On Nov. 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students known as Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, were brutally stabbed to death in their home. As it has been nearly over a year since the murders, it is time to catch up.
On Dec. 30, 2022, suspect Bryan Kohberger was accused of the gruesome murders and was put in handcuffs at the doorstep of his parents’ home in Pennsylvania. Kohberger is now standing by four counts of murder, along with a burglary charge. As this case shocked the country, many wondered, what lies in the future of Koheberger?
According to TODAY, Latah County coroner believes that the students were slayed in their sleep during the early hours of the morning on Nov.13, 2022. Three of the four students were women, as Kernodle’s boyfriend was the only male. Some showed defensive wounds, while others did not, meaning they fought for their lives during their last moments. The Moscow police arrived at the residence after a phone call dialed by the two surviving roommates.
Kohberger attended a hearing in May, in which he pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him. Kohberger was a Ph.D. student at the University of Washington State, studying criminal justice. This sparked suspicion in the public, considering he studies the ways of a killer. He is no longer enrolled as a student at WSU and only finished one semester. Shortly after Kohberger was arrested, a Reddit post was found in which Kohberger asked volunteers to fill out a survey to help him “understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision making while committing a crime.” Could this have helped him plot the murders?
As the investigation is still open and the case has not been closed, some people believe that Kohberger is innocent, though his DNA was found on the case of the murder weapon. According to the affidavit, Kohberger is linked to the case in many ways, such as phone calls, DNA samples and even pings from his cell phone that showed the times he was in the area of the crime scene. The casing of the murder weapon was said to be found alongside the body of Mogen; however, the weapon itself has still not been located.
Kohberger’s arrest was a shock to his family. They do not believe it was him, considering Kohberger drove with his father from WSU to Pennsylvania the week of the murders and his father did not suspect strange behavior throughout the entirety of the trip. Though Kohberger’s family is in denial, they still expressed emotion toward the families of the victims by writing to them over the media:
“There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them. We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family, we will love and support our son and brother,” the statement said. “We have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies in an attempt to seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions. We respect privacy in this matter as our family and the families suffering loss can move forward through the legal process.”
Because Kohberger has pleaded not guilty to all of his charges, it will be a challenge for him to keep his head above water as there is much evidence against him. According to Kohberger’s defense attorney, he enjoys going on “late-night drives alone,” which is exactly what he did the night of the murders. The lack of an alibi makes the accusations against Kohberger even more arduous to escape.
Kohberger has the right to a fast trial, so he took advantage of those rights. His courtroom hearing was set for Oct. 2, 2023. Because of the days between the murders and the day of the court hearing, Kohberger had more than enough time to process his situation and assess his problems. The hearing was reportedly pushed back until Oct. 26 due to Kohberger being ill. During the hearing, investigators have said they are issuing methods of DNA testing to track down more evidence of Kohberger, known as “Family Tree DNA and 23andMe.” They had until Dec. 1, 2023, to prove their investigations. As of Nov. 12, there has not been another hearing scheduled for Kohberger.
