DNA On Knife Sheath Led Police To Accused Murderer Bryan Kohberger: Affidavit

MOSCOW, ID — DNA found on a leather knife sheath at the off-campus home where four University of Idaho students were found dead in mid-November matched DNA collected from the trash at Bryan Kohberger's family home in Pennsylvania, newly unsealed court documents showed Thursday.

Authorities tracked a white Hyundai Elantra all the way from the crime scene to the Keystone State in their investigation into the brutal stabbings, according to the documents.

A slew of new details have been revealed in the University of Idaho murders case after 28-year-old Kohberger, the man accused in the killings, arrived in Idaho Wednesday following his arrest in Pennsylvania Friday, prompting the probable cause affidavit to be unsealed. Even as the affidavit offered the most comprehensive look into the case so far, authorities have not discussed a possible motive.

The contents of the affidavit, which outline findings that led investigators to arrest Kohberger after months of no major public developments in the case, had been sealed under a Idaho state law which limits what can be released before a suspect makes their initial court appearance.

Upon Kohberger’s return to Idaho, he was served with the Idaho arrest warrant for four counts of first degree murder and one count of burglary.

The affidavit was then made public, a significant development as the media and the public clamored for information about Kohberger’s arrest in a case where authorities have been tightlipped.

Car At The Crime Scene

The affidavit shows how surveillance of the white Elantra, which was seen at the crime scene multiple times on the night of the killings November 13, was central in leading authorities to the suspect before his arrest in Pennsylvania. According to the affidavit, phone records showed Kohberger near the crime scene on at least 12 prior occasions before the night of the murders.

Investigation and a review of surveillance cameras connected a white 2015 Hyundai Elantra spotted on the Washington State University campus to the car seen around the Moscow crime scene on the night of the killings in the early hours of the morning, when the road is typically quiet, the affidavit said. The car was also seen speeding away from the crime scene, according to the affidavit.

Authorities asked other local police departments to be on the lookout for white Hyundai Elantras, and in the early hours of November 29, a Washington State University police officer located a car which belonged to Kohberger, a graduate student at the university, according to the affidavit.

The car was captured by a license plate reader on December 13 in Colorado, two days later in Indiana and surveillance footage showed it in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania on December 16, the affidavit said.

Authorities used phone records to match Kohberger's path to that which the Elantra took, the affidavit said. They also believe he turned off his cellphone to conceal his location the night of the murders because his cellphone did not connect to any nearby towers, the affidavit said.

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Face-To-Face With Kohberger

Investigators reviewed Kohberger's drivers license and photo, and his physical description matched that given by a surviving roommate of the victims who came face-to-face with Kohberger the night of the murders, the affidavit said.

Authorities said they continued to track Kohberger through surveillance footage as he traveled across the country, finally arriving in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, where his family lives, on December 16.

Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania after authorities were able to place him at the scene on the night of the killings through cell phone data, determining that he was likely the driver of the white Elantra seen repeatedly traveling to and leaving the scene, and matching his DNA to that of the unknown male suspect found on a knife sheath at the scene, the affidavit said. The weapon used in the murders has still not been found.

The sheath had a U.S. Marine Corps insignia on it, though there's no record of Kohberger having served in the military.

"There's Someone Here"

In an interview, a roommate of the victims who survived the attacks said she thought she heard one of them say "there's someone here" in the middle of the night, according to the affidavit.

The roommate told investigators that after hearing the comment, she looked out of her bedroom door but did not see anything, the affidavit said. She opened her door a second time when she heard what she thought was crying coming from the room of one of the victims, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, then heard a male voice say something to the effect of "It's ok, I'm going to help you," according to the affidavit.

A security camera at a nearby residence picked up distorted audio of what sounded like voices or a whimper followed by a loud thud and a dog barking around 4:17 a.m., the affidavit said.

The roommate told investigators she opened her door for a third time and came face to face with a figure clad in black clothing and a mask which covered his mouth and nose.

The man walked past the roommate toward a back sliding glass door as she stood in a "frozen shock phase," according to documents.

A Student Of Crime

The affidavit said Kohberger wrote an essay when he applied for an internship with the Pullman Police Department in the fall of 2022. In the essay, Kohberger wrote he had an interest in assisting rural law enforcement agencies with how to better collect and analyze technological data in public safety operations, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit also references a widely shared Reddit survey that Kohberger posted asking asking participants to provide information to "understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision making when committing a crime."

Kohberger had just completed his first semester as a PhD student at Washington State University’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, the university said in a statement Friday.

Kohberger graduated from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania with an associate of arts degree in psychology in 2018, said college spokesperson Mia Rossi-Marino. DeSales University in Pennsylvania said that he received a bachelor’s degree in 2020 and completed graduate studies in June 2022.

At DeSales University, Kohberger studied under Katherine Ramsland, a forensic psychologist who is the author of books like "How To Catch A Killer" and "The Mind Of A Murderer," The Daily Beast reported.

Road To Justice

The victims of the killings are Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington, Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Arizona and Kaylee GonCalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho.

Kohberger’s arrest Friday came nearly seven weeks after the students were found slain in a brutal crime that shook the small community and left the public wondering who was responsible as authorities remained extremely selective in the information they shared and combatted disinformation.

Autopsies showed all four students were likely asleep when they were attacked. Some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times.

Police in Pennsylvania, where Kohberger was arrested Friday, said Tuesday in a news conference that they believe he chose to waive extradition to Idaho because he wanted to see what was in the probable cause affidavit.

Kohberger's made an initial appearance in court Thursday and his next hearing is set for Jan.12 at 10 a.m. local time. He will be held without bail and the judge also ordered that he have no contact with the two surviving roommates or the victims' families.

Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued a gag order Tuesday, which prohibits any additional communication by investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and agents of the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney concerning this case.

As a result of the order, the Moscow Police Department will no longer be communicating with the public or the media regarding this case.

The Associated Press contributed.