Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger could argue in his upcoming trial that the house where the four students were killed was a “party house” to explain why his DNA was found there.
The former criminology doctoral candidate is accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death Nov. 13 in their off-campus home. Kaylee Goncalves, 21, died along with her best friend Maddie Mogen, 21, roommate Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kernodle’s boyfriend. , Ethan Chapin, 20.
He has been held in the Latah County Jail in Moscow, Idaho, since January, awaiting a trial that was postponed after he waived his right to a speedy trial.
Criminal defense attorney Jack Rice says Kohberger’s defense team was able to argue that the off-campus area where the killings occurred was a wild party house where many students would go.
It comes after FBI agents returned to the scene to collect more evidence, taking precise measurements of each room for 3D modeling that could be presented to the jury when the gruesome case eventually goes to trial.
Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger could argue in his upcoming trial that the house where the four students were killed was a ‘party house’ to explain why his DNA was found there
Victims (L-R) Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen (on Kaylee’s shoulders) Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle
Criminal defense attorney Jack Rice says Kohberger’s defense team was able to argue that the off-campus area where the killings occurred was a wild party house where many students would go.
“One of the most important parts of this case is that DNA, and what we know is that this is a party house,” attorney Rice said in a new documentary clip obtained by The New York Post.
‘We know there are hundreds of children in this house, he could even be among them.
“And the point is, if he was in this house, are you suggesting that these four know everyone who has been there? I doubt that.’
“Suddenly you may have a completely different trial,” he added in the documentary The Case Against Bryan Kohberger, which airs on Court TV on Sunday.
Last year, police found a knife shell with Kohberger’s DNA on it next to the victims’ bodies.
But the suspect’s defense team could argue that because hundreds of students may have partied at the house before, his DNA could have been there before the murders, Rice said.
The defense previously revealed they would dispute the idea that Kohberger’s DNA was left on the knife sheath at the scene.
They also claim that DNA from three other unidentified men was also found at the crime scene in Idaho.
Neighbor Jeremy Reagan claimed there were “people in and out of the house all the time.”
But he added that the parties had slowed down before the killings took place.
“There was more going on there, but they certainly weren’t as loud and crazy,” Reagan said.
Kohberger could face the death penalty if his case goes to trial
He has been held in the Latah County Jail in Moscow, Idaho, since January, awaiting a trial that was postponed after he waived his right to a speedy trial.
Prior to the gruesome murders, Kohberger was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology from Washington State University. Pictured: The house where four Idaho students were found murdered
Kohberger’s legal team has hinted that he has an alibi, but has not yet revealed what it is.
“Evidence showing that Mr. Kohberger was at a location other than the King Road address will be disclosed in accordance with the rules of discovery and evidence,” his attorney Anne Taylor said in July.
It is believed that Kohberger meticulously planned the murders of Madison, Kaylee, Ethan and Xana, with a probable cause statement noting that he had repeatedly visited the area around their home before the murders.
The document also stated that his DNA was found on a KA-BAR knife sheath found next to Kaylee and Madison’s bodies, and that he was seen in the house by roommate Dylan Mortensen, 19.
Kaylee and Madison were found dead in bed next to each other, while Ethan and Xana were found on the floor below, while Xana was found slumped on the floor of her bedroom.
According to the document, survivors Mortensen and Bethany Funke heard some of what happened, with Mortensen telling police she heard Goncalves say, “There’s someone here” around 4 a.m.
Ten minutes later she heard a thud and a cry from Xana’s room and a man’s voice saying, “It’s okay, I’m going to help you.”
Kohberger’s legal team has hinted that he has an alibi, but has not yet revealed what it is
The way the killer navigated the three-storey house in the early hours of a November morning to kill the four students – who slept in separate rooms and floors – has raised questions about his motives.
Last year, police found a knife shell with Kohberger’s DNA on it next to the victims’ bodies
At 4:17 a.m., a dog was captured loudly barking on a neighbor’s security camera.
Around the same time, Mortensen said she opened her bedroom door again and saw a tall man with bushy eyebrows exit through the sliding glass doors at the back of the house.
She described how she was ‘frozen in shock’ when the black-clad man walked up to her and said she locked herself in her room after he left.
A shoe print was later found outside her door.
The affidavit also shows that Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra was captured on camera near the scene before speeding away from the home toward Pullman around 4:20 a.m.
Police quickly connected the vehicle to Kohberger, noting the similarity between his appearance and Mortensen’s description of the intruder at the rental home.