Witness in Idaho Murders Heard Crying, Saw Man in Mask on Morning of Killings: Affidavit

Bryan Kohberger, facing first-degree murder charges in the deaths of four University of Idaho students last fall, is taken by sheriff's deputies from the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg, Pa., on Jan. 3, 2023. Steven M. Falk/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP

A newly unsealed probable cause affidavit shows how authorities identified 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger as the suspect in the killings of four University of Idaho students, revealing that they used a combination of cellphone records, his white Hyundai Elantra, and DNA evidence that was allegedly found at the crime scene.

The partially redacted affidavit (pdf) was sealed until Jan. 5 because Kohberger, who was arrested in Pennsylvania, wasn’t served with a warrant. He waived his extradition hearing and was transported back to Idaho before he was served with a warrant on Jan. 5.

Investigators said Kohberger was connected to the murder scene at a Moscow, Idaho, rental property after they located a “tan leather knife sheath” next to a victim’s bed, according to the affidavit.

“The Idaho state lab later located a single source of male DNA left on the button snap of the knife sheath,” the document stated before officials linked the DNA to the suspect.

The newly unsealed filing also revealed that one of the victims’ surviving roommates heard noises before opening her door and saw a man wearing a black mask. The roommate, identified as “D.M.” in the affidavit, awoke at about 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2022, to the sound of victim Kaylee Goncalves and her dog on the third floor.

The roommate told investigators that they heard Goncalves allegedly saying, “There’s someone here,” before opening their bedroom door. D.M. opened the door again when she believed she heard crying from victim Xana Kernodle’s room and heard a man saying something like, “It’s ok, I’m going to help you,” according to the affidavit.

After 4:17 a.m., D.M. opened the door and “saw a figure clad in black clothing and a mask that covered the person’s mouth and nose walking toward her,” Moscow Police Officer Brett Payne wrote. "The male walked past D.M. as she stood in a ‘frozen shock phase.’

“The male walked toward the back sliding glass door. D.M. locked herself in her room after seeing the male. This leads investigators to believe that the murderer left the scene.”

“[The witness] described the figure as 5'10” or taller, male, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows,” the affidavit reads. “Kohberger’s physical description is consistent with the description of the male [D.M.] saw inside the King Road Residence on November 13th.”

A separate recording allegedly obtained via a “security camera” from near the crime scene picked up “distorted audio of what sounded like voices or a whimper followed by a loud thud” and a dog barking at approximately 4:17 a.m., the court filing states.

Other Details

Garbage recovered from Kohberger’s home in Pennsylvania was sent to the Idaho state lab for DNA testing before it was used by authorities to determine whether he was a suspect, according to the affidavit.

(L–R) Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen. Obtained by CNN

Lab officials “reported that a DNA profile obtained from the trash” matched DNA found on the tan leather knife sheath found at the crime scene, according to the affidavit.

“The sheath was later processed and had ‘Ka-Bar,’ ‘USMC’ and the United States Marine Corps eagle globe and anchor insignia stamped on the outside of it. The Idaho state lab later located a single source of male DNA (suspect profile) left on the button snap of the knife sheath,” the court documents read.

Authorities also evaluated video footage around the scene of the crime and honed in on a white Hyundai Elantra seen near the home at the time that the killings took place. Officials said it could be seen departing the area of the King Road home at about 4:20 a.m. “at a high rate of speed,” according to the affidavit.

The affidavit makes note of Reddit postings from Kohberger in which he asked how people commit crimes and about their thought processes after they commit a crime. At one point, he had applied for the Pullman Police Department in Washington state, writing in an essay that “he had interest in assisting rural law enforcement agencies with how to better collect and analyze technological data in public safety operations,” according to the affidavit

Visited Home Numerous Times

Authorities said that between 2:47 a.m. and 4:48 a.m., Kohberger turned off his cellphone in a bid to “conceal his location” during the slayings, according to the affidavit.

Investigators also searched his phone to see whether he allegedly “stalked any of the victims” prior to the attack or if he was “in contact with any of the victims” beforehand. They found that Kohberger had visited the area near the Idaho home where the victims lived about a dozen times since June, according to the affidavit.

Kohberger was arrested last week in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, and was booked into the Latah County Jail on Jan. 4.