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

[25 May 2023 22:42 · Andrea Blanco]

Accused Idaho college killer Bryan Kohberger’s belongings test positive for blood

At least two items seized from the home of accused killer Bryan Kohberger tested positive for blood.

Court documents, released by Washington authorities earlier this month, show that multiple items taken from the 28-year-old Washington State University criminology PhD student’s apartment in Pullman had been tested for the presence of blood.

While most items came back negative, two items were positive.

Those items were a mattress cover on the bed and an uncased pillow, both of which were described as having visible “reddish brown stains”. The documents do not reveal who the blood belongs to.

The items were all seized when police executed a search warrant at Mr Kohberger’s address on 30 December – the day that he was arrested for the murders of University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.

[26 May 2023 00:00 · Andrea Blanco]

WATCH:: Bryan Kohberger being pulled over by Washington police one month before college murders

[26 May 2023 01:00 · Andrea Blanco]

Kaylee Goncalves’ father thanks roommates who survived Idaho murders for helping in Bryan Kohberger case

The father of slain University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves has expressed his support for the young women who survived the attack in which his daughter was killed.

Dylan Mortensen and Brittany Funke were inside their off-campus home in Moscow when roommates Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in the early morning hours of 13 November.

According to an affidavit released earlier this year, Ms Mortensen told investigators that on the night of the murders, she saw “a figure clad in black clothing and a mask that covered the person’s mouth and nose walking towards her”.

Ms Mortensen and Ms Funke faced online harassment as speculation grew and questions were raised over the eight hours that passed between the attack and the time police were called. They were never considered suspects and authorities have described them as survivors since the early stages of the probe.

In an interview with NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield aired last week, Goncalves’ father Steve Goncalves thanked Ms Funke and Ms Mortensen for their cooperation with the investigation, which he called critical to build a strong case against suspect Bryan Kohberger.

“They’re going through a lot; I appreciate what they’ve done for the case and all the information that they’ve provided,” Mr Goncalves said. “I wish they wouldn’t have to go through it but it’s critical, it’s absolutely going to make the case so I commend them for their courage and to go through this and to know I can’t fix it for them.”

[26 May 2023 02:00 · Andrea Blanco]

Timeline of the Idaho college murders

Bryan Kohberger has refused to enter a plea on four murder charges, prompting the judge to make one on his behalf and effectively moving the case to trial.

The Independent’s Io Dodds reports:

[26 May 2023 03:00 · Andrea Blanco]

There was a glaring mistake at the Idaho murders hearing

The grieving family of slain University of Idaho Kaylee Goncalves has complained to the court after the judge presiding over their daughter’s murder case mispronounced her name.

[26 May 2023 04:00 · Andrea Blanco]

Bryan Kohberger’s sister searched his car for evidence before police swooped in

Sources told NBC’s Dateline that one of the accused killer’s older siblings grew increasingly suspicious of her brother and his behaviour when the family gathered to spend the holidays together.

Her suspicions were so great that – at one point – several family members searched Mr Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra for possible evidence of the crime, they said.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

[26 May 2023 05:00 · Andrea Blanco]

WATCH: Idaho student murders suspect stands silent after hearing charges during arraignment

[26 May 2023 06:00 · Andrea Blanco]

Judge enters not guilty plea for suspect in stabbing deaths of 4 University of Idaho students

A judge entered a not guilty plea Monday for a man charged in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, setting the stage for a trial in which he could potentially face the death penalty.

The 13 November 2022 killings stunned the rural community of Moscow, Idaho, and prompted many students to leave campus early, switching to remote learning for the remainder of the semester.

Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested late last year and charged with burglary and four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the slayings of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin at a rental home near the University of Idaho campus.

AP

[26 May 2023 07:00 · Andrea Blanco]

Bryan Kohberger’s parents to testify in 2022 Dana Smithers case - report

Bryan Kohberger’s parents have been called to testify before a grand jury in Pennsylvania in a case related to Dana Smithers, who went missing in 2022, according to NewsNation.

Smithers, a 45-year-old woman, was last seen on 28 May 2022 in Monroe County and her remains were discovered in a wooded area in Stroudsburg on 27 April, around 30 miles away from Kohberger’s home in Albrightsville.

However, a source told NewsNation that Mr Bryan’s alibi proves that he likely wasn’t involved in Smithers’ missing case.

But the grand jury has not concluded their proceedings in the case and investigations are ongoing.

[26 May 2023 08:00 · Andrea Blanco]

Bryan Kohberger allegedly broke into female student’s home and spied on her months before Idaho murders

Bryan Kohberger is believed to have broken into the home of a female student and then installed security cameras to spy on her in the months before he allegedly killed four other students in a horror attack in Moscow, Idaho.

The 28-year-old criminology PhD student had befriended the woman after he moved to Pullman, Washington state, to begin a graduate program in criminal justice at Washington State University (WSU), according to a source.

One day, the woman returned to her apartment and found that someone had broken in and moved items around the home – but that nothing was missing.

Since nothing was taken, the woman decided not to call the police but instead called her new friend Mr Kohberger and asked him to come over.

Mr Kohberger allegedly offered to install a video security system inside her home and the woman agreed.

Following its installation, investigators believe Mr Kohberger used the security cameras to spy on the woman as – knowing her wifi password – he was able to tap into the cameras when within close proximity to the apartment.

The bombshell allegation was revealed in an NBC Dateline episode titled “The Killings on King Road”, which reported that Mr Kohberger is now a strong suspect in the initial break-in. NewsNation originally reported the claims last month.