Prosecutors in the case of a man charged in the killings of four University of Idaho students are seeking to use as evidence a college paper he wrote that shows his knowledge of crime scenes, according to a court filing this week.
Bryan Kohberger, 30, is accused in the stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho. Autopsies showed the four were all likely asleep when they were attacked, some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times.
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Kohberger has been charged with four counts of murder in the Nov. 13, 2022, stabbings. Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if he is convicted.
Kohberger’s trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 11. When asked to enter a plea last year, Kohberger stood silent, prompting the judge to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.
In a court filing Monday, prosecutors said the paper Kohberger wrote in 2020 while he was a student at DeSales University in Pennsylvania “would be introduced to show Defendant’s knowledge of crime scenes.”
The 12-page paper, entitled “Crime-scene Scenario Final,” uses the example of the killing of a woman in which a knife was apparently used.
The paper discusses the many steps authorities should take to secure and investigate a crime scene, including keeping people away to avoid contamination, obtaining a search warrant, and calling a supervisor, a coroner and forensic services.
The paper also details the equipment used for crime scene investigation, how to collect evidence, and how to enter a crime scene to avoid contamination, including wearing gloves and other protective equipment.
“Anything that is fiber-free and covers the mouth, hair and overall body would be helpful in avoiding crime-scene contamination,” the paper said.
Kohberger, then a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, was arrested in Pennsylvania weeks after the killings. Investigators said they matched his DNA to genetic material recovered from a knife sheath found at the crime scene.
The college paper also describes how to preserve the chain of custody for evidence. It discusses the importance of gathering surveillance footage and questioning potential witnesses as part of the investigation.
“Anyone who normally passes by the scene, such as a mailman, should be questioned and an alibi established,” the paper said. “Where were the neighbors when this happened? Their alibis should be evident and supported.”
The killings shook Moscow, a small farming community of about 25,000 people that hadn’t had a homicide in about five years. The trial was moved from rural northern Idaho to Boise after the defense expressed concerns that Kohberger couldn’t get a fair trial in the county where the killings occurred.
Judge Steven Hippler has scheduled a hearing for April 9 to consider pretrial motions. Among those to be decided are arguments over whether an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis would preclude Kohberger from being eligible for the death penalty if convicted, and over whether jurors should hear audio of a 911 call made by two women in the house roughly eight hours after the killings, as they realized one of their roommates wasn’t waking up.
The court has issued a gag order for everyone involved in the trial and won’t allow cameras in the courtroom.
