ID - 4 Univ of Idaho Students Murdered - Bryan Kohberger Arrested - Moscow # 57

[ktm44]

PCA says explicitly that it was BK's DNA on the knife - not the father's!!!!

So you are right. The dad's DNA was from the trash (and likely collected before BK ever arrived back in PA - where they then probably tried to get his in the same fashion).

That's what is meant by "genetic genealogy in this case."



Well, I call it a knife pocket because it's where my dad and uncles carried knives, in jackets like this. The last photo on the page shows the interior pocket. We don't know the exact size of the Ka-Bar knife, but I am assuming it's the one with the 7" blade. I think there are other jackets with a similar design with larger pockets, though it's possible the 11.5 Kabar would fit on the diagonal there.

Or just stick it in the exterior lower pocket.

I actually think BK was into cosplaying military style and was likely a gamer (SPECULATION ONLY, although there are clues). So this jacket has ample exterior pockets if concealment and easy access is wanted and while I can't see the size of the interior pockets, they are described as "cargo" pockets, meaning large.

I think he would have used just the hand warmer pockets in this crime, in any case (but could conceal his weapon on his person in interior pockets when he was out and about).

I believe he practiced taking a knife with him to public and other places, as part of prep for this crime. IMO.

Carhartt is my winter attire, usually worn with a few other layers.

Most winter clothing has tight cuffs and if it didn’t fit in a pocket, it could have been carried in a sleeve.

I’m a bit of a pack rat and tend to fill my pockets with mystery items but I have been known to carry larger tools and such in my sleeves for short periods of time.

I also agree that he must have practiced handling and carrying the knife.

 

[elainebenice]

In my opinion the only way a victim could pull the sheath off of his belt would be to unbuckle his belt first and then grab the sheath to pull it off. I don't see that happening.

Or actually tear the belt off of him in a struggle, which I also don't see happening.

 

[SRWCF]

I dunno, it's easy to be super careful when you're cosplaying, much harder during the real thing.

I totally agree. After reading the affidavit, to me it sounds like that little bit of DNA on the knife sheath is really what nailed him. There was no mention of his blood anywhere or his DNA anywhere else. Of course, there could have been his DNA all over, but I feel that info would have been included in the affidavit to strengthen LE's case for arrest.

 

[cuecard]

Did the white Elantra originally come into play from the body cam when the cop visited the band field (noise complaint from underage intoxicated kids)? I can’t remember how the car info first surfaced.

If you mean how it first surfaced in their investigation then they found it during their "video canvass" of the area after the crime. After reviewing footage from multiple videos from the King Road neighborhood they found multiple sightings of the Elantra starting at 3:29 a.m. and ending at 4:20 a.m, so pretty soon after the fact. For the public it first surfaced in early December when LE asked for information regarding this car as they felt the occupant may have information.

 

[CrownCowboy1]

I do have a question for those well versed in knives.

The Affidavit says DNA was found on the button snap of the knife sheath.
Here is the quote, page 2, somehow spaces are removed?*&$#

”As I enteredthisbedroom,Icouldseetwofemalesinthesingle bedintheroom.Both GoncalvesandMogenweredeceasedwithvisible stabwounds.Ialsolaternoticedwhat
appearedtobeatanleatherknifesheathlayingonthebednexttoMogen's right side(when viewedfromthedoor).Thesheathwaslaterprocessedandhad Ka-Bar USMC andthe UnitedStates Marine Corps eagle globe and anchor insignia stamped on the outside ofit. The IdahoStateLablaterlocatedasingle sourceofmaleDNA(SuspectProfile)leftonthebutton snapofthe knife sheath”

Some reporters are saying the bottom snap of the knife sheath.
The KaBar leather sheaths I’ve seen online only have a belt loop, and a small strap for the handle with one button snap. There is no top and bottom button.
Are they just misunderstanding?

Probable Cause Affidavit

Any ideas?

JMO

I just think that is a misunderstanding.

Going off what we have been told as being the description of the sheath left at the scene, there is only one snap button used around the handle of the knife.

Not unless they were talking about the bottom part of the snap.

 

[CSIDreamer]

PCA says explicitly that it was BK's DNA on the knife - not the father's!!!!

So you are right. The dad's DNA was from the trash (and likely collected before BK ever arrived back in PA - where they then probably tried to get his in the same fashion).

That's what is meant by "genetic genealogy in this case."



Well, I call it a knife pocket because it's where my dad and uncles carried knives, in jackets like this. The last photo on the page shows the interior pocket. We don't know the exact size of the Ka-Bar knife, but I am assuming it's the one with the 7" blade. I think there are other jackets with a similar design with larger pockets, though it's possible the 11.5 Kabar would fit on the diagonal there.

Or just stick it in the exterior lower pocket.

I actually think BK was into cosplaying military style and was likely a gamer (SPECULATION ONLY, although there are clues). So this jacket has ample exterior pockets if concealment and easy access is wanted and while I can't see the size of the interior pockets, they are described as "cargo" pockets, meaning large.

I think he would have used just the hand warmer pockets in this crime, in any case (but could conceal his weapon on his person in interior pockets when he was out and about).

I believe he practiced taking a knife with him to public and other places, as part of prep for this crime. IMO.

Oh, you're talking about the cigarette pocket. I guess my whole community smoked when I was a kid.

 

[RainbowRoad]

If you read the specific wording in the PCA on page 4, when DM sees the figure he is first described as walking towards her, then as walking past her and then as heading towards the back sliding door, and the police allege that he exits the scene. On page 5, the PCA states that the direction of the footprint is consistent with the path of travel described by DM, i.e. in the direction of the sliding kitchen door.

Thank you, yes you are right it is clear in the PCA as well! It’s so funny how our brains read things and interpret them. My immediate thought of “walking towards her” was “walking toward her with purpose and intention, and then turning away”. Just like I interpreted a single bed to mean a small bed. I’m so grateful for this group so that we can share ideas and broaden understandings together!

 

[10ofRods]

<modsnip>

No. For the public, the car first came to play when LE released the information as to exactly what they were looking for. LE knew about the vehicle almost immediately after the crime, though. The nonsense about the car being in the police body cam video at the 11/13 band field visit is completely social media speculation.

Which, actually, was addressed by LE as soon as it started to occur. "No connection" said Chief Fry, meaning between the white car he was seeking and the one(s) in the Band Field body cam images.

 

[ray9898]

I agree that would have been better language. But let me add that the average age of officers at Moscow PD is quite young. All that's needed for employment as LE is a high school diploma in most places, for city police especially. Sometimes, they want a certificate (18 units) of community college or state university, sometimes they want an AA (rare, but if required, then in criminal justice).

I teach a lab class that counts toward the 18 units of some cities here in my region. It is popular with recent high school grads seeking to get a job (uniformed or non-uniformed) in LE, because having even a few units is better than no units. Another class I teach routinely is on the list as a lecture course (for LE as well as for other professions, like nursing).

One of the big reasons that LE management (with whom I consult about curriculum) wants these classes is to improve student observation and writing skills. I think this young officer did a good job and I've seen much, much worse in terms of LE-written affidavits. I've been given good examples and bad examples to work from. His is pretty good, he just has a few stylistic errors.

I think people are comparing his written efforts to those that are drawn up by actual attorneys or experienced paralegals.

I think you're right that it should have said "underside," but to him, it was "bottom of the snap" or "bottom snap." To me, the earnest and individual language of the PCA is supposed to show that an actual human, an LEO, went out to the seen and was tasked with later writing it up as a PCA - chosen due to his better writing skills, as he's definitely way better than average, IMO.

In some places, attorneys do assist LE in writing such things or at least review them, but that's not true in the smallish town where I live now, it's done entirely by police and their own admin staff. It's supposed to be in the "voice" of the officer writing it.

The detective correctly identified it as 'button snap' in the PCA.

 

[Copper107]

In my opinion the only way a victim could pull the sheath off of his belt would be to unbuckle his belt first and then grab the sheath to pull it off. I don't see that happening.

Thanks for the information, my opinion was that perhaps it could have been lost in the struggle.

 

[AngTxGal]

MOO: He'll plead guilty. In part to spare his family the agony of a trial in which details of his life and crime(s) are bound to be revealed.
(As far as I know only limited details are required to support a guilty plea... not a minute by minute description). And partly out of arrogance. That way, if he actually acted alone, he'll be
the only person on earth who will know exactly what happened that terrible morning - and why.

I disagree about the guilty plea-
I think he wants to be known, and has watched trials on TV and on the internet and the chats that take place and how many people tune in to watch a trial.
He wants his name to be said often, and linked forever with the Moscow, ID Four Murders.
He wants to be interviewed by experts
He wants to own a little piece of True Crime real estate in people’s minds.

I think He will plead innocent and drag this case out enjoying every single minute…

Unless… he gets the blonde attorney he has now! If this guy has a thing for blondes and also hates women in general he has a problem. So will he tolerate her until he can’t. Then fire her, if he can?

The question is, will he axe questions because he does not understand, and refuse to be represented by someone other than himself, like that guy not named Darrell Brooks?
I hope not, for the sake of the victims and their families.

JMO

 

[10ofRods]

<modsnip: Quoted post removed due to no link to image>

I see a top and bottom snap there. Am I wrong?

BTW, now that you posted that picture, I figure they preserved DNA on that sheath for the defense. They took a tiny swab of one snap, immediately got a full male stranger DNA profile (and in most cases, had some knowledge about some of his physical features within hours after getting that full DNA profile).

There would be the other side of the snap to test, as well as the leather itself. Since they have to allow the defense investigators to test the same item.

 

[TL4S]

<modsnip: Quoted post removed due to no link to image>

Between this photo and the recent pics of the knife, it just gets scarier and scarier. DM might never want to live alone or feel safe in a home again.

In regards to the knife...yeah, I really think his intention was more than a single target and/or SA. He planned to butcher, and that makes him dangerous as hell, imo.

 

[One Dog]

While I do feel that MM was the true target, what if X was? Maybe she was the one at MG Cafe he got infatuated with since she worked there as well. SA was the actual intent, not expecting her to have a bf there. Seeing EC there, he just lost it. I keep going back to SG comments of "he didn't have to go up the stairs", so just brainstorming.
I know other employees said they don't remember serving him. I waited tables all during college and wouldn't remember most people unless they came there a lot and I was the one that actually waited on them.

 

[elainebenice]

I dunno, it's easy to be super careful when you're cosplaying, much harder during the real thing.

Exactly. I mentioned this the other day, but the more evidence that comes out, the more I see BK as the kid who immediately jumped into the deep end of the pool on the first day of swim lessons....and drowned. This guy was in way over his head and greatly overestimated his "skills" and preparation for a crime like this. He probably paid intense attention to some details, but then completely ignored others, such as basic knife handling. Anyone who has ever carried/used a fixed blade knife a minimal amount would inherently know the pros/cons of this weapon and the carrying issues.

Imo, there's no way anyone with any substantive/real life experience with these knives would choose to carry it in a sheath that wasn't securely attached to their body/clothing in some way in anticipation of committing murder(S) such as this with it. Just sitting around your apartment handling it is a whole lot different from actually carrying and using it.

 

[TooMuchGun]

To get to Loma CO, he pretty much had to go through Idaho - and the map being circulated of his route has him going almost the full length of Idaho.

There's no evidence that he went into Wyoming or otherwise left Pullman heading directly east - he went south. With his new Washington plates he would not stick out all that much in Idaho - although everyone was looking for a white Elantra and for all we know, LE received many tips about his route.

He sure did stay in WA up until about Dec 12-13 or thereabouts. A whole month.

the southern route is "safer" than driving North through Coeur D alene imo. South he hugs the border to Washington

 

[JohnBull]

I think that he goes upstairs first and attacks MM and KG (given the noises that DM reports upstairs and the figure who passes by her which the police notes is to exit the house, i.e. he does not go upstairs.) He comes downstairs and then attacks X and E, and I broadly otherwise agree with how you set this out above, in particular that X sees him.

That, too is an option. I can't wait to find out how it actually went down. We'll probably get some surprises.

 

[SRWCF]

Nope - but getting closer! That's the Corner Club. Apparently the CC is a big hang-out spot for the Greek houses. It's small, food service is pub style, and the owner kind of hangs out with the people at that venue (he's seen in the video/youtube).

We were discussing Mad Greek, where both X and M worked. And which is listed as the top vegan restaurant in Moscow, ID. The other is not Rachel Sharp, though, sigh.

Still looking. Thanks so much for helping - and good to see you!

I'm local. I found it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1611109357936332805

 

[al66pine]

A Long Fling into the Water?

I bet the murder weapon is at the bottom of the Mississippi River!

@LetsSolvIt Per source below, knife could be at the bottom of Mississippi River, only if BCK has a helluva throwing arm. 1000+ mi!

Often geographically confused myself, I tend to check maps frequently. And oh, in streaming the "Vera" TV series (OP's avatar), I've learned a bit more about Northumberland & English geography.

"There are 1,028.64 mi between Lake Itasca, MN and Lewiston, ID." (Lake Itasca is the headwater of the Mississippi River.)

Search: distance between Lake Itasca, MN and Lewiston, Idaho, United States

www.distance-cities.com

 

[RANCH]

Thanks for the information, my opinion was that perhaps it could have been lost in the struggle.

BK could have dropped the sheath in a struggle or forgot about having left it after a struggle with a victim. I doubt he had the sheath secured on his belt and removed it during the killings. I think he had both knife and sheath in his waistband. JMO.