Posted on 11/18/2022 6:00:16 AM PST by Red Badger
Autopsies performed on four University of Idaho students who were found dead inside a rental house near campus showed that all four were stabbed to death, the Latah County coroner said Thursday.
The killings have shaken Moscow, an Idaho Panhandle college town of 25,000 residents that last saw a homicide about five years ago, according to Coroner Cathy Mabbutt.
“It’s pretty tough,” Mabbutt said.
The autopsies were performed in nearby Spokane County in Washington state, and the bodies were subsequently released to the victims’ families.
Here is a look at what is known about the killings, and what remains a mystery:
IS THERE A SUSPECT?
Officers have not identified a suspect or found a blade that was used to stab the students, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said Wednesday. But the Idaho Statesman reported this week that police are searching for a military-style knife in connection with the killings. Scott Jutte, general manager of Moscow Building Supply, told the newspaper that officers have visited the store more than once to ask whether it sold anyone Ka-Bar-brand knives. Ka-Bar, of Olean, New York, manufactures military-grade blades that were originally designed for use by American troops in World War II, the Statesman said.
WHO ARE THE VICTIMS?
All four were University of Idaho students and members of fraternities and sororities: seniors Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho; junior Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, Idaho; and freshman Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington. The women were roommates. The bodies were found around noon Sunday.
DID THE KILLER OR KILLERS KNOW THE VICTIMS?
It’s unclear. Police have said evidence found at the scene leads them to believe that the students were targeted, though they haven’t given details. While a targeted attack is often an indication that the killer and victim knew each other on some level, police have also said they have no idea who committed these crimes, so it could have been a stranger. Investigators do say nothing appears to have been stolen from the victims or the home.
DID THE STUDENTS RAISE SECURITY CONCERNS BEFOREHAND?
Police have not said whether any of them reported unusual activity or otherwise expressed safety concerns before the attack. The University of Idaho did not respond to questions about whether the school had been alerted to any concerns or complaints from the students.
IS THERE ANY THREAT TO THE COMMUNITY?
After initially saying there was no ongoing danger, police walked that back on Wednesday. “We cannot say that there is no threat to the community,” Fry said. “We still believe it’s a targeted attack. But the reality is there still is a person out there who committed four very horrible, horrible crimes.”
WHO ELSE WAS IN THE HOME?
Two other people were found in the sprawling house, unharmed. Fry declined to say whether they were able to provide an account of the killings, or to specify who called 911. When a reporter referred to the surviving roommates as witnesses, Fry clarified: “I don’t think I ever said they were witnesses. I said they were there.” There was no sign of forced entry at the home, according to the chief, and a door was found open by the first police officers to arrive.
WHEN WERE THE STUDENTS LAST SEEN ALIVE?
Chapin and Kernodle were at a party on campus Saturday night, and Mogen and Goncalves were at a downtown bar and arrived home sometime after 1:45 a.m. Sunday, Fry said. Mogen and Goncalves were seen in a Twitch livestream getting food from a local truck.
WHAT’S HAPPENING ON CAMPUS?
University of Idaho president Scott Green said the school will remain open the rest of the week because some students have found comfort there among faculty and classmates. But the school is also giving excused absences to anyone who feels more comfortable leaving early ahead of next week’s Thanksgiving holiday.
I’d wager that ownership among college kids is below ownership of the general population.
***Ka-Bar-brand knives. Ka-Bar, of Olean, New York, manufactures military-grade blades that were originally designed for use by American troops in World War II,***
Sounds like the news media is gearing up to demonize all bladed knives. I remember when you could buy a civil war bayonet back in the early 1960s.
Illegal immigrant perhaps?
It brings back memories of Richard Speck, who murdered eight student nurses back in 1966 and the Locust Grove OK murders of girl scouts in 1977.
Just like the Delphi case. How is this modern lack of transparency helpful to solving cases or maintaining the public’s trust?
It’s a White Christian male MAGA supporter until the real murderer is found.
The suspect probably left a knife sheath behind.
The murders took place in the wee hours of the morning not long after two of the girls got home after visiting the food truck. Seems to me they would have been calling it a night and the male and female couple were reportedly out at a different party on campus but I don’t recall hearing what time they arrived home. So who was it that was partying in the house?
Not to mention there were two people in the house (albeit probably asleep) at the time of the murders.
See 67
Agreed.
For decades Idaho has been the #1 hot spot for preppers/survivalists to move to.
Maybe it was payback for white eyes stealing the land?
It was an “assault” knife with an excessive number of blades.
It used to be legal to drink beer at 18 in Idaho, maybe it still is. WSU is right across the border in WA, so I suspect living in Idaho makes it easier to party. That is what Universities are for right? Party, and get environmental study degrees.
I certainly remember Randy’s story.
That was an assumption on the girls in the room. The heard loud noises and maybe other sound, can’t remember if they said music, but they locked their door and went to bed. Might have saved their lives.
I disbelieve any of the so called forensic ways. It is just a way to put things above the common folks understanding so they can lie convincingly. The FBI is the one who does much of the investigations, how trustworthy are they now?
I remember in WA state a few years ago, they dismissed convictions of DUI because they found that the people doing the testing never calibrated the equipment, or in some cases didn’t do the tests before checking the answers wanted by cops. That involved the FBI in some manner.
How could one person overtake four people? How could two people sleep through the stabbing deaths of four people? Who discovered the bodies? Who made the 911 call? There is a lot that is not making any sense.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.