Car featuring Bryan Kohberger's likeness captured on camera during timeframe of Idaho college student homicides
In the wee hours of November 13, 2022, a harrowing event unfolded at an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho, as four University of Idaho students were {\bf stabbed to death} in their sleep. A neighbor's home surveillance system captured a distinctive white car circling the vicinity multiple times, making several approaches to the house before quickly disappearing 13 minutes later.
This previously unseen video, acquired by "Dateline," offers another perspective on the distressing events that took place the night prosecutors believe the students lost their lives. The broadcast, airing on Friday at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, highlights Bryan Kohberger's movements and actions before and after the heinous crime that shocked the small Idaho community. Check out NBCNews.com for more on this chilling story, and don't miss the "Dateline" episode at the specified time or check local listings for schedule variations.
Authorities identified a white Hyundai Elantra, presumed to be from the years 2011 to 2013, as a significant clue in their investigation to unearth the perpetrator. This vehicle, a potential key piece of evidence alongside DNA and cellphone data, allegedly connects Kohberger to the crime scene. The suspect, however, was driving a 2015 Elantra at the time.
Cellphone data and records, also collected by "Dateline," reveal that a Federal Bureau of Investigation cellphone expert confirmed Kohberger's phone connected to a cell tower with coverage within 100 meters of the King Road rental property 23 times over four months, all during nighttime hours. One connection occurred just six days before the killings.
While Kohberger's phone was connected to a cell tower near the crime scene, his lawyers claim he was not present at the location when the atrocities transpired. The phone data also shows searches on Kohberger's phone, obtained by law enforcement, regarding serial killer Ted Bundy and explicit content which contained phrases like "forced," "passed out," "drugged," and "sleeping."
Kohberger, at the time a graduate student in criminology at Washington State University, was detained in late December 2022 at his family's residence in Pennsylvania. He was formally charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in May 2023, with his attorney entering a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Although Kohberger's defense team maintains his innocence, they hinted at the possibility of an "alternative suspect" during a court hearing in Boise last month. Ada County Judge Steven Hippler mandated the defense team to present any substantiating evidence for this claim prior to Kohberger's murder trial, set to commence on August 11, 2023. Failing to provide such evidence could result in a trial by jury, and Kohberger could potentially face the death penalty if found guilty.
However, a gag order bars many involved in the case from publicly discussing the proceedings. Latah County prosecutors have yet to disclose a motive for the attack on the victims - Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin - nor do they offer insight into how Kohberger may have known the victims.
In June 2022, Kohberger relocated to Pullman, Washington, to pursue his criminology studies at Washington State University, approximately 8 miles west of Moscow. Ten days after settling in, he attended a pool party in Moscow, where attendees found his interactions peculiar.
One former female graduate student revealed Kohberger added his number to her phone and texted her the following day, mentioning their previous discussion about hiking. The text read, "I truly enjoy that activity; please let me know if you'd like to join me sometime." The unusual phrasing and formal tone of the text sparked feelings of unease when looking back on it.
Throughout the fall semester, Kohberger, who also worked as a teaching assistant, engaged in a series of interactions that raised eyebrows among classmates and faculty, prompting a dean to address his professional behavior. Investigators subsequently discovered DNA on a knife sheath located inside a bed next to Madison Mogen's body, and testing confirmed a statistical match to Kohberger's.
To identify the source of the genetic material, investigators utilized genetic genealogy. This process led them to pull trash from the Kohberger family residence in Pennsylvania, eventually helping to establish their primary suspect. Prosecutors also maintain that Kohberger ordered a specific brand and type of knife on Amazon eight months prior to the murders, and the same type of sheath was found in the victims' house.
In recent weeks, the prosecution and defense have engaged in debates over admissible evidence at the trial, including 911 calls, text messages shared by two unharmed housemates, and a surviving housemate's testimony about witnessing a masked intruder with "bushy eyebrows" within the residence. The defense is attempting to prevent this description from being presented in court, arguing it would unfairly prejudice Kohberger.
As of early May 2025, Bryan Kohberger's trial is scheduled to begin on August 11, 2025, with jury selection set to commence on July 30, 2025. The trial is anticipated to last nearly three months. The defense has yet to present substantiating evidence for an alternative suspect, maintaining the focus on Kohberger as the prime suspect in the case.
- The distinctive white car captured in the neighbor's home surveillance system was a white Hyundai Elantra, a significant clue in the investigation led by authorities, presumed to be from the years 2011 to 2013.
- In May 2023, Bryan Kohberger, the graduate student in criminology at Washington State University, was formally charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, with his attorney entering a not guilty plea on his behalf.
- During a court hearing in Boise last month, Kohberger's defense team hinted at the possibility of an "alternative suspect," and Ada County Judge Steven Hippler mandated the defense team to present any substantiating evidence for this claim prior to Kohberg's murder trial.
- DNA found on a knife sheath located near Madison Mogen's body was a statistical match to Bryan Kohberger's, and investigators utilized genetic genealogy to help establish their primary suspect in the case.
