Tag Archives: Bryan Kohberger

Do you believe all you see and hear on social media?

As we are coming up on the sad 10-month anniversary soon of the killing of four University of Idaho students, one can’t help but feel a little overwhelmed with all they have seen and heard on social media.

Sites like YouTube have been full of rumors, theories and more as to what happened to Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022 at 1122 King Road.

One such rumor I saw recently was that three of the four victims were tortured and killed elsewhere, then brought to their final resting place in the home. The allegations said only Mogen was in fact killed in the home.

I’ve also seen reports on YouTube that the four were killed because as part of a drug operation that had gone south. Mogen is alleged to have flushed thousands of drugs down a toilet and thus ticked off those running the operation.

If you spend time on YouTube or Tik Tok, you can also discover that some allege there are underground tunnels all over Moscow, including one at the home where the four were discovered dead. This then leads to allegations that drugs were running through such tunnels and so on.

Honestly, with the gag order in place all these months, it of course fuels speculation of all kinds on social sites.

Some have stated that defendant Bryan Kohberger was an informant and got caught up in a drug case gone really bad. Others will tell you that BK followed all three female victims on social media and was stalking at least one of them. Both claims have never been verified by authorities…. so just more chatter to fuel speculation.

At the end of the day, my theory is drugs were involved but not to the level of some highly organized cartel. No college student is likely going to be taken out by a well-run cartel because they allegedly flushed some drugs down a toilet.

More likely, I think drugs to some degree played a role in the four being killed. If that is true, it of course may well come as a shock to the parents grieving the loss of their loved ones.

Last; when all is said and done, we may find out this senseless tragedy was the result of a fight involving frat boys and it spilled over to 1122 King Road.

While pretty much anything is possible at this point, take time to think things through no matter which side of the guilty/not guilty side you find yourself on involving the defendant.

So, what do you think truly went on in the early morning hours of Nov. 13 that took four young lives?

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What should be Kohberger’s biggest concern?

As we await the trial of Idaho 4 murder suspect Bryan Kohberger, what should be his biggest concern?

From getting a fair trial to the evidence against him, there is no doubt a lot on the plate for lead defense attorney Anne Taylor and her team.

With that in mind, what do you think should be Kohberger’s biggest concern once we finally get to trial?

Among the concerns I see:

  • Getting a fair trial in first place – Assuming the trial is held in Moscow and not moved to Boise or elsewhere, can BK get a fair trial at the end of the day? While one would like to think so, one may also have some doubts. I support cameras in the courtroom, feeling they will not have a negative impact on things. I do have some concerns that there is a cover-up of some sorts going on and BK may end up being the fall guy at the end of the day.
  • Trace DNA evidence on sheath – There is much talk even all these months later about the trace DNA evidence reportedly discovered on the knife sheath in the bed of victim Maddie Mogen. Is it legit or was it in fact planted? I have no doubt that the defense team will bring in their own DNA experts to refute anything the prosecution puts out there related to DNA. Let’s not forget this was a party house and countless males were there less than a month before the murders took place and one or more there when at least two of the bodies were found. It is safe to say that home was a walking biological lab with all the people in and out of there before and after the killings.
  • Vehicle reported in the area – Much has been made of BK’s white Elantra supposedly being near 1122 King Road on the day of the murders. Unless there is a clear photo of BK behind the wheel and/or of his license plate taken, it is all speculation to me. Then again, much of this case has to do with speculation.
  • Cell phone pings – It has also been reported numerous times that BK’s phone pinged in the area of 1122 King Road home on countless occasions. Allegations that he turned the phone off around 2:47 a.m. and it did not come back on until after the four students were murdered of course looks bad. Even with that in mind, cell phone pings even in the driveway of the home or the street do not equal proof one took part in murder.
  • He allegedly followed one or more victims on social media – How many times have we heard that the suspect followed one or more of the three deceased females on social media? While that has never been verified, what if he did in fact follow one or more of the victims? How many people do you follow on social media? Chances are the number may be rather high and chances are a fair number of them are of the opposite sex. In no way does that equal you murdering any of them. Also keep in mind BK and the 3 victims were within 10 years of age of one another. He may well have met one or more of them out and about, at a house party at 1122 King Road etc. The social media link is way overblown in my mind.

As we eventually do get to trial, circumstantial evidence could pile up and make it difficult for BK to escape a guilty conviction.

On the flip side of the coin, the state needs to prove beyond a reasonable doubt they have the right killer.

IMO, they have not done so to date and will need some very convincing evidence to do so for this man to be convicted and possibly get the death penalty.

If you were defending BK, what would worry you most?

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Do you question the narrative?

With no Idaho 4 trial starting Oct. 2 (trial was postponed to a date and time to be announced), it is a good opportunity to look back at the tragic Nov. 13, 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.

So, how comfortable are you with the narrative from the Moscow Police Department and others in a position of power?

While I bought into the stalker theory early on, I moved away from it months ago.

Why would someone like myself who has three-plus decades of reporter experience and has followed countless high-profile crime cases question the police narrative?

Guys like Ted Bundy, Danny Rolling and other notorious serial killers sadly made their mark by killing young women. Some of those women were killed in college settings. So, isn’t it possible that defendant Bryan Kohberger was trying to be just like them?

Sure, while Kohberger could have been infatuated with one or more of the three victims, such a scenario seems less plausible if you put emotions aside and think things over.

Any of the victims could have been easily kidnapped at a time and choosing of Kohberger’s.

The idea that the Washington State University teaching assistant would just waltz into 1122 King Road in the middle of the night because he was infatuated with Kaylee, Maddie or Xana seems a stretch at this point. Why risk being caught, potentially getting the bleep beaten out of you etc. when kidnapping them while on the way to/from school, walking or jogging, at the store etc. would be so much easier?

Even with a gag order in place. I’ve also got trouble with no full autopsy report being released, no toxicology report on the four victims, no 9-1-1 call let out after nine months and so on. Putting such information out there for the public is not going jeopardize BK’s chance to have a fair trial.

While this may not be a police and/or University of Idaho coverup, something smells fishy here.

Even though Kohberger does not strike me as having the highest IQ in the world, I also do not think he’s a dummy.

So, what might officials be hiding?

Could it be that drugs were involved or even a pay-for-sex scandal involving police or university officials?

That is not to say that any of the women living in the home or those like victim Ethan Chapin visiting were bad people.

Let’s face it; some college students get mixed up in things that may have started out rather innocent. At times, they can get in over their heads. That by no means says what happened to them on Nov. 13 was in any means justified. It was NOT justified and the person/s responsible need to pay a major price.

All four victims should be with us today living some of the best years of their lives.

With that in mind, are you beginning to question the bag of goods we are being sold by MPD and U of I?

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Should cameras be allowed in the courtroom?

Although the trial date of Oct. 2 for Idaho 4 defendant Bryan Kohberger is off, there will be a trial.

One of the big points of contention has been whether or not to allow cameras in the courtroom.

On the one hand, you have some saying cameras in the courtroom are not only a distraction, but they also can prejudice some as to their views on the defendant. It is inevitable when cameras are in the courtroom that they are going to often focus on the defendant and his counsel.

On the flip side of the coin, you can argue cameras are good for a number of reasons.

Among them:

  • Educational to the public – Having cameras in the courtroom can prove to be educational to the public. How many of us can really call ourselves experts when it comes to the judicial process? While I have some knowledge of how things work in the courtroom, I would not call myself an expert by any means. Even with 34 years in the field of journalism and having covered some courtroom events, I’d not label myself an expert in how it all works. As such, I think allowing the public to see how a trial works can be beneficial now and later down the road.
  • More likely to have transparency – While I would by no means label myself a conspiracy theorist, I do have my doubts at times how our government in general goes about doing things. That can also trickle down to the state and local governing bodies. I think to take away even a hint of doubt in if things are on the up-and-up, having cameras in the courtroom can lessen and even remove those who may say the trial is rigged to one degree or another.
  • Taxpayer dollars at work – Finally, who do you think pays the salaries of many of the people in the courtroom, the governing bodies involved etc. and makes it so they can go to work in the first place in that facility? Yes, we the taxpayers. I feel it is important that we get to see our tax dollars at work.

There are definitely arguments for and against cameras in the courtroom.

If it were up to me, EVERY trial deserving such coverage would be available to the public to view live, not via a media pool, sketch artists etc.

So, do you want cameras in the courtroom when Kohberger goes to trial or are you fine without them there?

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The absurdities of the Idaho 4 case

Even though it has been some nine months since the slayings of four University of Idaho students in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, the theories, verbal online attacks and more continue.

More notable are some of the perceived absurdities of this case that has grabbed the attention of not only many people nationwide, but also a fair amount around the globe.

With that in mind, we take a few moments to point out some of the perceived absurdities of the case to date.

Among them:

  • Alleged murderer Bryan Kohberger was stalking one or more of the victims – If you take a few moments to put aside the negative feelings you might have towards the defendant, stop for a minute and think about the stalking allegation. Would someone who was supposedly stalking one or more young women take a chance on spending time with them, kidnapping them or even harming them with multiple people in a home? Yet, that is what the individual would have faced if he indeed was at 1122 King Road in the early morning hours of Nov. 13. We know of at least four people in the home and possibly six if you count the two surviving roommates both in fact being there. We believe according to the PCA that Dylan Mortensen was there. Not so much is known about Bethany Funke’s whereabouts early that morning. Now, would you take your chances grabbing or killing one of the young women inside the home with all those people and a dog there in the middle of the night? Odds are most would say no. They’d wait to get the victim when most vulnerable. Kidnapping her going to or from class, out on a jog, going to or from a store etc. makes much more sense.
  • The killer wore a mask due to COVID – This has to be one of the more absurd claims I have heard for months. Hello! Do y’all remember the videos taken last summer when Moscow Police Department sent officers to the home related to noise complaints from neighbors? The videos are quite accessible on You Tube. With that in mind, watch one or both videos and tell me how many of the students wore masks due to COVID. If too busy to watch the videos, let me inform you that ZERO students on the videos wore masks. So, the killer is going to wear a mask at 4 ish in the morning while moving about because they’re scared of COVID? C’mon people…. use commonsense.
  • Drugs are totally out of the question – While many of the Kohberger haters live and breathe the stalker theory, other people think differently. One common thought is that drugs played a role in the tragic deaths of the Idaho 4. That by no means says that 1122 King Road was a big drug distribution center or was taking in a lot of drugs for the tenants there. What it does say is that drug usage or selling them is a possibility. Many people will tell you the residence was known as the party house to various neighbors and others on campus. Hey, many of us had our fun times in college and did not do drugs. That may in fact be the case here. Having said that, one would be naive to think that drugs are not at least a possibility here. Newsflash! Some college students buy and sell drugs. When you have family members with rap sheets due to drugs, one must explore the possibility that drugs were in play. If so, it by no means is an excuse to kill four young adults with their worlds ahead of them.
  • All Facebook discussion groups are legit – If you do a search of Facebook groups devoting their pages to the Idaho 4 murders, you will find a number of them. While most talk exclusively about the case at hand, some go off script more than occasionally. One in particular, University of Idaho Murders – Case Discussion, has turned into the local bullying and comedy store for all intents and purposes. The group admin AKA Alina Smith appears to turn a blind eye to anyone saying or demonstrating a lot of hatred towards Mr. Kohberger. Given surviving roommates Mortensen and Funke are key figures in this case, you’d think it would be okay to discuss them. Try doing that with any regularity on the site and you will be shown the door more times than not. Meantime, posting what are supposedly funny memes of BK, wishing him death etc. are perfectly fine. Hell, you can be a Realtor posing as a “legal expert” and talk about urinary issues. While there are some quality people in that particular group you can in fact have a healthy and adult debate with, they are few and far between. And if they have 222k members as they claim to, I have oceanfront property in Nebraska to sell you. Many are more than likely bots and countless duplicate accounts, many of which belong to the head honchos.

As we inch closer to a scheduled Oct. 2 trial date in Moscow, things will undoubtedly get a little more absurd in the process.

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Could you produce an alibi in the middle of the night?

Much of the last week or so involving the Idaho 4 case has been centered around whether defendant Bryan Kohberger would be able to produce an airtight alibi. That is for his whereabouts during the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022.

Of course it was during that time period that four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered in their off-campus home at 1122 King Road.

As it turns out this week, Kohberger and his defense team did not give a clear-cut alibi as to where the defendant was during the time period in question.

Instead, Kohberger’s defense team put out a response in a two-page court document that their client has evidence to corroborate he in fact was at a location other than where the murders took place. Lead attorney Anne Taylor and her team concluded by noting that such details will at a later date (assuming they mean the trial) be provided pursuant to discovery and evidentiary rules along with the necessary statutory requirements.

So, this begs the question of could you produce an alibi in the middle of the night if asked to by a court of law, the police and so on?

Given authorities think the murders took place somewhere in the 4 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. time period of Nov. 13, many want to know where the former Washington State University teaching assistant was at that time and in the hours leading up to then and immediately after.

Face it; most people are either home in bed or at least home during that time period, coming or going to work, at work, or perhaps coming in from a very late night out.

Being able to produce an alibi, especially in the event you do not live with anyone, could be a tricky proposition. As such, some may suspect you in fact did do something that you should not have done.

While four students were murdered in the home on Nov. 13, two others survived.

Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke were lucky enough to live and tell their stories. Well, tell a portion of their stories or more apt story.

It was Mortensen in a PCA to authorities who said she was awoken no less than three times during the night to noise in the home. She ultimately reported that she saw a figure clad in dark clothing and wearing a mask walk right by her second floor bedroom door as she looked out one final time.

As for Funke, we’ve not been given much in the way of what she might have seen or heard. It stands to reason such details will come out at trial.

Online rumors have speculated that Funke may in fact have exculpatory information that could help Kohberger back up his reported innocence. Once again, such details if true will have to wait until the trial.

In the meantime, ask yourself if you would have no problem whatsoever producing a firm alibi during that time of the day if asked to do so.

Odds are many people would not find it quite as easy as they might think.

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Does Idaho have a strong case against Kohberger?

In looking 8 months back now at the murders of the four University of Idaho students and the arrest just before New Year’s Day of this year of 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger in Pennsylvania, where does the case stand?

While the targeted start date of the trial is Monday, Oct. 2, don’t be shocked if that gets pushed back by weeks or even into 2024.

So, with what you know now from media reports and other such sources, how strong of a case would you say Idaho has against the defendant?

In looking at the case to date, there are arguments for both sides to make that they should feel confident getting the verdict they want at the end of the day.

With that in mind, let’s look at both sides and what they have going for them.

Prosecution –

  • The state is leaning on the touch DNA it said it found on the knife sheath left behind by the killer/s. The sheath reportedly had touch DNA on the snap portion and was found in bed with victims Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. After testing was done, the state is quite confident that touch DNA belongs to none other than Kohberger. So, what defense will the defense literally put up against such evidence? My guess is they go the O.J. route like Simpson’s team did several decades ago during the trial of the century. Lead defense attorney Anne Taylor will call upon the experts she brings in to refute the touch DNA. Will her efforts be successful? Time of course will tell.
  • Look for prosecutors to also go after the pinging on Kohberger’s phone both before and after murders. They will try and convince the jury that Kohberger was stalking one or more of the female residents at 1122 King Road. He supposedly shut his phone off for a sizable period time leading up to, during, and shortly after the murders. Will a jury see such inactivity on the cell phone as one piece of the he’s guilty puzzle to fill in?
  • Prosecutors will also highlight his vehicle supposedly being spotted in the area of the crimes. Much like the cell phone matter, the state will go hard on the white Elantra being seen very close to the home not only the morning of the murders, but others points in time. It will be up to the defense to refute this. One argument could be BK was in fact in the area but that does not mean he entered the home and murdered four college students.
  • Finally, the state will focus in on allegations that BK stalked one or more of the women for months leading up to the killings. The state may or may not have phone or social media evidence that will back this up. Of course any such evidence would make it more difficult for the defense say that their client had no knowledge of or interaction with one or more of the women in the home.

Defense –

  • What will it take for BK’s team to win him a not guilty verdict or at the very least a mistrial and back to square one? One of the best arguments for the defense is that up to now and perhaps even once a trial is underway is no one has come forward to clearly say they saw Kohberger either commit the murders or for that matter be inside the home on Nov. 13, 2022. One of two surviving roommates, Dylan Mortensen, who was on the second floor a short ways away from the room of victim Xana Kernodle, said she saw a masked figure with bushy eyebrows walk past her. The walk left her in a reported frozen state of shock. So, how many men for example in Idaho have bushy eyebrows? Translation is the state won’t get too far if it tries to say that was Kohberger who Mortensen spotted.
  • In questioning and even discrediting one or both roommates, the defense needs to walk a fine line when it comes to calling one or both survivors (Bethany Funke was the other one) to the witness stand. While Mortensen’s description of what she saw and heard is shaky at best, you do not want to come across as victim-shaming. Doing so could upset some or many on the jury panel. Even with that to think about, by all means the defense should call the two survivors to the stand. Mortensen especially has some things to answer to in terms of what she supposedly saw and heard, why she did not go check on Xana Kernodle only yards away from her when safe to do so and more.
  • Given this is a death penalty case, the state will have to prove even more so that it has the right guy. While the sentencing of guilt and the actual handing out of the sentence are two different things. know that the jury will likely demand even more proof that BK is the guy and not someone else. All the defense needs to do is plant a seed of doubt in the mind of one juror and we could end up back at square one as jurors gather and debate the final verdict.

If I was on the jury and asked to vote as of today, my vote would be NOT guilty.

That does not mean BK did not do it…. I just do not have enough hardcore evidence to send the man to his impending death.

With that thought in mind, would you convict if on the jury and the vote was today?

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