Moscow Murders suspect appears before Idaho judge as public gains access to telling court docs

Moscow, Idaho - The main suspect in the quadruple murder of four University of Idaho students faced a Latah County judge for the first time since being apprehended in Pennsylvania, clearing the way for the unsealing of the probable cause affidavit that led to his arrest.

Suspect Bryan Kohberger was booked into the Latah County Jail on Wednesday evening.
Suspect Bryan Kohberger was booked into the Latah County Jail on Wednesday evening.  © Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

On Thursday morning, the main suspect in the Moscow murders case, 28-year-old Washington State PhD student Bryan Kohberger, stood before a Latah County judge for the first time and was officially served with his arrest warrant.

The hearing was not livestreamed, and those who attended were not allowed to live tweet the hearing. Cameras were allowed to record, but the footage couldn't be uploaded or otherwise distributed until the courtroom was dismissed.

Video footage from the courtroom captured by Law & Crime show Kohberger alongside his court appointed attorney Anne Taylor. The judge presiding over the preliminary hearing, Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall, first explained Kohberger's rights to him – including the presumption of innocence – before laying out the charges he's currently facing.

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The suspect was not granted bail, though his attorney had asked for it.

Kohberger has been officially charged with one count of felony burglary, which means prosecutors believe he broke into the victims' home with the intent to commit a felony, being murder. If he pleads guilty to this charge, or is later found guilty of it, Kohberger will face no less than one year in prison and no more than 10, and/or a $50,000 fine.

The suspect was also charged with four counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of the victims: Ethan Chapin (20), Madison Mogen (21), Xana Kernodle (20), and Kaylee Goncalves (21).

The maximum punishment for the murder charges Kohberger faces is either life in prison or the death penalty.

With Kohberger's first Idaho hearing out of the way, the state was able to unseal the lengthy probable cause affidavit that led to his arrest – and the document was extremely telling.

What was in the probable cause affidavit that led to suspect Bryan Kohberger's arrest?

The "Idaho 4" victims were Kaylee Goncalves (top l), Xana Kernodle (top r), Ethan Chapin (bottom l), and Madison Mogen (bottom r).
The "Idaho 4" victims were Kaylee Goncalves (top l), Xana Kernodle (top r), Ethan Chapin (bottom l), and Madison Mogen (bottom r).  © Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Press

When Kohberger was apprehended in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, it was partially thanks to a probable cause affidavit that cleared the way for an out-of-state arrest warrant.

However, due to Idaho state laws, that document had to remain sealed until the suspect returned to Idaho and had an initial appearance with a Latah County judge to hear the charges against him.

Moments before Kohberger's initial hearing took place on Thursday morning, the 19-page affidavit was released. To the surprise of many who have been following the case, it appears that only one page was redacted.

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According to the document, during law enforcement's video canvasing review, Kohberger's vehicle was spotted multiple times on camera in the neighborhood of the King Road home that the gruesome quadruple murder was committed between 3:29 AM and 4:20 AM on November 13.

Law enforcement officers and investigators also reported finding a leather knife sheath on one of the victim's beds that had "Ka-Bar" and "USMC" written on it along with the US Marine Corps eagle globe and anchor insignia. The Idaho state lab was able to locate a single source of DNA from this sheath. The DNA matched that of DNA that was later obtained through an item of trash outside of Kohberger's parents home in Pennsylvania.

The affidavit also noted law enforcement's jarring interview with one of the victims' roommates who was home at the time of the murder.

Jarring details about the Moscow murders case come to light through probable cause affidavit

The King Road home in Moscow, Idaho where the gruesome murders took place.
The King Road home in Moscow, Idaho where the gruesome murders took place.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

The roommate said she was asleep when she was awoken at 4 AM on November 13 to what she believed was Kaylee Goncalves saying something like "there's someone here." This led the roommate, identified as "D.M." in the affidavit, to peer outside her bedroom, though she didn't see anything.

She opened her door a second-time moments later after hearing what she thought was crying coming from Xana Kemodle's room and a male voice saying something similar to "it's OK, I'm going to help you."

Per the affidavit, a nearby security camera at a residence northeast of the victims' King Road rental home picked up distorted audio that sounded like voices whimpering before a loud thud.

This led the roommate to open her door once more, where she told law enforcement officers it was then that she saw an athletically built male figure with bushy eyebrows clad in all-black clothes and a mask covering his mouth and nose. The roommate recounted that the man walked by her as she stood frozen in shock, and proceeded to walk towards the back sliding glass door.

The affidavit also notes that in addition to video footage, cell phone tower records were used to pinpoint a suspect, which put them on Kohberger's trail yet again. At 2:47 AM on November 13, the suspect's cell phone pinged a tower southeast of his residence in Pullman, Washington. After that, the cell phone stopped reporting to the network, which the affidavit states are "consistent with either the phone being in an area without cellular coverage, the phone being placed in airplane mode, or the phone being turned off.

The phone reappeared at 4:50 AM, and from that time until 5:26 AM, the phone was utilizing cell towers that were "consistent" with the phone traveling south on S.H. 95, then west towards Uniontown, Idaho, and then north back into Pullman, Washington.

Around 5:30 AM, Kohberger's phone was again utilizing cell towers near his Pullman residence.

Suspect's phone was near King Road home numerous times prior to stabbing

Through the review of such cell phone tower records, law enforcement officers believe the suspect's phone was in the area of the King Road home at least 12 times in the months leading up to the November 13 slaying.

The affidavit also notes when Kohberger and his dad were pulled over in Indiana on December 15, a traffic stop that true crime sleuths are convinced was orchestrated by the FBI, though no official associated with the investigation has come forth to directly confirm or deny this.

Kohberger's next hearing is currently set to take place on January 12.

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

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