Chilling new photos shed light on the damning evidence Bryan Kohberger is believed to have left behind following the late-night murders of four University of Idaho students.
Size 13 footprints tracked from the back door into the snow at an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, paired with a misplaced knife sheath, helped map the quadruple murderer’s movements in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022.
The images, included in a massive 3,000-file release by the Idaho State Police, briefly revealed disturbing details of the killings before being swiftly removed from the website, according to the Daily Mail, which secured the photos before they were taken down.
Investigators found footprints outside the Moscow, Idaho, home following the Nov. 13, 2022 slayings of four University of Idaho students in a case involving Bryan Kohberger. Idaho State Police
One of the most damning pieces of evidence found at the bloody scene was a 13-inch tan leather knife sheath made for a KA-BAR–style combat knife, the weapon used in the deadly stabbings of Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, and Ethan Chapin.
Investigators found the sheath on a bed inside Mogen’s room, surrounded by sheets stained with blood.
Forensic analysts traced DNA found on the sheath back to Bryan Kohberger, identifying him as the killer.
Investigators say Kohberger purchased a set of knives months before the murders, a purchase they were later able to trace back to him.
At first, authorities thought the sheath had been left to throw off the investigation. They later concluded Kohberger had dropped it in a moment of panic amid the chaotic slayings.
One of the most damning pieces of evidence at the scene was a 13-inch tan leather knife sheath designed for a KA-BAR–style combat knife. Idaho State Police
Investigators found blood smeared on a wall inside the crime scene. Idaho State Police
Investigators found footprints in the snow leading away from the home during the course of their investigation.
Detectives uncovered large size 13 shoe prints inside the bloodied crime scene after using a chemical agent on the floor, the outlet reports.
Investigators say a Nike shoe taken from Kohberger’s home after his arrest matched the size of the print discovered at the Idaho residence.
Bryan Kohberger pictured in a selfie captured on his phone prior to the killings. Courtey of Dateline
Bryan Kohberger is accused of fatally stabbing Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, and Ethan Chapin. kayleegoncalves/Instagram
Having pleaded guilty to the quadruple murders in July, Kohberger carried out the killings in a matter of minutes, beginning around 4 a.m.
Authorities believe he entered through a sliding side door, went upstairs to Mogen’s bedroom where she and Goncalves were sleeping, and killed the 21-year-olds, leaving the sheath covered in DNA.
Authorities say Kohberger encountered Xana Kernodle, 20, as she carried a food delivery back to her room on the second floor.
Authorities say the masked assailant fatally attacked Kernodle, then went to her bedroom and killed 20-year-old Ethan Chapin while he slept.
The disturbing photos provided the clearest look at the scene of the killings to date.
Authorities in Idaho temporarily removed the brief release of gruesome, bloody photos, citing “privacy concerns” as they reviewed the files before deciding whether to make them public again.
"Following adjudication of the criminal case, the Idaho State Police received a large volume of public records requests seeking the photographs," a spokesperson for the department said.
Inside one of the off-campus bedrooms, blood stains the wood floor, furniture, and clothing. Idaho State Police
Authorities say the masked assailant fatally attacked Kernodle, then went to her bedroom and murdered 20-year-old Ethan Chapin while he slept. Idaho State Police
At the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, Kohberger received four life sentences without the possibility of parole. Ada County Sheriff's office
“In making the redactions, the Idaho State Police also chose to follow Judge [Megan] Marshall’s permanent injunction, which required the City of Moscow to redact areas of the photographs depicting ‘any portion of the bodies of the decedents or the blood immediately surrounding them,’” the statement continued.
”After questions were raised, the records were temporarily removed for further review to ensure the appropriate balance between privacy concerns and public transparency was struck.”
A graduate student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, Kohberger received four life sentences without the possibility of parole at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution.
Kohberger avoided the death penalty thanks to a controversial plea deal.
