BOISE, Idaho — Where is the murder weapon? Did you find the murderer’s clothes? Those were some of the questions answered Wednesday about the investigation into the deaths of four University of Idaho students.
Officials held a news conference following the confessed killer’s sentencing to pull back the curtain on how they captured Bryan Kohberger.
Chief of Moscow Police, Anthony Dallinger, called the investigation “one of the most complex and high-profile cases” in his state’s history. From start to finish, the case lasted just shy of four years.
Chief Dallinger credited the closure of the case to the “extraordinary level of coordination—from local and state officers to federal agents and analysts as well as prosecutors, forensics teams, and technical experts.”
In a show of transparency, Chief Dallinger stated that the Moscow Police Department will be launching a website for the public to access all of his department’s police reports in the case – free of charge. It’s expected to go live sometime Wednesday.
Where is the murder weapon, murderer’s clothes?
Investigators said they searched far and wide for the KA-BAR knife they believe Kohberger used to stab the four students to death.
While they found the sheath at the scene of the crime – the weapon was nowhere to be found.
“There’s no evidence that would lead us to any specific or even general location as to where the murder weapon or where the clothes have been,” the investigators shared.
So where did they search?
“On the ground, in the water, we did searches,” they told the media. “We sent soil samples to try to figure out maybe where a shovel had been used. So we searched everywhere that we possibly could, but the reality is we are looking for a singular small – well, it’s not that small – but a K-ABAR knife.”
The investigators also said it bothered them that they hadn’t found the clothes.
“We’ve struggled with that. Why did we not find more here and there?”
They spoke to some of the world’s experts, who said it is, in fact, possible to carry out a murder and not get covered in blood.
“If somebody has the training, if somebody has thought about it, wears the right type of clothing, then that could be the outcome.”
Was it a targeted attack?
Investigators say that they believe so.
“Evidence suggests that there was a reason this house was chosen. That reason we don’t know.”
They said maybe it had to do with the layout of the home or the location.
“Perhaps it’s the old ‘hiding in plain sight’ – there are lots of people around, there are lots of vehicles around at all hours, it’s not isolated where you wouldn’t be noticed,” they shared.
Did Kohberger undergo a mental evaluation?
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson confirmed that yes, the convicted killer was evaluated.
“I can tell you that psychological testing was done on Mr. Kohberger,” he told the media.
He said the results are sealed by the court’s orders so he couldn’t speak to any specifics.
But he noted that the results did not play a factor in the prosecution’s decision for a plea deal.
Where will Kohberger serve his sentence?
It’ll be up to the Idaho Department of Corrections. The Latah County Prosecutor said that it could change over time.
“The reality is, we will know about it after it happens,” said Thompson.
It is likely that he will be serving his sentence at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution (IMSI) in Kuna-- the state’s only maximum security prison.
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