By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-25 00:41:57 | Updated at 2024-12-25 13:33:37
12 hours ago
Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger was once investigated in connection to a terrifying home invasion in Pullman, Washington.
The shocking twist only deepens the mystery surrounding one of the most infamous murder cases in recent history.
The Pullman home invasion occurred in October 2021, just 10 miles from the horrific events in Moscow, Idaho, where four students were savagely stabbed to death in their off-campus home in November 2022.
Newly released body camera footage obtained by ABC News has shed light on the eerie break-in that left a young woman shaken and fearing for her life.
'I heard my door open and I looked over, and someone was wearing a ski mask and had a knife,' the woman told officers in the footage, her voice trembling with fear.
'I kicked the s*** out of their stomach and screamed super loud. They flew back into my closet and then ran out my door and up the stairs.'
The alleged attack occurred in the dead of night, at around 3.30am.
Officials have revealed Bryan Kohberger - the accused suspect in the brutal quadruple homicide of four University of Idaho students - was once investigated in connection to a terrifying home invasion in Pullman, Washington
Newly released body camera footage sheds light on the eerie break-in that left a young woman shaken and fearing for her life
The masked intruder was silent and held a knife as he entered her bedroom, the victim said.
Despite her quick reaction and a roommate's immediate call to 911, responding officers found no trace of the suspect or any physical evidence.
Fast forward just over one year later to November 13, 2022, when the sleepy college town of Moscow, Idaho, was rocked by a quadruple killing.
Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, along with their housemate Xana Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death in the early morning hours.
Survivors in the home later recounted seeing a masked man with 'bushy eyebrows' fleeing after overhearing cries and sounds of a violent struggle.
Thirteen days after the killings Kohberger was named as a person of interest in the Pullman case.
There were chilling parallels between the Pullman break-in and the Moscow homicides.
Both incidents involved a masked intruder, a knife, and a silent, predatory figure entering homes in the stillness of early morning hours.
Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, along with their housemate Xana Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, were found brutally stabbed to death in November 2022
Kohberger, 28, a Ph.D. criminology student at Washington State University, was arrested weeks after the Idaho murders at his parents' home in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania
But authorities have since clarified that Kohberger is no longer considered a person of interest in the Pullman case.
Kohberger, 28, a PhD criminology student at Washington State University, was arrested weeks after the Idaho murders at his parents' home in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.
He now faces four first-degree murder charges and a felony burglary charge.
Prosecutors allege Kohberger stalked the off-campus rental home before the attack and meticulously planned the murders.
However, Kohberger's potential connection to the Pullman break-in initially raised eyebrows.
According to police reports, Kohberger was named a person of interest in the Pullman case just 13 days after the Idaho murders, but some critical differences between the two cases ultimately ruled him out.
The victim of the Pullman break-in described her attacker as being 5'3' to 5'5', while Kohberger stands at six feet tall.
Kohberger's background as a criminology student has added to the intrigue, with some speculating whether his academic interests might have played a role in the alleged crimes
Kohberger has filed multiple challenges to the search warrants executed during his arrest, claiming procedural errors and privacy violations
Furthermore, Kohberger was not yet enrolled at Washington State University at the time of the 2021 incident.
Pullman police have since closed the case, and it remains unsolved.
Kohberger's background as a criminology student has only added to the intrigue, with many speculating whether his academic interests might have played a role in the planning and execution of his alleged crimes.
Kohberger has filed multiple challenges to the search warrants executed during his arrest, claiming procedural errors and privacy violations.
Prosecutors, however, remain steadfast in their case, rejecting his attempts to suppress evidence.
His trial - scheduled to begin with jury selection on July 30, 2025 - is being heard in Ada County in Boise in hopes of a more favorable jury.
Prosecutors have claimed that Kohberger's DNA was found on a Ka-Bar knife sheath found at the victim's off-campus home, though no murder weapon was ever found.
Officials have also claimed that cell phone data and surveillance put Kohberger's car at the crime scene.
Kohberger was a PhD criminology student and teaching assistant at Washington State University's Pullman campus, a 15-minute drive from Moscow, Idaho.
Kohberger has maintained his innocence since his arrest and filed his alibi in 2023 as 'late night drives'.
