48 Hours - The Idaho Student Murders

Episode Date: January 8, 2023

Four college students are found stabbed to death in their home. Police say the suspect had studied the criminal mind. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. Well, today, Koberger made his first court appearance in Idaho to face four charges of first-degree murder. If convicted, Koberger faces life in prison and possibly the death penalty. At his initial appearance, you'll hear the charges against him.

Count two alleges that you committed the felony offense of murder in the first degree. Count three, murder in the first degree. Count four, murder in the first degree. Count five, alleges that you committed. In high school, he would talk, he would laugh and stuff like that. But when I saw him a couple of years later, it was just kind of creepy. I don't know what happened. It's like a switch went off and he just changed. The newly released affidavit reveals so much information. Details about how police tracked the suspect down. DNA, phone records, and a witness. Brian Koberger was studying criminal justice and criminology right here at Washington State University.

It was really shocking because of all the different parts of my life that were tied to this as a journalist, as a teacher of college students, and certainly as a father and a citizen here. Since the gruesome murders at a house off campus at the University of Idaho, the town of Moscow remains in shock. We hear so many stories now about Maddie and Kaylee and Ethan and Zanna, about how close they were, the type of people they were. It's devastating to hear that. It's heart-wrenching. What do you want the world to know about your daughter, Kaylee? This was a person that was going to go into your community and make it better. All these kids were going to make your community better.

You would want them as your neighbor. You'd want them to interact with your children. Zanna Kernodle. Zanna Kernodle. She was so positive and lighthearted and understood the gift of life more than anyone I know. Ethan Chapin. Today we're here to honor the life and legacy of our son, Ethan Chapin, one of the most incredible people you'll ever know. Madison Mogan.

My only child that we ever had and so just smart and funny and beautiful. Kaylee Gonsalves. You know, most things as a dad you can handle, but something like that you just can't prepare for and you can't fix it. Why did you do it?

As a father, that's a terrible feeling. As a professor here on this campus, I want to know what is the motive? Why do something like this? How did he know Maddie and Kaylee and Ethan and Zanna, if indeed he is the person who committed this crime? Brian is not tried in the court of public opinion. He has that presumption of innocence.

I honestly think he did it because he wants to see if he can get away with it. Are you hoping to make eye contact with Brian at some point? Eye contact's a guarantee. I definitely want to let him know that I'm not going anywhere. We're not going anywhere. This day of court is not just for him. It's for everybody. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman.

The scary cult classic was set in the Chicago housing project. It was about this supernatural killer who would attack his victims if they said his name five times into a bathroom mirror. Candyman. Candyman? Now we all know chanting a name won't make a killer magically appear. But did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? I was struck by both how spooky it was, but also how outrageous it was. We're going to talk to the people who were there. And we're also going to uncover the larger story.

My architect was shocked when he saw how this was created. Literally shocked. And we'll look at what the story tells us about injustice in America. If you really believed in tough on crime, then you wouldn't make it easy to crawl into medicine cabinets and kill our women. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, wherever you get your podcasts. Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty.

Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets, the most dangerous secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all. I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X. In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defence attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list.

She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop. Now, through dramatic interviews and access, I'll reveal the truth behind one of the world's most shocking legal scandals. Listen to Informant's Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. Under a dark Idaho sky, investigators flew Brian Kohlberger to the college town of Moscow. Police delivered him to the Latah County Jail. On January 5th, in an orange jumpsuit, face vacant, the 28-year-old made what will likely be his first of many appearances in this court. He stands charged with the murder of four students from the University of Idaho.

Kaylee Gonsalves, Madison Maddy-Mogan, Ethan Chapin, and Zanna Kernodle. Investigators say he stabbed them to death in the home the women shared. to death in the home the women shared. The maximum penalty for this offense, if you plead guilty or found guilty, is up to death and imprisonment for life. Do you understand? Yes. Koberger has not yet entered a plea. In an affidavit, investigators laid out their understanding of the grim details about the night of the killings. They say the killer left his DNA on a leather knife sheath, like this one, found on a bed next to Maddie Mogan. And most hauntingly, they say a surviving roommate thought she heard crying and saw a figure clad in black clothing and a mask. The man walked past as she stood in frozen shock. She locked herself in her room.

We will have more details on this fast-moving investigation. Authorities have not disclosed a motive or if he had a connection to the students. But tonight, we are learning more about just who Brian Koberger is. Just 15 days before his arrest, Brian Koberger and his father were driving home from Washington State University for winter break to the family's home in Pennsylvania. Hello. How you doing? How y'all doing today?

Pennsylvania. Hello. How y'all doing today? The journey interrupted by two traffic stops almost 10 minutes apart in Indiana for tailgating. We're going to be going to Pennsylvania. Oh, okay. We're a little, we're slightly plunged because we've been driving for hours. Police body cam video shows Koberger and his father talking calmly with an officer about the trip. Hours, days. Then they are released with a warning. Koberger had been at the university since August, studying to get his Ph.D. in criminology. He was also a teaching assistant in the Department of Criminal Justice. He lived in an apartment complex on campus and had an office there. According to the newly released affidavit, Koberger had applied for an internship with the Pullman Police Department in the fall.

He wrote in his application essay that, quote, he had interest in assisting rural law enforcement agencies with how to better collect and analyze technological data. Benjamin Roberts took four classes with Koberger. He seemed very comfortable around other people. He was fairly quick to offer his opinion and thoughts, and he was always participating fairly eagerly in classroom discussions. He says Kohlberger appeared highly intelligent. Does anything else come to mind that Brian said to you in the past that today you think might be of interest? There was a comment that he made,

and it was this kind of a flippant guy talk thing. At one point he just idly mentioned, you know, I can go down to a bowl or a club and just have pretty much any lady I want. Ryan Koberger. Koberger arrived at the university after earning his bachelor's in psychology and master's degree in criminal justice at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. While at DeSales, authorities say Brian Kohlberger posted this survey, approved by the university, on the website Reddit, asking ex-cons about the crimes they committed. One question he asked, before making your move, how did you approach the victim or target?

This could be a piece of circumstantial evidence. James Gagliano is a retired FBI supervisory special agent and CBS News consultant. The fact that the suspect was interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in criminal justice and was especially interested in the mental state that people who had committed murders in the past, yes, it could be interesting to note. But I know a lot of researchers that study those things, too, that would never commit a quadruple homicide. never commit a quadruple homicide. And if Koberger was involved in these murders, genetic genealogist CeCe Moore questions why he would be so careless as to allegedly leave his DNA at the crime scene. People are talking about how smart he supposedly is. I just can't see how that could be true because any student of forensic science or criminology would have to know that it's virtually impossible not to leave your DNA behind at a very violent,

intimate crime scene like this. You know, Ted Bundy thought he was smart, but he wasn't that smart, as it turns out. After the murders, Roberts says Koberger appeared disheveled, tired, and chattier than usual. But nothing could prepare Roberts for when he learned of Koberger's arrest. Looking back over the last four months is that I feel like there should have been signs that I should have seen. And I didn't. I was blindsided. This is out of character for Brian, these allegations. Monroe County Public Defender Jason Labar represented Kohlberger before he was extradited to Idaho. The family want the general public to know that Brian is a caring

son and brother, that he's responsible, that he is devoted to them. In a statement, the family said, We care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children and that they seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions. He is innocent and pill-proven otherwise. Labar says Koberger came from a close-knit family. He grew up in eastern Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains.

His father was a maintenance worker, and his mom worked in the school system. Brian has two older sisters, one who works as a family therapist and another sister who appeared in a 2011 low-budget slasher film two days back about a group of young students viciously murdered by a serial killer. She now works as a school counselor. My heart goes out to Brian's family. This is Kohlberger's friend Bree, who says she met Kohlberger at a party when they attended Pleasant Valley High School. She asked us not to use her last name. Brian was really funny. He wasn't outgoing at all. He was, but he also wasn't shy. She says they bonded over their love of the outdoors. I don't necessarily

remember the conversations, but you definitely remember how someone makes you feel. I just remember feeling okay. I was just with a friend. It just felt natural. Bree recalls Koberger was an average student with only a few close friends. In this yearbook photo, Koberger's caption said he aspired to be an army ranger. I used to be friends with Brian Koberger. Casey Arntz also knew Koberger from high school. She posted this TikTok following Brian's arrest. I am just in absolute shock right now. He was an overweight kid, so he did get bullied a lot. But Casey says people saw a change in Kohlberger beginning of senior year. He lost like 100 pounds. He was a real.

It was after that weight loss that a lot of people noticed a huge switch in him. My brother has since come out to say that even though they were friends, Brian bullied him. He had said like he would put him in like chokeholds and stuff like that. Brie says Koberger started using heroin, which ended their friendship. You just saw him becoming more self-destructive. He really stayed secluded. It's unclear when exactly Koberger went into recovery, but both Bree and Casey say years after he graduated high school, it appeared as if he was getting his life together.

He was going to Northampton Community College and working security for Pleasant Valley School District. He was telling me that he wanted to get sober, that he was getting sober. And he just wanted to let me know, like, I'm going to do better. I'm going to be better. I'm sorry. Last time I saw O'Brien was in 2017 at one of my friends' wedding. And I gave him a hug and I was like, you look so good. Like, I'm so proud of you. I just remember being very happy for him.

And both Brie and Casey say it appeared that Kohlberger had a new focus, his studies in criminology. He wanted to do something that impacted people in a good way. People were not his strong suit. And I think through his criminology studies, he was really trying to understand humans and try to understand himself. Now, Bree, like many who knew him, struggles to connect the person they once knew to this unspeakable crime. I think a lot of people who were close to him are feeling this massive amounts of guilt. Why didn't I see it?

Did I miss something? Where did it go wrong? Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? Or why nearly every house in America has at least one game of Monopoly? Introducing The Best Idea Yet, a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boy about the surprising origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. Like, did you know that Super Mario, the best-selling video game character of all time, only exists because Nintendo couldn't get the rights to Popeye?

Or, Jack, that the idea for the McDonald's Happy Meal first came from a mom in Guatemala? From Pez dispensers to Levi's 501s to Air Jordans, discover the surprising stories of the most viral products. Plus, we guarantee that after listening, you're going to dominate your next dinner party. So follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can listen to The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery+. It's just The Best Idea Yet. In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little-known British territory called Pitcairn, and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn once they reached the age of 10

that was still a virgin. It just happens to all of us. I'm journalist Luke Jones, and for almost two years, I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pitcairn. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it, people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse

and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely Pacific island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Before this was a crime scene, it was a home to these five close friends. Maybe none closer than Maddie Mogan and Kele Gonsalves.

Guys! On TikTok, the 21-year-old seniors looked like they were enjoying their final school year. You gonna choose me, baby, you dig? seniors looked like they were enjoying their final school year. In the early morning of November 13th, the two friends headed to a food truck, but their seemingly carefree existence would come to an abrupt end just hours later. Kaylee and Maddie were stabbed to death in the upstairs part of the house. A hundred miles away away in northern Idaho, Kaylee's father, Steve, got the news. And Steve, give us a sense of the shock of that moment.

You just feel like you're getting crushed by a thousand pounds of weight. What do you want the world to know about your daughter, Kaylee? What do you want the world to know about your daughter Kaylee? I want the world to know they got robbed. Somebody stole from you. Steve Gonzalves says his daughter Kaylee would have made the world a better place. A general studies major, she was the middle child of five siblings. Steve says Kaylee was always up for a challenge.

She grew up around two boys that were, you know, older than her, and she didn't see any reason why she couldn't be as quick and fast and as good as those two boys were. What did she want to do with her life? Like most young people, it changed. She was going to be a teacher, but once she found out how long it was going to take to pay back her student loans, she said, Dad, you know, this thing you do with computers seems to work pretty well. She reportedly had a job lined up in Austin, but made it clear that one day she hoped to settle down somewhere near her dearest friend, Maddie Mogan. Maddie was a marketing major and she and Kaylee had been inseparable since the sixth grade. I just felt like it was more of a sistership than it was friendship so and she was just one of our kids. So it perhaps did not come as a surprise when Steve revealed at a November memorial that Kaylee and Maddie died side by side.

They went to high school together. They came here together. And in the end, they died together in the same room, in the same bed. It comforts us. It lets us know that they were with their best friends in the whole world. It was a belief Maddie's stepfather, Scott Laramie, repeated to another packed memorial just days later. The two of them were a force to be reckoned with. They stuck together through everything. Maddie had a boyfriend, Jake Schreiger.

She was the first person I talked to every morning and the last person I talked to before bed. They had been together for more than a year. Jake says Maddie had a talent for making people laugh. She was really funny. Her jokes really would come out of nowhere and just be like, was that the cute little blonde girl that just said that? But Maddie and Kaylee weren't the only victims.

While two other roommates were in their rooms and Kaylee weren't the only victims. While two other roommates were in their rooms and unharmed during the attacks, on the second floor, the killer made his way to the room of Zanna Kernody. She was my baby sister, but she was so much wiser. Zanna's sister, Jasmine. She would always tell me she wouldn't know what to do without me, and now I have to live this life without her. A 20-year-old junior majoring in marketing, Zanna was known for being focused on her studies. So focused, she didn't make much time for dating. Zanna never had a boyfriend before, and my dad and I wondered if she was ever going to get one. That was until she met Ethan Chapin. The way she would talk and smile about him was something I've never seen her do before.

Ethan was a 20-year-old majoring in recreation and tourism management. Jasmine says Zanna and Ethan began dating in the spring of 2022. They had something so special and everyone around them knew. Especially anyone who followed the pair on Instagram. For Ethan's birthday, Zanna posted photos of them with the caption, life is so much better with you in it. Love you. It would be her last Instagram. Just two weeks later, the young couple was found stabbed to death in Zanna's bedroom. At the University of Idaho, the pain of this tragedy is felt at the root and extends hundreds of miles away to a tulip farm in Skagit Valley, Washington. It's where Ethan worked before heading to college. His boss, Andrew Miller.

So Ethan started, it was in the spring of 21. It was the best Tulip Festival. Miller says the annual Tulip Festival attracts close to half a million visitors. And Ethan stood out in the crowd. He's a big guy wearing a big smile, right? I think that's the part that I, that kind of struck me right away. Ethan, a triplet, worked there with his siblings, Maisie and Hunter, and lived in a rented house on the farm with their parents. The Chapin triplets were incredibly close, says Reese Gardner. They were best friends. If one did something, they all did something. It was pretty

cool to see. Including attending the University of Idaho together. And that was the funniest thing. It was like, of course it was a package deal. Like all three of them were going to go there. He was excited, I think, because his siblings were going with him. Araya Macaba says Ethan's parents had decided to live in Idaho, too. Macabre says when she heard Ethan had been murdered, she couldn't believe it. I think the first thing I did was message Ethan. I was like, hey, you're OK, right? Like, this isn't real. And obviously they respond. Reese Gardner scoured the Internet for information.

And I just couldn't stop reading articles. And I just wanted to know what articles and I just wanted to know what happened and I wanted to know why. But in lieu of answers, Gardner turned to tulips. That's going to be so sick. Oh, it's going to be so pretty. He had an idea. Name one after Ethan.

I thought there's no better way to remember someone who had such a big part, a big role in those farms. Because Reese called me and it was, hey, can this be done? And are you interested in doing it? And I was, yes and hell yes. But creating a new tulip is a long process. So instead, Miller suggested a mix of tulips that would be a perfect tribute to Ethan.

Yellow and white. Yellow, of course, because go Vandals, University of Idaho, right? That's significant. And then white is an eternal color, right? And tulips come up in the spring. It is a symbol of hope. With his parents' blessing, they named the mix of tulips Ethan's Smile. Yeah, so this will be a nice yellow or white tulip here in about four months. The trio planted thousands of bulbs

in the state of Washington and sent a couple thousand more to the University of Idaho. And it really is our hope that we'll be able to continue to plant and that anybody that wants to remember him will be able to have their own Ethan's Smile Garden. It's a living legacy. Now it is up to prosecutors to get justice for these young victims. 47 days after the murders of Kaylee Gonsalves, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogan, and Zanna Kernodle, authorities apprehended the man they believed was responsible. authorities apprehended the man they believed was responsible. We now know investigators had Brian Kohlberger in their sights early on, but kept it close to the vest. So in the early days, after the November 13th murders,

frustration swept over Moscow, Idaho. I think in this instance, people were expecting a pretty quick arrest in this case, and it takes time. Police still have no suspect, weapon, or motive. No arrests have been made, and no suspects identified by police. Investigators are asking the public to be patient. Steve Consolvas, father of 21-year-old Kaylee, was trying as best he could to deal with news no one expects. Most things I'm prepared for, most things as a dad you can handle, but something like that you just can't prepare for and you can't fix it. Just think if you do everything right by the book, something like this couldn't happen.

Did you have any sense who might have done something like this? Did you have any sense who might have done something like this? No, I didn't think anybody in her circles was capable of interacting in her doing something that could even deserve something like that. As news spread of the murders, so did shock in the college community, which had not seen a homicide since 2015. Parents drove hundreds of miles to pick up their kids, to head home and stay home for the semester. Matt Loveless is a journalism professor at nearby Washington State University. At this point, we don't know if they're going to come back for the spring semester there on campus.

And so that same thing happened in both of our communities. And so when parents send their kids off to school for something to happen like this, I think it's a parent's worst nightmare. James Galliano is a retired FBI supervisory special agent and CBS News consultant. It's a place, Moscow, Idaho, where violent crime really is not an issue. As police started their investigation, they traced the victims' final steps. The day before the murders seemed to start ordinarily. Kaylee Gonsalves posted photos with her roommates and Ethan Chapin to her Instagram account with the caption, one lucky girl to be surrounded by these people every day.

That evening, Ethan and Zanna attended a party at a frat house on campus. Kaylee and Madison were at a bar between 10 p.m. and 1.30 a.m. They were then seen at that local food vendor, the Grub Truck. It is believed they all returned home by about 2 a.m. on November 13th. So when examining the timeline, police know that the crime took place sometime in the early morning hours. There were also two other University of Idaho students who were inside the house when the murders took place. It was later that morning that a call was made to 9-1-1 from one of the surviving roommates phones to report an unconscious person police arrived at the house at 11 58 a.m police

find the victims on the second and third floor of the house in bedrooms a horrific and a very large-scale crime scene because you're going to be dealing with a number of different floors that need to be processed, the bedrooms where the crimes actually occurred, and then ingress and egress points. How did the alleged killer get inside the house? Through a front door, through a window, those are all things police will be looking at. No weapon has been located at this time. There was no sign of forced entry into the residence. On November 16th, three days after the murders, the Moscow police held their first press conference. We believe this was an isolated, targeted attack on our victims. We do not have a suspect at this time, and that individual is still out there.

Coroner Kathy Mobbitt issued her report on November 17th. They were all murdered through stabbing with some kind of a, probably a larger knife. She told police some of the four victims had defensive wounds, but none had signs of sexual assault. Police continued to work the case, aided by the Idaho State Police and the FBI. I just believe that the Moscow Police Department probably just didn't have a lot of experience in working a homicide, especially one as heinous as this one. After about three weeks with no arrests and what to the public appeared to be no real suspects,

Steve Gonsalves grew more concerned that authorities weren't doing enough and that the murders would turn into a cold case. So, he says, he started working with his own team to investigate the murders. We just thought, this is the time, let's get it out there and let's not let it get cold. Let's get as many resources as possible. Did you have any sense whatsoever as to what a motive might have been for these murders? Pretty girls and a handsome guy, I thought, you know, there might be something to do with their, you know, stalking them in the sense of that. Meanwhile, names of possible people of interest were trickling out,

including members of the community and acquaintances of the victims. But they all seemed to be part of an unfounded rumor mill, many from online sleuths. Steve even had people come to him to prove they were not involved. We had certain suspects take their shirts off in our kitchen to show if they had scratches. We tried to do everything in our powers to make sure that if we thought somebody was rolled out, we truly felt like, you know, we looked at them. Law enforcement would end up receiving thousands of tips, but the investigation by outward appearances seemed to be stalled. Nearly a month after the murders, on December 7th,

police were seen packing up the victim's belongings to return to the families who had lost so much. It was the police chief behind the wheel of the U-Haul truck. That same day, a plea was made to the public. Police were interested in speaking with the occupant of a white 2011 to 2013 Hyundai Elantra that looks similar to this with an unknown license plate spotted near the crime scene around the time of the killings. Today's update is the first descriptive tip that we've received in several days. Detectives now want to speak with anyone who is inside a white Hyundai Elantra that was near this home on King Road around November 13th. We still believe there's more information to be gathered. Pushing that out to the media, pushing that out to people on the internet,

pushing that out so that people can look for either a potential suspect, person of interest, or a potential vehicle, that goes a long way towards running down leads. It turns out that about two weeks before the police asked the public to be on the lookout for a white Hyundai Elantra, they had already shared that information with surrounding law enforcement. And on November 29th, a white Elantra was located by Washington State University police. The car was registered to Brian Koberger. CBS News learned that in mid-December, the Hyundai Elantra was tracked for several days by the FBI using easy pass monitoring, fixed wing aircraft, and ground support, as it was driven by Koberger along with his father from Pullman, Washington,

on that cross-country trip to the family's home in Pennsylvania. Where are you headed? On December 15th, the car was stopped twice in Indiana for those driving violations by the Indiana State Police and the Hancock Sheriff's Office. So you're coming from Washington State University and you're going where? So you're coming from Washington State University? Yeah. And you're going where? Oh.

We're going to be going to Pennsylvania. Both agencies said at the time of the stops, there was no information available on a suspect for the crime in Idaho to include identifying information or any specific information related to the license plate state or number of the white Hyundai Elantra. Do me a favor, don't mull it too close, okay? Police did not ticket Kohlberger. They gave a verbal warning and the trip continued home. And then Kohlberger's holiday came to an abrupt halt. A suspect is under arrest for the quadruple murder of four Idaho college students. On December 30th, 2022, police made that announcement that Brian Koberger was under arrest for the murders.

He was arrested at his family's home in Albrightville, Pennsylvania at 3 a.m. with approximately 50 law enforcement officers on the scene. There were multiple windows that were broken, I believe, to gain access, as well as multiple doors. Authorities believe Brian Kohlberger acted alone. Brian was very shocked by his arrest. Brian did not know why they were there, but he was aware of the case ongoing in Idaho. Monroe County Public Defender Jason Labar represented Kohlberger in Pennsylvania as he was awaiting extradition to Idaho. Monroe County public defender Jason LaBar represented Kohlberger in Pennsylvania as he was awaiting extradition to Idaho. Brian indicated to me that he was eager to be exonerated,

that he was willing to go back to Idaho. On January 3rd, at a hearing in Pennsylvania, Kohlberger signed his waiver of extradition. They're escorting him off the tarmac there. And on January 4th, he flew to Idaho, where he is in jail, charged with the four murders. All rise. This is State of Idaho versus Brian C. Kohlberger. On January 5th, Kohlberger appeared in court in Moscow with his new public defender to hear the charges read against him. He has yet to enter a plea. The maximum penalty for this offense, if you were to plead guilty or be found guilty, is death or imprisonment for life. Do you understand? Yes. That same day, that affidavit was released that laid out startling new details about the

murder investigation. According to the affidavit, one of the surviving roommates actually saw the murderer and stood in a frozen shock phase. She is referred to as DM in the affidavit and told police that earlier she heard a female voice say something to the effect of, there's someone here, and later a male voice saying something to the effect of, it's okay, I'm going to help you. Later, she opened her door after she heard crying and saw a figure clad in black clothing and a mask. She described the figure as 5'10 with bushy eyebrows. The affidavit states that according to DM, the male walked toward the back sliding door and DM locked herself in her room. It was later in the morning when that call was made to 911 from one of the surviving roommate's phones

to report an unconscious person. It is unclear what occurred in the hours before police were called. It is believed the murders took place between 4 and 4 25 a.m. Police say they discovered on the bed in Madison's room a knife sheath with a marine insignia that looks similar to this one. I would imagine that a crime scene as as grisly and ghastly as this one, that there would have been DNA left by the perpetrator. by the perpetrator. According to the affidavit, the knife sheath was processed and the Idaho State Lab later located a single source of male DNA on the button snap. They were able to link it to DNA recovered from the trash at the Pennsylvania Koberger family home. It is not clear what, if any, connection Koberger had with the victims. However, the affidavit states that by using cellular phone data, police were able to place Koberger's cell

phone near the crime scene on at least 12 occasions before November 13, 2022. All of those occasions, except for one, occurred in the late evening and early morning hours. Even with these new details, many questions remain. A newly issued gag order prohibits officials and others involved in the case from speaking about the murders. Also, authorities have sealed a search warrant that was carried out at Koberger's home in Pullman, Washington. This is one where you don't want a mistake. You don't want something to happen during this process that's going to give the alleged suspect an opportunity to beat the case.

Now, the case will work its way through the court system as parents who lost their children will be looking for answers. We find the truth, you know? You get the truth, and then that'll be everything. You can see it in the stunned, silent faces of the kids. Faces that ask why, without even speaking. Young eyes glisten, bathed in the glow of candlelight.

A ritual all too familiar across America. The flowers, prayers, the vows to carry on. In Idaho, they hold on tight to each other. And to the memories of those loved and lost. Let the friends I've made speak for me. Let them speak for me. Let the friends I've made speak for me. Let them speak for me.

Life is so unfair and unpredictable. For Santa Cronodal's friend Emily, the wound remains raw. And it tears me apart knowing I can't hug her. So hold those you love closer. Hug them a little tighter until you love them. We'll find justice for you, Ethan, Maddie, and Kaylee. We love you all so much. And for Ashlyn, Maddie Mogan's memory is still vibrant. You truly will live on forever. Not only in my heart, but in the heart of so many people that were impacted by your beautiful smile, your grace, your patience, your open heart, and your craziness.

Hunter Johnson remembers a pal he could rely on, Ethan Chapin. Ethan was always someone you could count on to make you smile and cheer up your mood. And I feel so lucky to have shared so many great memories with him. But those who are older perhaps sense that pain that runs this deep never goes away. Kaylee's father, Steve Gonsalves. Yeah, you don't heal from something like this. It's never going to happen. You're never going to be healed. You're never going to get through this.

When they die, part of you dies. We're tired of all these types of crimes. We're tired of all this stuff. And we can rally around these terrible tragedies and we're hoping that as a society we come back stronger and we decide to not let this be accepted anymore. You know, that's what I hope for. Fantastic actress. She wanted to be in movies. A cosplay model charged with her fiancé's murder. I didn't do what they're saying. I did. Now, will the jury believe she's not acting?

Who do you believe killed Matthew Trusler? Melissa Turner. 48 Hours, Saturday on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com.