In a raid on Bryan Kohberger’s home in Idaho, police found knives, masks and gloves, black clothing, and computers. Experts believe the real smoking gun is what they found in Kohberger’s 2015 Hyundai Elantra. They also collected DNA and the contents of the phone.
Joseph Giacalone (retired NYPD sergeant, John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor) said that if any of the DNA from the children or the dog was in the apartment or car, it would be a problem. “There is no way that you can explain this anyway.”
Madison Mogen, Kaylee, and Xana Goncalves (both 21), as well as Ethan Chapin, 20, were all found stabbed to death at an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho in the early hours of November 13. The students may have been ambushed while they were asleep.
The court-ordered 60-day seal on search warrants in connection to Kohberger’s Dec. 30, arrest was lifted. This made the documents detailing what police found at his home and car public Thursday morning. Separate warrants were served on Kohberger’s Washington office and apartment. They show that among other things, police also recovered hair samples from animals and humans.
Kohberger left Washington State University to return home for winter break. However, Indiana police stopped him twice with the same pretext: tailgating along the interstate.
According to Pat Diaz (a Miami homicide detective for over 30 years) and Paul Mauro (a former NYPD inspector, now a lawyer), those stops could have alerted police that the suspect killer was being followed by cops.
Diaz said Thursday that he believed he was trying to throw them off their course. “If this girl’s photo is in his phone, it’s going to be a problem.”
WATCH: A video shows a traffic stop in Indiana that involves a murder suspect from Idaho
Police can use a variety of “jailbreaking” methods to gain access to private data on the phone. Mauro said that the warrant permits them to hold it up to their face if it’s locked using facial recognition, or force a finger swipe to unlock it using a fingerprint.
Investigators may be able to access the device’s security and gain valuable information such as the apps used, website visits, and even location data.
“He’s 28 – he lives out of his smartphone like everyone else,” Mauro stated.
He also mentioned that the number of DNA samples police took on the scene is another important element.
He said, “That tells me that the swabs must match 100% to the touch DNA on the sheath.” “Otherwise you might have seen him release if it had matched any other DNA.”
Fox News Digital reported that police found a Ka-Bar knife sheath close to Mogen’s body. The probable cause affidavit filed by Latah County in Idaho stated that it contained DNA samples that were a match to DNA taken from a trashcan outside the Kohberger’s home weeks later.
“By negative inference, we can say they almost certainly did match the swabs taken from the inside of their cheeks from the Pennsylvania scene,” Mauro stated.
Giacalone stated that it is important to note the order in which items are listed. A knife is the first piece of evidence in the list. It is unique in that it is not described, unlike other knives listed in the document. This makes its significance unclear.
It comes before a gun is taken from a person, which the writer didn’t mention until No. It is number 4. A curious entry is made about a book on page 118 with underlined text.
Edwina Elcox is a prominent Boise-based criminal defense attorney. She stated that she wanted to know the contents of the book and what was underlined. She stated that none of the items she seized surprised her.
WATCH: Security measures have been added to the home where four college students were killed in Moscow, Idaho.
Kohberger’s white 2015 Hyundai Elantra was also taken by police. It was identified in court papers as “Suspect Vehicle 1”.
According to the warrants, police took apart the vehicle and removed the fabric, pedals, and other components. After observing Kohberger’s apparent attempt to clean the vehicle, police seized a vacuum cleaner.
Giacalone stated that even a clean vehicle could contain valuable evidence.
He said, “You can recover evidence.” “Even bleach, which is probably the only way to get rid of blood and other stuff,… has a distinctive odor that lasts a while and leaves behind a molecule compound. Bleach can also alter the color of the fabric.
WATCH: Video from a bodycam shows officers responding to a noise complaint at an Idaho home 6 weeks before the students were killed
Giacalone also noted that it is telling what authorities didn’t recover.
They took many pairs of shoes, but none were Vans sneakers. Police believe that Vans sneakers left a footprint at the King Road crime scene in Moscow.
