ID - 4 University of Idaho Students Murdered - Moscow # 20

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I wanted to piggyback off of this reply because you made great points about lowering the risk of being caught.

My question is, if all of that type of planning happened, why use one of the messiest/riskiest weapon choices out there?

IMO: because the perp didn’t care. They just got lucky.

MOO
What is the potential the use of the knife was chosen for a ritual purposes* or for a symbolic reason? Or, what if the choice of the weapon was for silence, where the intention was a sub-set of the victims, and success would require silence? But, then the reality of the action expanded the victim set to the total four victims?

Ritual doesn't always mean a formal rite performed for a diety. It could be for a personal belief structure that is internal to the criminal actor.
 
Yes. We have a big old sliding door I am seriously side-eyeing. Going to try to make that a bit safer and beef up the locking mechanism.

In the meantime I am locking all the doors at night, which I didn't always do before (another low-crime area). And I am also closing all the blinds as soon as it gets dark, which I often didn't bother with.

I am nowhere near Idaho but it made me think. I have been pretty careless in the past. Not sure how much all that helps if someone is seriously determined though...
I think you are doing all you can do. If nothing else, a perp would have to make noise now to get into your home. That might make the difference!
 
Long time lurker here. I work in the home security industry in the uk. Most keypad entry systems can be overridden where the control panel is. Usually next to the fuse board. All someone would need to do is drop the power, and the doors will release, as they would in a fire. There’s always a battery back up but again, very easy to override without tools

Interesting, thanks for sharing. So if the power was switched off temporarily to disable the bedroom doors, in theory some technology which was on/on standby would possibly have data of an exact time it was switched off, which would give a more exact time of the attacks. I guess the public will never be told this information but I find the fact that each bedroom had a lock adds another dilemma to this case.
 
Just bumping this post,

Think that might put to bed the posts about Murphy and whether he would/wouldn't bark.

If he was likely to hide then that might be why the police found him the night of the incident, they may have not realised he was in the property (maybe hiding under a bed) until they did a really good search whilst collecting evidence. JMO
 
Sorry if already mentioned but did anyone notice the ladder leaning up against the side of the house? Someone could have also climbed up that way and they'd be on the 2nd floor. If you zoom in, it looks like caution tape is attached to the ladder.
1670113086331.png
 
Yep. I have a vivid imagination anyway, and since I was a child and saw a picture in one of my mother's magazines (innocuous magazine, but had a scary story), I've had a fear of this and always been hyper chicken little, but this has me back to bedroom door block again. it would be very hard to access my place anyway, but why take chances. I also sleep with my phone and a search and rescue whistle by the bed. you can whistle even if you're too scared to scream, and those things travel for miles.
No vivid imagination, I'd guess many of us feel it.
 
Sorry if already mentioned but did anyone notice the ladder leaning up against the side of the house? Someone could have also climbed up that way and they'd be on the 2nd floor. If you zoom in, it looks like caution tape is attached to the ladder.
View attachment 384767
Not much has been mentioned about the ladder.

I almost forgot about it.
 
like I'm going to go to all that and just shoot them?? noooooo. knife.
I've been thinking a lot about that question - what does the use of a knife over a gun tell us? I've seen many theories (couldn't get a gun, idolizes the knife, gets a sexual thrill out of plunging the knife into victims, etc). All valid theories.

But I think the primary reason for using a knife over a gun is the stealth factor. A gunshot in real life is nothing like you see in the movies, it is LOUD. Really loud. Especially indoors. Not only would the first shot almost certainly have awakened everyone else in the house before the next move, it could also result in neighbors calling 911 right on the spot and peeking out their windows to see what they heard.

JMHO
 
Maybe a bit of a daft question but....


Have any members felt more spooked or been more cautious since they started following the case?
( My OH is away for work and I've noticed am being more security cautious despite being nowhere near Idaho. Normally we don't even lock our doors as we're in a very low crime area)

I've even taken a garden machete* and a kitchen knife..... to bed!! Have just practised my swing* - it needs work
100%. I live in an apartment complex on the 3rd floor and always felt safe. When I let my dog out I never used to lock my door, too much of a hassle if I'm just running in and out quick. Now I lock it every single time and I close all my blinds now as soon as the sun goes down.
 
I've been thinking a lot about that question - what does the use of a knife over a gun tell us? I've seen many theories (couldn't get a gun, idolizes the knife, gets a sexual thrill out of plunging the knife into victims, etc). All valid theories.

But I think the primary reason for using a knife over a gun is the stealth factor. A gunshot in real life is nothing like you see in the movies, it is LOUD. Really loud. Especially indoors. Not only would the first shot almost certainly have awakened everyone else in the house before the next move, it could also result in neighbors calling 911 right on the spot and peeking out their windows to see what they heard.

JMHO
I agree. It is also such an up-close and intimate way to kill someone, which is why I still suspect it's a targeted crime. Targeted in that perhaps there was a person (or persons) in that house that caught the wrong person's eye for the wrong reason. Or that the household itself was targeted because it stood for something the killer hated. I lean toward the former.

And because the knife is so quiet, intimate and up-close-and-personal, I can totally see this being a sexually motivated crime in spite of the evidence (and thank goodness) of no sexual assault. All JMO.
 
Maybe a bit of a daft question but....


Have any members felt more spooked or been more cautious since they started following the case?
( My OH is away for work and I've noticed am being more security cautious despite being nowhere near Idaho. Normally we don't even lock our doors as we're in a very low crime area)

I've even taken a garden machete* and a kitchen knife..... to bed!! Have just practised my swing* - it needs work
Not a daft question imo, following cases helps me take actions that make me feel safer, adn every case teaches me something different about myself.
Priorities can get off track, but remembering that each day I have someone else no longer has makes me do the things that prevent regret.
And yes, I tested the pepperspray in my car door, put new batteries in several flashlights, and also checked to make sure the guns I have for self defense are where I need them to be.

Xana’s dad has repeatedly said she had defense wounds, she did not go without a fight. I would never want my kids to question if I did what I could to keep myself safe, and did my best to fight.

JMO
 
I've been thinking a lot about that question - what does the use of a knife over a gun tell us? I've seen many theories (couldn't get a gun, idolizes the knife, gets a sexual thrill out of plunging the knife into victims, etc). All valid theories.

But I think the primary reason for using a knife over a gun is the stealth factor. A gunshot in real life is nothing like you see in the movies, it is LOUD. Really loud. Especially indoors. Not only would the first shot almost certainly have awakened everyone else in the house before the next move, it could also result in neighbors calling 911 right on the spot and peeking out their windows to see what they heard.

JMHO
I also feel like the choice of the weapon had a lot to do with the spontaneity! I’m still stuck on crime of passion- rejection, feeling of pushed to the side, or even insecurities…
IMO also, I know I could be completely off, this is just the feeling I keep getting and no one has to tell me about the list of “cleared suspects”. Happy Saturday !
 
Interesting, thanks for sharing. So if the power was switched off temporarily to disable the bedroom doors, in theory some technology which was on/on standby would possibly have data of an exact time it was switched off, which would give a more exact time of the attacks. I guess the public will never be told this information but I find the fact that each bedroom had a lock adds another dilemma to this case.
I knew nothing about them until yesterday. It’s impossible for me to tell from the former tenant’s photo what specific kind it was, and I’m unconvinced those same types of interior bedroom code locks were still present, but …

The ones I looked up yesterday seem to come in a default active setting, but some have an unobtrusive was to disable the default active lock from the interior side of the knob, if I correctly understood. Gave me chills.

Locked bedroom doors would have impeded the stealth factor, it seems to me.
 
well, let me preface this with 'I'm not actually a homicidal maniac' but... I totally agree with you, pre-crime access.

what I would have done I to familiarize myself with everything about them. my guess is that he became interested because of peripheral interaction and/or social media looking for a 'type'. once he'd found he perfect girls, I do believe he would have visited. Partly prep, partly power. I think he may have gotten into the house with either a reason or a party, but I also think he returned alone to examine, prey, plant, etc. he probably went in at night while they were there to get comfortable. I also think it would have given him a power rush. 'I have access to you, I can own you at any time' kind of thing. I also see someone in my mind who is powerfully built - whether it's because of bulk or muscle strength, idk, but I think this guy is physically confident and much stronger than he'd look under his bland attire. (Next visual is disturbing) I think he is someone strong enough to stab with one hand while holding another woman down by her throat/neck. I know, not a pretty thought, but this is not. pretty person.

I would not have hidden in the house that night, however. too much risk of discovery. one unpredictable move and there go all the best laid plans. no, I'd have waited in my lair with my AV surveillance. no way I'd have waited inside. trapped.
Great response; thank you. Maybe overall I’m just caught up on the broken screen via the back of the house (which leads directly into the vacant bedroom) and trying to piece together his movements before-and-after.
 
Interesting, thanks for sharing. So if the power was switched off temporarily to disable the bedroom doors, in theory some technology which was on/on standby would possibly have data of an exact time it was switched off, which would give a more exact time of the attacks. I guess the public will never be told this information but I find the fact that each bedroom had a lock adds another dilemma to this case.
I have exterior keypad entries and the doors certainly do not unlock if the power fails. Mine have keyed or keyless (coded) entry.
 
It’s a fact, some people are just more security conscious than others. Young adults, especially, often feel infallible. “It will never happen to me.” Maybe X felt more anxious because of the way she was raised. She may have felt uncomfortable about how many people came in and out the sliding door which was on her floor.
I was born and raised (and spent all but about eight years of my life) in a city that's often considered dangerous (although per capita, it is not). Locking the door was taught to me very young as a matter of manners, or "that's the right thing to do." Use the bathroom, wash your hands. Hold the door, and if someone holds the door for you, say "thank you." Perhaps it's a disservice to connect things like locking the door and being concerned about personal security to a feeling of safety, because it allows you to let your guard down.
 
I've been thinking a lot about that question - what does the use of a knife over a gun tell us? I've seen many theories (couldn't get a gun, idolizes the knife, gets a sexual thrill out of plunging the knife into victims, etc). All valid theories.

But I think the primary reason for using a knife over a gun is the stealth factor. A gunshot in real life is nothing like you see in the movies, it is LOUD. Really loud. Especially indoors. Not only would the first shot almost certainly have awakened everyone else in the house before the next move, it could also result in neighbors calling 911 right on the spot and peeking out their windows to see what they heard.

JMHO
I learned about the term Piquerism from The Interview Room yt channel. It's the sexual gratification yielded from the act of stabbing. I think the knife could also be thought of as his penis JMO
Peer reviewed article backgrounder Piquerism in Overkill Homicides: Identifying the Sexual Component in a Series of ‘Ripper’ Killings - Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology
 
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