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Idaho murders – update: Bryan Kohberger case gag order fought by victim Kaylee Goncalves’ family

The family of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves is fighting back against a unusually restrictive gag order placed on the case.

A gag order was issued in early January following the arrest and charging of Bryan Kohberger with the quadruple homicide of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.

On 18 January, the gag order was broadly expanded to also ban any attorneys representing survivors, witnesses or the victims’ family members from talking or writing about the case.

In an appeal filed in court on Friday, the Goncalves’ family attorney Shanon Gray asked the judge to pull back the scope of the order, describing it as unconstitutional and “facially overbroad and vague”.

The judge is yet to rule on the motion.

This comes after the FBI pushed back on a report that its surveillance team “lost” Mr Kohberger during his cross-country drive from Washington State University to his family home in Pennsylvania in mid-December.

An FBI spokesperson denied the shocking account calling it “false information” which “is not helpful to the case against Kohberger or to the American public”.

Key points

  • FBI denies claim it lost Kohberger during surveillance operation

  • Bryan Kohberger attorneys receive trove of evidence in case

  • Kohberger’s attorney has ties to second victim’s family

  • Xana Kernodle’s mom feels ‘betrayed’ by attorney who dropped her for daughter’s alleged killer

  • Bryan Kohberger met local police chief and sent him gushing email – months before murders

  • Chilling online comments from suspect as teen revealed

Idaho students recall seeing Bryan Kohberger ‘staring’ on campus

14:30 , Rachel Sharp

Several students have recalled seeing Bryan Kohberger – a PhD student at Washington State University – on the University of Idaho campus in the weeks before the murders.

Three separate students told People that they believe they saw him in the Student Union building, with one saying he was sitting “staring” at people.

“It was really early in the semester,” sophomore student Chelsea said. “He was at the food court, drinking water. He sat by himself.”

“He was the type to stare. He wouldn’t look away if you caught him staring. Like he wanted you to notice that he was looking at you. He didn’t smile, didn’t nod, didn’t say anything. Just stared.”

Chelsea said that his behaviour prompted her to point him out to a friend.

“I told my friend to not be suspicious but to look at him, because the eye contact was making me uncomfortable,” she said. “It was so weird that we ended up leaving and eating outside, because we wanted to get away from him.”

Another student told the outlet she recognised Mr Kohberger after his arrest as she had seen him often around the campus – despite the fact that he did not go to UI.

“It’s not a huge school; it’s like a small town,” she said.

“So you start seeing the same faces again and again. They become familiar, like you know that you’ve seen them in class or around campus. I definitely saw him more than once. He was just really quiet and really intense, staring. He made me uncomfortable.”

Their accounts support comments previously made by a law enforcement source to People that the suspect spent some time on the UI campus before the 13 November killings.

No connection is yet known between the suspect and the victims.

ICYMI: Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship months before Idaho murders

13:36 , Rachel Sharp

A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings.

New emails show a brief exchange between Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger and the then-chief of Pullman Police Department Gary Jenkins regarding Mr Kohberger’s interview process for the research assistantship for public safety position in April 2022.

In his email to Mr Jenkins, Mr Kohberger wrote that “it was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share [his] thoughts and excitement.” Mr Jenkins replied that it was “great to meet and talk with you as well.”

Read the full story here:

Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by police chief for internship months before murders

Why we should defend the surviving roommate in the Idaho murders

10:01 , Megan Sheets

There are many chilling similarities between the murders of four Idaho students in November and a 1992 attack at a student home in Buffalo – none more so than the experiences of the roommates who survived.

Alanna Zabel tells The Independent’s Rachel Sharp why she feels the need to defend the surviving roommate in Idaho and how she understands the way trauma can shape reactions to such horrifying events:

She slept through an attack in her home - and has a message about the Idaho murders

BTK killer’s daughter sensed her father in the Idaho murders

07:01 , Megan Sheets

Kerri Rawson had a ‘nagging’ sense as she followed every development in the Idaho murders case. After the arrest of Bryan Kohberger, she tells Bevan Hurley how her ‘stomach sank’ when she realised a link between the suspect and her father, notorious serial killer Dennis Rader.

My father is the BTK Killer. The arrest in the Idaho murders took my breath away

These were the items seized from Bryan Kohberger’s Washington state home:

04:01 , Megan Sheets

An unsealed search warrant revealed the evidence that was seized from Bryan Kohberger’s apartment in Pullman and his office at Washington State University (WSU) during searches in late December.

- one nitrite type black glove

- one Walmart receipt with one Dickie’s tag

- two Marshalls receipts

- dust container from a vacuum

- multiple possible hair and hair strands

- one possible animal hair strands

- two cuttings from uncased pillow of reddish/brown stain

- two top and bottom mattress cover with multiple stains

- items with a ‘dark red spot’

- a computer tower

- a Fire TV stick

No items were seized from his office which he shared with other PhD students.

Xana Kernodle’s mother slams ‘betrayal’ by Bryan Kohberger’s lawyer

01:00 , Megan Sheets

The mother of slain University of Idaho student Xana Kernodle has claimed that she gave her power of attorney to the public defender now representing her daughter’s alleged killer.

Anne Taylor, the chief of the Kootenai public defender’s office, filed on 5 January to recuse herself from representing Xana Kernodle’s mother Cara Denise Northington in order to become the lead defence attorney for Bryan Kohberger.

In an interview with NewsNation on Wednesday night, Ms Northington spoke out over the sense of “betrayal” she feels after her attorney stepped down from her case, saying she had given Ms Taylor power of attorney over her.

The Independent’s Andrea Blanco has the full story:

Idaho murder victim’s mom says she gave Bryan Kohberger lawyer power of attorney

The unique facial feature that may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders

Sunday 5 February 2023 22:01 , Megan Sheets

Bryan Kohberger’s distinct eyebrows may have been among the first in a string of details that linked him to the Idaho murders, according to a new report.

Air Mail’s “The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two” offers a vivid description of the Moscow police hunt for evidence that would ultimately materialise in Mr Kohberger’s arrest for the murders of four University of Idaho students, based on an affidavit released earlier this month and sources close to the investigation,

According to the report, a lead investigator first had an inkling that Mr Kohberger would become a suspect in the crime after he ran the Washington State University PhD student’s licence plate and noticed his “bushy eyebrows”.

One of the surviving roommates at the 1122 King Road home had recounted how she unknowingly saw her friends’ killer leaving the scene before going back into her room in a state of shock. The woman said the killer was wearing a mask, but his “bushy eyebrows” stood out to her.

Andrea Blanco has more:

One unique facial feature may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders

FBI denies claim it ‘lost’ Bryan Kohberger before Idaho college murders arrest

Sunday 5 February 2023 19:01 , Megan Sheets

The FBI has denied claims that it “lost” accused mass killer Bryan Kohberger while he was under surveillance for the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students.

Surveillance teams had been tasked with keeping eyes on the 28-year-old criminology PhD student after he became a “person of interest” in the 13 November murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho.

But, law enforcement sources told Air Mail’s “The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two”, that in the early hours of 13 December, Mr Kohberger set off on a cross-country drive with his father from Washington State University (WSU) to his family home in Pennsylvania and the surveillance team “lost” him.

However, on Thursday an FBI spokesperson denied the shocking account calling it “false information” which “is not helpful to the case against Kohberger or to the American public”.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:

FBI denies claim agents ‘lost’ Bryan Kohberger before Idaho college murders arrest

Bryan Kohberger’s trial for the Idaho murders is months away. How strong is the case against him?

Sunday 5 February 2023 16:01 , Megan Sheets

It will be another six months before Bryan Kohberger and the families of his alleged victims come face to face in court again, after his preliminary hearing was postponed until the summer.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student could face the death penalty if convicted when he eventually goes on trial for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin – the four students who were found violently stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.

For more than six weeks, the murders remained a mystery and left the small college town racked by fear.

Then, on 30 December, Mr Kohberger was arrested 2,500 miles away at his family home in Pennsylvania and charged with four counts of murder and one charge of burglary.

Details about the murders and his alleged role in them were laid out in the damning probable cause affidavit released earlier this month.

But just how strong is the case against him? What can we expect next from the defence and the prosecution? And why has Mr Kohberger’s attorney requested evidence about a co-defendant?

Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, speaks to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case and what to expect next as it makes it way through the courts:

How strong is the case against Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger?

BTK killer Dennis Rader says Bryan Kohberger is ‘very lonely'

Sunday 5 February 2023 13:01 , Megan Sheets

Serial killer Dennis Rader has expressed sympathy for Bryan Kohberger as he awaits trial in the Idaho murders.

Rader —who gave himself the title of the BTK killer because he bound and tortured his victims before killing them — is serving ten consecutive life sentences in a maximum security prison in Kansas after he confessed in 2005 to killing 10 people over a span of three decades.

In an interview with Fox News Digital on Wednesday, Rader said he understands how Mr Kohberger must feel while in solitary confinement at Latah County Jail ahead of his preliminary hearing on 26 June.

“Since I spent from February 2005 to April 2005 in a cell by myself, I know how he feels. Very lonely,” Rader told the outlet, adding that his situation improved when he was allowed to receive mail. “And soon letters started to come in ... [I] read a lot of the Bible and wrote poetry.”

Andrea Blanco has the story:

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

Why police aren’t sharing more information on the case

Sunday 5 February 2023 09:00 , Megan Sheets

A court in Idaho recently extended a gag order prohibiting law enforcement officials from revealing information about the murders of four University of Idaho students and the arrest of their accused killer Bryan Kohberger.

The order, issued by the Latah County Chief Magistrate on 4 January, was extended on 19 January and will remain in place throughout court proceedings until a verdict has been reached or unless the mandate is modified by the court.

The earlier court order banned investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and members of both the prosecution and the defence from sharing any new information about the investigation or the suspect before a verdict is reached at trial.

As a result Moscow Police Department, which had been sharing updates on the investigation, said in a statement that it will no longer be communicating with the public or the media regarding the case.

The order both extends and expands the earlier measure.

According to court documents “any attorney representing witness, victim, or victim‘s family, as well as the parties to the above-entitled action, including but not limited to investigators, law enforcement personnel, and agents for the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney, are prohibited from making extrajudicial statements (written or oral) concerning this case”.

Defence team receives thousands of documents and photos as evidence in Idaho murders case

Sunday 5 February 2023 05:01 , Megan Sheets

Attorneys representing Bryan Kohberger this week received thousands of documents and photos as evidence in the University of Idaho murders case.

Court filings reveal that prosecutors in Moscow, Idaho, handed over the huge trove of evidence to lawyers for the 28-year-old suspected mass killer last week, including 995 pages of documents, one audio/video file, and 1,865 photos.

The evidence – which shows what led investigators to arrest the criminology PhD student for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin – came in response to the defence’s discovery request in the case.

However, the state objected to handing over some information in the case, including the identity of potential informants.

“The State objects to requests by the Defendant for anything not otherwise addressed above on the grounds that such requests are outside the scope of I.C.R. 16 and/or are not subject to disclosure under ICR 16(g) (work product and informants),” prosecutors wrote in the court filings.

Students launch fundraiser selling bracelets in victims’ honour

Sunday 5 February 2023 02:01 , Megan Sheets

University of Idaho students have launched a fundraiser selling bracelets in honour of the four murder victims.

The Vandal Strong bracelets are black silicon bands featuring the names of Ethan, Maddie, Xana and Kaylee.

They are for sale on the UI website with funds from the sales set to go towards a memorial for the victims.

“Student fundraiser organized by @ASUIDAHO selling #vandalstrong bracelets to raise money towards building a permanent memorial on @uidaho campus for Xana, Ethan, Madison, and Kaylee. A way for us to honor and remember them forever,” tweeted Xana Kernodle’s family member Sheldon Kernodle.

Bryan Kohberger’s attorney has ties to family of second Idaho murders victim

Saturday 4 February 2023 22:00 , Megan Sheets

Bryan Kohberger’s public defender once represented a relative of not one but two Idaho murders victims.

Court records obtained by Inside Edition reportedly show that Chief of the Kootenai Public Defender’s Office Anne Taylor was the attorney for slain University of Idaho student Madison Mogen’s stepmother as recently as June 2022.

Earlier this week, the Idaho Statesman revealed that Ms Taylor also represented Cara Denise Northington — Xana Kernodle’s mother — before recusing herself to take on Mr Kohberger’s quadruple murder case.

Mr Kohberger is accused of brutally stabbing Kernodle, Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Ethan Chapin on 13 November in the college town of Moscow.

He was arrested on 30 December at his parent’s home in Pennsylvania before he was extradited to Idaho on 5 January.

The records also reveal that Ms Taylor was Benjamin Mogen’s legal counsel in late 2020, and represented his wife Korie Hatrock in the summer of 2022.

Mr Mogen pleaded guilty to drug charges at the time and received a three-month prison sentence. Ms Hatrock pleaded guilty to one charge of felony drug but it is unclear whether she served any time in prison, per Inside.

In an interview with NewsNation on Wednesday night, Ms Northington spoke out over the sense of “betrayal” she feels after her attorney stepped down from her case, saying she had given Ms Taylor power of attorney over her.

“I’d already signed over power of attorney so that she could help me with getting into rehab and whatnot,” said Ms Northington, who has a long history of brushes with the law. “I trusted her. She pretended that she was wanting to help me. And to find out that she’s representing him – I can’t even convey how betrayed I feel.”

Read more from Andrea Blanco:

Bryan Kohberger’s attorney has ties to family of second Idaho murders victim

Idaho students recall seeing Bryan Kohberger ‘staring’ on campus

Saturday 4 February 2023 19:00 , Megan Sheets

Several students have recalled seeing Bryan Kohberger – a PhD student at Washington State University – on the University of Idaho campus in the weeks before the murders.

Three separate students told People that they believe they saw him in the Student Union building, with one saying he was sitting “staring” at people.

“It was really early in the semester,” sophomore student Chelsea said. “He was at the food court, drinking water. He sat by himself.”

“He was the type to stare. He wouldn’t look away if you caught him staring. Like he wanted you to notice that he was looking at you. He didn’t smile, didn’t nod, didn’t say anything. Just stared.”

Chelsea said that his behaviour prompted her to point him out to a friend.

“I told my friend to not be suspicious but to look at him, because the eye contact was making me uncomfortable,” she said. “It was so weird that we ended up leaving and eating outside, because we wanted to get away from him.”

Another student told the outlet she recognised Mr Kohberger after his arrest as she had seen him often around the campus – despite the fact that he did not go to UI.

“It’s not a huge school; it’s like a small town,” she said.

“So you start seeing the same faces again and again. They become familiar, like you know that you’ve seen them in class or around campus. I definitely saw him more than once. He was just really quiet and really intense, staring. He made me uncomfortable.”

Their accounts support comments previously made by a law enforcement source to People that the suspect spent some time on the UI campus before the 13 November killings.

No connection is yet known between the suspect and the victims.

The unique facial feature that may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders

Saturday 4 February 2023 16:01 , Megan Sheets

Bryan Kohberger’s distinct eyebrows may have been among the first in a string of details that linked him to the Idaho murders, according to a new report.

Air Mail’s “The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two” offers a vivid description of the Moscow police hunt for evidence that would ultimately materialise in Mr Kohberger’s arrest for the murders of four University of Idaho students, based on an affidavit released earlier this month and sources close to the investigation,

According to the report, a lead investigator first had an inkling that Mr Kohberger would become a suspect in the crime after he ran the Washington State University PhD student’s licence plate and noticed his “bushy eyebrows”.

One of the surviving roommates at the 1122 King Road home had recounted how she unknowingly saw her friends’ killer leaving the scene before going back into her room in a state of shock. The woman said the killer was wearing a mask, but his “bushy eyebrows” stood out to her.

Andrea Blanco has more:

One unique facial feature may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders

FBI denies claim it ‘lost’ Bryan Kohberger before Idaho college murders arrest

Saturday 4 February 2023 13:01 , Megan Sheets

The FBI has denied claims that it “lost” accused mass killer Bryan Kohberger while he was under surveillance for the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students.

Surveillance teams had been tasked with keeping eyes on the 28-year-old criminology PhD student after he became a “person of interest” in the 13 November murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho.

But, law enforcement sources told Air Mail’s “The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two”, that in the early hours of 13 December, Mr Kohberger set off on a cross-country drive with his father from Washington State University (WSU) to his family home in Pennsylvania and the surveillance team “lost” him.

However, on Thursday an FBI spokesperson denied the shocking account calling it “false information” which “is not helpful to the case against Kohberger or to the American public”.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:

FBI denies claim agents ‘lost’ Bryan Kohberger before Idaho college murders arrest

Bryan Kohberger allegedly followed the three female victims on Instagram

Saturday 4 February 2023 09:00 , Megan Sheets

Bryan Kohberger is believed to have followed all three slain female University of Idaho victims on Instagram and “repeatedly” messaged one of them prior to the brutal stabbings, according to a report.

An investigator familiar with the case told People that the 28-year-old criminology PhD student followed the accounts of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle but neither of them followed him back.

Then, in late-October – around two weeks before the 13 November slayings – Mr Kohberger allegedly messaged one of the victims “repeatedly” on the social media platform, the source said.

It is unclear which of the three female students was the recipient or if she even saw the messages.

However, the source said that the victim did not respond to Mr Kohberger’s messages.

“He slid into one of the girls’ DMs several times but she didn’t respond,” the investigator said.

“Basically, it was just him saying, ‘Hey, how are you?’ But he did it again and again.”

A survivor is defending the surviving roommates in the Idaho murders

Saturday 4 February 2023 05:01 , Megan Sheets

There are many chilling similarities between the murders of four Idaho students in November and a 1992 attack at a student home in Buffalo – none more so than the experiences of the roommates who survived.

Alanna Zabel tells The Independent’s Rachel Sharp why she feels the need to defend the surviving roommate in Idaho and how she understands the way trauma can shape reactions to such horrifying events:

She slept through an attack in her home - and has a message about the Idaho murders

Bryan Kohberger’s trial for the Idaho murders is months away. How strong is the case against him?

Saturday 4 February 2023 02:01 , Megan Sheets

It will be another six months before Bryan Kohberger and the families of his alleged victims come face to face in court again, after his preliminary hearing was postponed until the summer.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student could face the death penalty if convicted when he eventually goes on trial for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin – the four students who were found violently stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.

For more than six weeks, the murders remained a mystery and left the small college town racked by fear.

Then, on 30 December, Mr Kohberger was arrested 2,500 miles away at his family home in Pennsylvania and charged with four counts of murder and one charge of burglary.

Details about the murders and his alleged role in them were laid out in the damning probable cause affidavit released earlier this month.

But just how strong is the case against him? What can we expect next from the defence and the prosecution? And why has Mr Kohberger’s attorney requested evidence about a co-defendant?

Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, speaks to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case and what to expect next as it makes it way through the courts:

How strong is the case against Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger?

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Bryan Kohberger

Friday 3 February 2023 22:01 , Megan Sheets

Serial killer Dennis Rader has expressed sympathy for Bryan Kohberger as he awaits trial in the Idaho murders.

Rader —who gave himself the title of the BTK killer because he bound and tortured his victims before killing them — is serving ten consecutive life sentences in a maximum security prison in Kansas after he confessed in 2005 to killing 10 people over a span of three decades.

In an interview with Fox News Digital on Wednesday, Rader said he understands how Mr Kohberger must feel while in solitary confinement at Latah County Jail ahead of his preliminary hearing on 26 June.

“Since I spent from February 2005 to April 2005 in a cell by myself, I know how he feels. Very lonely,” Rader told the outlet, adding that his situation improved when he was allowed to receive mail. “And soon letters started to come in ... [I] read a lot of the Bible and wrote poetry.”

Andrea Blanco has the story:

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

These were the items seized from Bryan Kohberger’s Washington state home:

Friday 3 February 2023 20:11 , Megan Sheets

An unsealed search warrant revealed the evidence that was seized from Bryan Kohberger’s apartment in Pullman and his office at Washington State University (WSU) during searches in late December.

- one nitrite type black glove

- one Walmart receipt with one Dickie’s tag

- two Marshalls receipts

- dust container from a vacuum

- multiple possible hair and hair strands

- one possible animal hair strands

- two cuttings from uncased pillow of reddish/brown stain

- two top and bottom mattress cover with multiple stains

- items with a ‘dark red spot’

- a computer tower

- a Fire TV stick

No items were seized from his office which he shared with other PhD students.

FBI denies claim it ‘lost’ Bryan Kohberger before Idaho college murders arrest

Friday 3 February 2023 18:00 , Rachel Sharp

The FBI has denied claims that it “lost” accused mass killer Bryan Kohberger while he was under surveillance for the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students.

Surveillance teams had been tasked with keeping eyes on the 28-year-old criminology PhD student after he became a “person of interest” in the 13 November murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho.

But, law enforcement sources told Air Mail’s “The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two”, that in the early hours of 13 December, Mr Kohberger set off on a cross-country drive with his father from Washington State University (WSU) to his family home in Pennsylvania and the surveillance team “lost” him.

However, on Thursday an FBI spokesperson denied the shocking account calling it “false information” which “is not helpful to the case against Kohberger or to the American public”.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:

FBI denies claim it ‘lost’ Bryan Kohberger before Idaho college murders arrest

Bryan Kohberger’s attorney says defence has no evidence to hand to state

Friday 3 February 2023 17:00 , Rachel Sharp

Court filings show the suspect’s defence attorney’s has now responded to the state’s request for discovery in the case.

In a court filing on 30 January, public defender Anne Taylor writes that the defence so far has no evidence to turn over such as books, documents, papers and photos.

There are also no results or reports of mental or physical exams or tests, the documents state.

Bryan Kohberger’s attorney responds to state’s request for discovery (Idaho courts)
Bryan Kohberger’s attorney responds to state’s request for discovery (Idaho courts)
Bryan Kohberger’s attorney responds to state’s request for discovery (Idaho courts)
Bryan Kohberger’s attorney responds to state’s request for discovery (Idaho courts)

Bryan Kohberger’s attorney has ties to family of second Idaho murders victim

Friday 3 February 2023 16:00 , Rachel Sharp

Bryan Kohberger’s public defender once represented a relative of not one but two Idaho murders victims.

Court records obtained by Inside Edition reportedly show that Chief of the Kootenai Public Defender’s Office Anne Taylor was the attorney for slain University of Idaho student Madison Mogen’s stepmother as recently as June 2022.

Earlier this week, the Idaho Statesman revealed that Ms Taylor also represented Cara Denise Northington — Xana Kernodle’s mother — before recusing herself to take on Mr Kohberger’s quadruple murder case.

Mr Kohberger is accused of brutally stabbing Kernodle, Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Ethan Chapin on 13 November in the college town of Moscow.

He was arrested on 30 December at his parent’s home in Pennsylvania before he was extradited to Idaho on 5 January.

The records also reveal that Ms Taylor was Benjamin Mogen’s legal counsel in late 2020, and represented his wife Korie Hatrock in the summer of 2022.

Mr Mogen pleaded guilty to drug charges at the time and received a three-month prison sentence. Ms Hatrock pleaded guilty to one charge of felony drug but it is unclear whether she served any time in prison, per Inside.

In an interview with NewsNation on Wednesday night, Ms Northington spoke out over the sense of “betrayal” she feels after her attorney stepped down from her case, saying she had given Ms Taylor power of attorney over her.

“I’d already signed over power of attorney so that she could help me with getting into rehab and whatnot,” said Ms Northington, who has a long history of brushes with the law. “I trusted her. She pretended that she was wanting to help me. And to find out that she’s representing him – I can’t even convey how betrayed I feel.”

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home in the Idaho murders case

Friday 3 February 2023 15:00 , Rachel Sharp

A search warrant was executed at Mr Kohberger’s apartment in Pullman, Washington, on 30 December, the same day he was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania on charges for the 13 November stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho.

A record of evidence recovered during the apartment search was unsealed on Wednesday, revealing the seizure of 15 items including hairs, receipts, a computer tower, a disposable glove and items with peculiar stains.

The record reignited a frenzy of speculation online - despite its simplicity and lack of conjecture.

But what significance, if any, can actually be gleaned from the list? The Independent spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on each item.

Read the story:

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

Friday 3 February 2023 14:00 , Andrea Blanco

Serial killer Dennis Rader has expressed sympathy for Bryan Kohberger as he awaits trial in the Idaho murders.

Rader —who gave himself the title of the BTK killer because he bound and tortured his victims before killing them — is serving ten consecutive life sentences in a maximum security prison in Kansas after he confessed in 2005 to killing 10 people over a span of three decades.

In an interview with Fox News Digital on Wednesday, Rader said he understands how Mr Kohberger must feel while in solitary confinement at Latah County Jail ahead of his preliminary hearing on 26 June.

“Since I spent from February 2005 to April 2005 in a cell by myself, I know how he feels. Very lonely,” Rader told the outlet, adding that his situation improved when he was allowed to receive mail. “And soon letters started to come in ... [I] read a lot of the Bible and wrote poetry.”

The Independent has the story:

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

Bryan Kohberger’s ‘bushy eyebrows’ may have first linked him to the Idaho murders

Friday 3 February 2023 13:00 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger’s distinct eyebrows may have been among the first in a string of details that linked him to the Idaho murders, according to a new report.

Air Mail’s “The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two” offers a vivid description of the Moscow police hunt for evidence that would ultimately materialise in Mr Kohberger’s arrest for the murders of four University of Idaho students, based on an affidavit released earlier this month and sources close to the investigation,

According to the report, a lead investigator first had an inkling that Mr Kohberger would become a suspect in the crime after he ran the Washington State University PhD student’s licence plate and noticed his “bushy eyebrows”.

Read the full story.

Idaho students recall seeing Bryan Kohberger ‘staring’ on campus

Friday 3 February 2023 12:00 , Rachel Sharp

Several students have recalled seeing Bryan Kohberger – a PhD student at Washington State University – on the University of Idaho campus in the weeks before the murders.

Three separate students told People that they believe they saw him in the Student Union building, with one saying he was sitting “staring” at people.

“It was really early in the semester,” sophomore student Chelsea said. “He was at the food court, drinking water. He sat by himself.”

“He was the type to stare. He wouldn’t look away if you caught him staring. Like he wanted you to notice that he was looking at you. He didn’t smile, didn’t nod, didn’t say anything. Just stared.”

Chelsea said that his behaviour prompted her to point him out to a friend.

“I told my friend to not be suspicious but to look at him, because the eye contact was making me uncomfortable,” she said. “It was so weird that we ended up leaving and eating outside, because we wanted to get away from him.”

Another student told the outlet she recognised Mr Kohberger after his arrest as she had seen him often around the campus – despite the fact that he did not go to UI.

“It’s not a huge school; it’s like a small town,” she said.

“So you start seeing the same faces again and again. They become familiar, like you know that you’ve seen them in class or around campus. I definitely saw him more than once. He was just really quiet and really intense, staring. He made me uncomfortable.”

Their accounts support comments previously made by a law enforcement source to People that the suspect spent some time on the UI campus before the 13 November killings.

No connection is yet known between the suspect and the victims.

FBI denies claims it ‘lost’ Bryan Kohberger

Friday 3 February 2023 10:55 , Rachel Sharp

The FBI has denied claims that it “lost” Bryan Kohberger while he was under surveillance as a suspect in the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

Law enforcement sources told Air Mail’s “The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two” that on 13 December, when he set off on a cross-country drive with his father from Washington State University (WSU) to his family home in Pennsylvania, the surveillance team “lost” him.

For the next “several alarming hours – or more,” Mr Kohberger had “seemingly vanished,” the outlet reported.

However, on Thursday an FBI spokesperson denied the account calling it “false information” which “is not helpful to the case against Kohberger or to the American public”.

“The FBI is aware of reports detailing alleged FBI surveillance on Idaho murder subject Brian Kohberger,” the spokesperson told the New York Post.

“There are anonymous sources providing false information to the media.

“Publishing of false information attributable to anonymous sources is not helpful to the case against Kohberger or to the American public,” the spokesperson said.

BTK Killer’s daughter sensed her father in the Idaho murders

Friday 3 February 2023 09:30 , Andrea Blanco

Kerri Rawson had a ‘nagging’ sense as she followed every development in the Idaho murders case. After the arrest of Bryan Kohberger, she tells Bevan Hurley how her ‘stomach sank’ when she realised a link between the suspect and her father, notorious serial killer Dennis Rader.

My father is the BTK Killer. The arrest in the Idaho murders took my breath away

A survivor is defending the surviving roommates in the Idaho murders

Friday 3 February 2023 08:00 , Andrea Blanco

There are many chilling similarities between the murders of four Idaho students in November and a 1992 attack at a student home in Buffalo – none more so than the experiences of the roommates who survived.

Alanna Zabel tells The Independent’s Rachel Sharp why she feels the need to defend the surviving roommate in Idaho and how she understands the way trauma can shape reactions to such horrifying events:

She slept through an attack in her home - and has a message about the Idaho murders

‘Reddish-brownish-stained’ items were seized from Bryan Kohberger’s Washington state home on the day of his arrest

Friday 3 February 2023 07:00 , Andrea Blanco

In the search warrant record, investigators list several items with stains, including cuttings of a mattress cover, a “reddish/brown” stain on an uncovered pillow and a “collection of dark red spot”.

Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told The Independent that police likely believe those stains could be blood.

“A reddish or brown stain is a euphemism for, ‘We found something that looks like blood,’” Dr Miller said. “It might be blood from the victims, might be his blood. They don’t know until they test it, but they’ll be able to get DNA if it is blood. We don’t know what the stains in the cover sheets look like, but again they’re looking for any kind of DNA, evidence that might have come from the crime scene.”

Bryan Kohberger is facing murder charges in the killings of four University of Idaho students

Ms Coffindaffer added: “They don’t call it blood, but it’s definitely inferred that it was blood.”

Dr Miller noted that while stains on clothing and bedding are not necessarily unusual, investigators will try to link the evidence found at the Pullman apartment to the crime scene in Moscow.

“The likelihood that any of those stains came from the crime scene, is going to be dependent on how well he cleaned up,” he said.

Ethan Chapin’s family opens up about finding ‘the little victories’ in their grief journey

Friday 3 February 2023 05:30 , Andrea Blanco

In a Facebook post on Monday, Stacy Chapin said she and her husband had visited her two surviving triplets, Mazie and Hunter, at the University of Idaho over the weekend. The Chapin triplets were all enrolled at the college in the town of Moscow when Ethan was killed on 13 November.

Ethan’s girlfriend Xana Kernodle her roommates Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were also brutally murdered in the attack in their off-campus rental home. Washington State University PhD student Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested and charged with the slayings on 30 December.

Speaking out about life after losing her son, Ms Chapin said she had early on agreed with her husband that Maizie and Hunter would be returning to school for the spring semester. The mother-of-three said that she wanted to keep her family close but also allow her children “to heal at their own pace.”

During their visit, Ms Chapin said, the parents fed over 20 of their children’s friends and enjoyed long conversations, coffee dates and hugs.

The Chapin family also spent time “remembering Ethan and sharing stories” before Ms Chapin and her husband returned to their home in Washington.

Judge extends gag order in Idaho murders

Friday 3 February 2023 04:00 , Andrea Blanco

A court in Idaho has extended a gag order issued earlier this month prohibiting law enforcement officials from revealing information about the murders of four University of Idaho students and the arrest of their accused killer Bryan Kohberger.

The order, issued by the Latah County Chief Magistrate on 4 January, was extended on 19 January and will remain in place throughout court proceedings until a verdict has been reached or unless the mandate is modified by the court.

The earlier court order banned investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and members of both the prosecution and the defence from sharing any new information about the investigation or the suspect before a verdict is reached at trial.

As a result Moscow Police Department, which had been sharing updates on the investigation, said in a statement that it will no longer be communicating with the public or the media regarding the case.

The order both extends and expands the earlier measure.

According to court documents “any attorney representing witness, victim, or victim‘s family, as well as the parties to the above-entitled action, including but not limited to investigators, law enforcement personnel, and agents for the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney, are prohibited from making extrajudicial statements (written or oral) concerning this case”.

Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship

Friday 3 February 2023 02:30 , Andrea Blanco

A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings.

New emails obtained by The New York Times show a brief exchange between Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger and the then-chief of Pullman Police Department Gary Jenkins regarding Mr Kohberger’s interview process for the research assistantship for public safety position in April 2022.

Mr Kohberger, 28, is facing four murder charges in the brutal stabbings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November. Mr Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania on 30 December before he was extradited to Idaho on 5 January.

In his email to Mr Jenkins, Mr Kohberger wrote that “it was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share [his] thoughts and excitement.” Mr Jenkins replied that it was “great to meet and talk with you as well.”

It is not clear whether Mr Kohberger was offered a position with the department.

U of I students launch fundraiser selling bracelets in victims’ honour

Friday 3 February 2023 01:00 , Andrea Blanco

University of Idaho students have launched fundraiser selling bracelets in honour of the four murder victims.

The Vandal Strong bracelets are black silicon bands featuring the names of Ethan, Maddie, Xana and Kaylee.

They are for sale on the UI website with funds from the sales set to go towards a memorial for the victims.

“Student fundraiser organized by @ASUIDAHO selling #vandalstrong bracelets to raise money towards building a permanent memorial on @uidaho campus for Xana, Ethan, Madison, and Kaylee. A way for us to honor and remember them forever,” tweeted Xana Kernodle’s family member Sheldon Kernodle.

One unique facial feature may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders

Thursday 2 February 2023 23:21 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger’s distinct eyebrows may have been among the first in a string of details that linked him to the Idaho murders, according to a new report.

According to Air Mail’s “The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two”, a lead investigator first had an inkling that Mr Kohberger would become a suspect in the crime after he ran the Washington State University PhD student’s licence plate and noticed his “bushy eyebrows”.

The Independent has the story:

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home in the Idaho murders case

Thursday 2 February 2023 21:17 , Andrea Blanco

A record of evidence recovered during the apartment search was unsealed on Wednesday, revealing the seizure of 15 items including hairs, receipts, a computer tower, a disposable glove and items with peculiar stains.

The record reignited a frenzy of speculation online - despite its simplicity and lack of conjecture.

But what significance, if any, can actually be gleaned from the list? The Independent spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on each item.

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home

Ethan Chapin’s family opens up about finding ‘the little victories’ in their grief journey

Thursday 2 February 2023 20:23 , Andrea Blanco

In a Facebook post on Monday, Stacy Chapin said she and her husband had visited her two surviving triplets, Mazie and Hunter, at the University of Idaho over the weekend. The Chapin triplets were all enrolled at the college in the town of Moscow when Ethan was killed on 13 November.

Ethan’s girlfriend Xana Kernodle her roommates Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were also brutally murdered in the attack in their off-campus rental home. Washington State University PhD student Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested and charged with the slayings on 30 December.

Speaking out about life after losing her son, Ms Chapin said she had early on agreed with her husband that Maizie and Hunter would be returning to school for the spring semester. The mother-of-three said that she wanted to keep her family close but also allow her children “to heal at their own pace.”

During their visit, Ms Chapin said, the parents fed over 20 of their children’s friends and enjoyed long conversations, coffee dates and hugs.

The Chapin family also spent time “remembering Ethan and sharing stories” before Ms Chapin and her husband returned to their home in Washington.

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

Thursday 2 February 2023 19:09 , Andrea Blanco

Serial killer Dennis Rader has expressed sympathy for Bryan Kohberger as he awaits trial in the Idaho murders.

In an interview with Fox News Digital on Wednesday, Rader said he understands how Mr Kohberger must feel while in solitary confinement at Latah County Jail ahead of his preliminary hearing on 26 June.

Read the full story:

BTK killer Dennis Rader shares sympathy for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship

Thursday 2 February 2023 18:01 , Andrea Blanco

A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings.

Emails obtained by The New York Times last month show a brief exchange between Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger and the then-chief of Pullman Police Department Gary Jenkins regarding Mr Kohberger’s interview process for the research assistantship for public safety position in April 2022.

Mr Kohberger, 28, is facing four murder charges in the brutal stabbings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November. Mr Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania on 30 December before he was extradited to Idaho on 5 January.

In his email to Mr Jenkins, Mr Kohberger wrote that “it was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share [his] thoughts and excitement.” Mr Jenkins replied that it was “great to meet and talk with you as well.”

It is not clear whether Mr Kohberger was offered a position with the department.

What can we expect from the preliminary hearing?

Thursday 2 February 2023 17:00 , Rachel Sharp

Further evidence and information about the case is not expected to be made public until the preliminary hearing on 26 June, after a judge issued a gag order preventing officials from talking about the case.

Behind the scenes, both sides will be “conducting investigative work, examining discovery and moving the case forward,” attorney Duncan Levin told The Independent.

In the preliminary hearing, the prosecution and the defence will then both lay out their cases in court for the first time, witnesses will likely be called and the defence will have the opportunity to cross-examine them, and Mr Kohberger will enter a plea on the charges.

“I think this case looks like it is headed to trial,” Mr Levin, adding that due to the complexity of the case it could take some time.

“As a case where the death penalty is on the table, it will take a long time to wind its way through the courts and it will be a lengthy court proceeding,” he said.

“It’s not the kind of case a court regularly handles so whether it’s in 2023 is an open question.”

Bryan Kohberger’s trial for the Idaho murders is months away. How strong is the case against him?

Thursday 2 February 2023 16:00 , Rachel Sharp

It will be another six months before Bryan Kohberger and the families of his alleged victims come face to face in court again, after his preliminary hearing was postponed until the summer.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student could face the death penalty if convicted when he eventually goes on trial for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin – the four students who were found violently stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.

For more than six weeks, the murders remained a mystery and left the small college town racked by fear.

Then, on 30 December, Mr Kohberger was arrested 2,500 miles away at his family home in Pennsylvania and charged with four counts of murder and one charge of burglary.

Details about the murders and his alleged role in them were laid out in the damning probable cause affidavit released earlier this month.

But just how strong is the case against him? What can we expect next from the defence and the prosecution? And why has Mr Kohberger’s attorney requested evidence about a co-defendant?

Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, speaks to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case and what to expect next as it makes it way through the courts:

How strong is the case against Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger?

Thursday 2 February 2023 15:00 , Rachel Sharp

Court filings show the suspect’s defence attorney’s has now responded to the state’s request for discovery in the case.

In a court filing on 30 January, public defender Anne Taylor writes that the defence so far has no evidence to turn over such as books, documents, papers and photos.

There are also no results or reports of mental or physical exams or tests, the documents state.

Bryan Kohberger’s attorney responds to state’s request for discovery (Idaho courts)
Bryan Kohberger’s attorney responds to state’s request for discovery (Idaho courts)
Bryan Kohberger’s attorney responds to state’s request for discovery (Idaho courts)
Bryan Kohberger’s attorney responds to state’s request for discovery (Idaho courts)

One unique facial feature may have linked Bryan Kohberger to the Idaho murders

Thursday 2 February 2023 14:00 , Andrea Blanco

Bryan Kohberger’s distinct eyebrows may have been among the first in a string of details that linked him to the Idaho murders, according to a new report.

According to Air Mail’s “The Eyes of a Killer: Part Two”, a lead investigator first had an inkling that Mr Kohberger would become a suspect in the crime after he ran the Washington State University PhD student’s licence plate and noticed his “bushy eyebrows”.

The Independent has the story:

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home