Four University of Idaho students and students were brutally murdered in a house last November. Now, the suspect in the murder has been arrested. What is the chronology of his arrest, which involved a combination of DNA analysis, monitoring via cell phones and CCTV cameras?
The murders of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin received national attention and intense public speculation. The youths, all aged 20 to 21, were murdered in their beds, apparently at random.
Investigators identified the suspect through a combination of DNA evidence, cell phone records, camera footage and a witness who said he saw him leave the crime scene, according to court documents.
As quoted by Yahoo News, the police found a knife sheath at the crime scene, which, upon investigation, had traces of DNA. That is the key to catching the suspect.
The killer of 4 students. Photo: Associated Press
"Chances are the crime scene is a mess and there is DNA evidence left everywhere," said Pete Yachmetz, a consultant and former FBI agent. "So what they did was they took all the DNA evidence they could and analyzed it."
This process takes time, because investigators first identify the DNA of the victims, and then start looking for the DNA of someone who shouldn't be there or the suspected perpetrator of the murder.
In investigations such as the Idaho murders, DNA samples are often analyzed through the Joint DNA Index System, or CODIS, the FBI-administered national DNA database. "What I think is taking a long time is the amount of evidence they collect," he said.
FBI agents are known to pick up trash at the suspect's family's residence in Pennsylvania and send it to a laboratory. It turned out that the two DNAs matched and Kohbeger was arrested at his parents' home on December 30.
Not only with DNA analysis, CCTV camera investigations also lead to the perpetrators. Investigators managed to identify Kohberger's vehicle, a white Hyundai Elantra, from surveillance camera footage near the house where the crime occurred.
The vehicle was traced to the campus of Washington State University, where Kohberger was pursuing his doctoral studies. Not only that, the police also traced the suspect's cell phone once it was suspected that he was the culprit.
Kohberger's cell phone records show he was near the crime scene the night of the attack. His cell phone was also tracked at least three times near the site in the afternoon after the murder, indicating that he returned to the crime scene.
Also, he was in the murder area at least 12 times prior to the murder. Kohberger is due to face trial soon but so far, his motives for carrying out the gruesome murders have not been revealed.