Four young college students brutally massacred in their beds just before Thanksgiving break left the small college town of Moscow, Idaho, in a petrified state as days and weeks went by without any word on who committed the gruesome murders. It seemed like a twisted real-life version of the game Clue; everyone was a suspect. Rumors of jilted exes, stalkers, and bartenders, being the attacker, flurried around town. The cruelest accusations were against the surviving roommates, as many questioned why they waited 8 hours before calling 911. Only adding to the confusion, law enforcement stayed tight-lipped about any suspects or clues about the culprit. That is, until they needed help finding a 2011-2016 Hyundai Elantra; along with their request were two simple stock photos of what the vehicle would look like.
By Nisie
It wasn’t long before news of an arrest and Bryan C. Kohberger’s mugshot were finally revealed. He wasn’t the horrifying monster we were expecting; instead, his grim, clean-shaven face reminds us that monsters are not real, but evil is.
Now that the murder affidavit has been released, we have a better idea of what conspired before that fateful evening that left four college students dead. According to police Kohberger became a suspect when campus police at Washington State University discovered a white Hyundai Elantra fitting the description of the suspicious car. It was quickly found that Kohberger is currently a Ph. D Student in Criminology at Washington State University.
He had a specific interest in how the mind of a criminal worked, so with the approval of his professor; he posted a survey to Reddit. In the ominous poll, he asked participants to provide information on how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime. Also, just weeks before the murders, he applied for an internship with the Pullman Police Department in the fall of 2022. Kohberger wrote in his essay he had an interest in assisting rural law enforcement agencies with how to collect better and analyze technical data in public safety operations. Was Kohberger a serial killer in the making? Or was he trying to commit the perfect crime? Without an admission from Kohberger himself, it isn’t easy to know why he allegedly committed these murderers. But investigators believe they have a clear timeline of when the crime occurred.
The evening of November 12th was like many Saturdays for the six college roommates, and why should it not be? They were young and doing everything right. Ethan Chain and Xana Kernodle were enjoying their senior year as a couple coming into their own. Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen had been friends since middle school. During an interview with Inside Edition, Goncalves’s father described their relationship as more like a sisterhood than a friendship. The two even planned to live in Texas together eventually. So, it was no surprise that they were both seen at a local bar, the Corner Club, that night. Then later that evening, at around 1:30 am, they stopped at a taco truck on the way home, and that is when we see the now infamous footage of the last moments the two young women were alive. According to statements made by the surviving roommates, everyone was home by 2 am and in their rooms by 4 am, just before Kernodle received one final door dash order. Less than twenty minutes later, four of the six roommates living at the house on King Road would be brutally stabbed.
Now that Kohberger is in custody many were hoping to have answers finally, but his incarceration has only brought on more confusion. Last week Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued a no dissemination order regarding the murder charges against Bryan C. Kohberger. This new order prohibits any communication by any officials, lawyers, investigators involved with the case. It is likely prosecutors are avoiding any mistakes that could lead to the accused murderer’s acquittal.
Sources:
Exhibit A: Brett Payne
