ASUIDAHO selling #vandalstrong bracelets to raise money towards building a permanent memorial on @uidaho campus for Xana, Ethan, Madison, and Kaylee. A way for us to honor and remember them forever,” tweeted Xana Kernodle’s family member Sheldon Kernodle.

Andrea Blanco3 February 2023 01:00

One unique facial feature may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders

Bryan Kohberger’s distinct eyebrows may have been among the first in a string of details that linked him to the Idaho murders, according to a new report.

According to Air Mail’s “The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two”, a lead investigator first had an inkling that Mr Kohberger would become a suspect in the crime after he ran the Washington State University PhD student’s licence plate and noticed his “bushy eyebrows”.

The Independent has the story:

Andrea Blanco2 February 2023 23:21

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home in the Idaho murders case

A record of evidence recovered during the apartment search was unsealed on Wednesday, revealing the seizure of 15 items including hairs, receipts, a computer tower, a disposable glove and items with peculiar stains.

The record reignited a frenzy of speculation online - despite its simplicity and lack of conjecture.

But what significance, if any, can actually be gleaned from the list? The Independent spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on each item.

Andrea Blanco2 February 2023 21:17

Ethan Chapin’s family opens up about finding ‘the little victories’ in their grief journey

In a Facebook post on Monday, Stacy Chapin said she and her husband had visited her two surviving triplets, Mazie and Hunter, at the University of Idaho over the weekend. The Chapin triplets were all enrolled at the college in the town of Moscow when Ethan was killed on 13 November.

Ethan’s girlfriend Xana Kernodle her roommates Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were also brutally murdered in the attack in their off-campus rental home. Washington State University PhD student Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested and charged with the slayings on 30 December.

Speaking out about life after losing her son, Ms Chapin said she had early on agreed with her husband that Maizie and Hunter would be returning to school for the spring semester. The mother-of-three said that she wanted to keep her family close but also allow her children “to heal at their own pace.”

During their visit, Ms Chapin said, the parents fed over 20 of their children’s friends and enjoyed long conversations, coffee dates and hugs.

The Chapin family also spent time “remembering Ethan and sharing stories” before Ms Chapin and her husband returned to their home in Washington.

Andrea Blanco2 February 2023 20:23

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

In an interview with Fox News Digital on Wednesday, Rader said he understands how Mr Kohberger must feel while in solitary confinement at Latah County Jail ahead of his preliminary hearing on 26 June.

Read the full story:

Andrea Blanco2 February 2023 19:09

Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship

A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings.

Emails obtained by The New York Times last month show a brief exchange between Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger and the then-chief of Pullman Police Department Gary Jenkins regarding Mr Kohberger’s interview process for the research assistantship for public safety position in April 2022.

Mr Kohberger, 28, is facing four murder charges in the brutal stabbings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November. Mr Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania on 30 December before he was extradited to Idaho on 5 January.

In his email to Mr Jenkins, Mr Kohberger wrote that “it was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share [his] thoughts and excitement.” Mr Jenkins replied that it was “great to meet and talk with you as well.”

It is not clear whether Mr Kohberger was offered a position with the department.

Andrea Blanco2 February 2023 18:01

What can we expect from the preliminary hearing?

Further evidence and information about the case is not expected to be made public until the preliminary hearing on 26 June, after a judge issued a gag order preventing officials from talking about the case.

Behind the scenes, both sides will be “conducting investigative work, examining discovery and moving the case forward,” attorney Duncan Levin told The Independent.

In the preliminary hearing, the prosecution and the defence will then both lay out their cases in court for the first time, witnesses will likely be called and the defence will have the opportunity to cross-examine them, and Mr Kohberger will enter a plea on the charges.

“I think this case looks like it is headed to trial,” Mr Levin, adding that due to the complexity of the case it could take some time.

“As a case where the death penalty is on the table, it will take a long time to wind its way through the courts and it will be a lengthy court proceeding,” he said.

“It’s not the kind of case a court regularly handles so whether it’s in 2023 is an open question.”

Rachel Sharp2 February 2023 17:00

Bryan Kohberger’s trial for the Idaho murders is months away. How strong is the case against him?

It will be another six months before Bryan Kohberger and the families of his alleged victims come face to face in court again, after his preliminary hearing was postponed until the summer.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student could face the death penalty if convicted when he eventually goes on trial for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin – the four students who were found violently stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.

For more than six weeks, the murders remained a mystery and left the small college town racked by fear.

Then, on 30 December, Mr Kohberger was arrested 2,500 miles away at his family home in Pennsylvania and charged with four counts of murder and one charge of burglary.

Details about the murders and his alleged role in them were laid out in the damning probable cause affidavit released earlier this month.

But just how strong is the case against him? What can we expect next from the defence and the prosecution? And why has Mr Kohberger’s attorney requested evidence about a co-defendant?

Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, speaks to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case and what to expect next as it makes it way through the courts:

Rachel Sharp2 February 2023 16:00

Court filings show the suspect’s defence attorney’s has now responded to the state’s request for discovery in the case.

In a court filing on 30 January, public defender Anne Taylor writes that the defence so far has no evidence to turn over such as books, documents, papers and photos.

There are also no results or reports of mental or physical exams or tests, the documents state.

Rachel Sharp2 February 2023 15:00

One unique facial feature may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders

Bryan Kohberger’s distinct eyebrows may have been among the first in a string of details that linked him to the Idaho murders, according to a new report.

According to Air Mail’s “The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two”, a lead investigator first had an inkling that Mr Kohberger would become a suspect in the crime after he ran the Washington State University PhD student’s licence plate and noticed his “bushy eyebrows”.

The Independent has the story:

Andrea Blanco2 February 2023 14:00