Idaho murders: Police address Bryan Kohberger’s ties to woman’s death as parents testify

Bryan Kohberger’s parents were ordered to testify before a grand jury investigating the disappearance and death of Dana Smithers

Moment Idaho student murders suspect arrives in court for arraignment

Police in Pennsylvania have spoken out about the possible connection between Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger and the death of a woman whose body was found almost a year after her disappearance.

It emerged this week that Mr Kohberger’s parents had been ordered to testify before a grand jury investigating the disappearance and death of Dana Smithers, 45.

Smithers vanished without a trace in May 2022 from Monroe County, Pennsylvania – where Mr Kohberger was living at the time. Her remains were found last month in a wooded area, her cause of death still unknown.

A source told CNN that the accused killer’s mother had already given evidence to the grand jury while his father was appearing to testify on Thursday.

Stroud Area Regional Police Department has now issued a statement insisting there is “NO EVIDENCE that Dana Smither’s disappearance, is in ANY WAY tied to Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger”.

The development comes days after Mr Kohberger was arraigned on four counts of murder and one count of burglary in Moscow, Idaho.

Mr Kohberger is accused of killing Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, on 13 November.

Key points

• Bryan Kohberger’s parents to testify in case of woman found dead in Pennsylvania
• What happened to Dana Smithers and how is Kohberger linked?
• Families of murdered students prepare to sue University of Idaho
• Bryan Kohberger refuses to enter plea as he's arraigned on murder charges
• Trial date set for October
• Bryan Kohberger’s sister feared he was responsible for killings prior to arrest

[27 May 2023 11:00 · Andrea Blanco]

ICYMI: Bryan Kohberger ‘stands silent’ and refuses to enter plea in murders of four Idaho college students

Bryan Kohberger refused to enter a plea in the murders of four University of Idaho students who were brutally stabbed to death in a shocking attack that horrified the nation.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student appeared in Latah County Court in Moscow, Idaho, on Monday morning for his arraignment on four charges of first-degree murder and one charge of burglary.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

[27 May 2023 12:30 · Andrea Blanco]

Families of slain University of Idaho students prepare to sue college over murders

An attorney representing the families of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21, filed tort notices this month leaving them open to filing lawsuits within the next two years.

The notices, obtained by ABC News, protect their rights to sue the University of Idaho, Washington State University – the university where accused killer Bryan Kohberger was a student – the city of Moscow and Idaho State Police.

No lawsuit has been filed at this stage and the notices do not reveal what claim the families may make or how much damages they may seek.

The families’ attorney Shanon Gray said that the legal move isn’t meant to do anything “other than protect the interests of the families and the victims moving forward”.

[27 May 2023 14:00 · Andrea Blanco]

Bryan Kohberger’s parents ordered to testify in case of woman who vanished months before Idaho murders

The parents of Idaho student murders suspect Bryan Kohberger have been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury in the family’s home state of Pennsylvania in the case of a woman found dead one year after her sudden disappearance, it has been revealed.

The Independent’s Graeme Massie and Rachel Sharp have more:

[27 May 2023 15:30 · Andrea Blanco]

What we know about the Idaho murders

As the sole suspect in the stabbings of four Idaho students is about to be arraigned on murder charges, The Independent’s Andrea Blanco, Rachel Sharp and Sheila Flynn report on the case in small-town Idaho that has shocked America.