The new document details the strange events at the home where four University of Idaho students were killed and a friend of Brian Coberger told police.
Brian Coberger was sentenced to murdering a student at the University of Idaho
Brian Coberger will serve the robbery for 10 years, in addition to four consecutive life sentences.
Idaho police have published documents that shed light on the in-depth investigation that led to the arrest of Brian Coberger, who was sentenced to life in prison for murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022.
In the weeks leading up to the murder, residents of the house where the murder occurred thought the invasion had occurred and reported that one of the victims, Kayley Goncalves, saw her staring at her while walking her dog. After the rampage, a friend of Kohberger told police the doctoral student had visible scars on his face.
The new details were revealed in more than 300 documents released by the Moscow Police Station on July 23, revealing an investigation into the famous murder that caused a nationwide manhunt and shook the university town of Moscow, Idaho.
The new file contains details about Kohberger’s actions before and after his arrest, as well as some strange events at the home where the murder took place, but the central question remained unanswered. It is still unclear how motivated Coberger to carry out the murder and why he chose a rental home near the University of Idaho campus.
On July 23, Kohberger was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences for the murders of Gonclaves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. Near the end of the hearing of the sentencing that came after testimony of the affective victim – he refused to issue a statement, disappointing the family who wanted Coberger to explain his actions.
At a press conference after the hearing, local police said investigators still didn’t know the motive for the murder.
“The evidence suggests there is a reason for this particular home being chosen,” Moscow police Cpl. Brett Payne said. “We don’t know why.”
“Dark figure”, “Stalker”, Strange Facebook messages
Newly released police documents say several people saw a shadow staring at her when Goncarves took her dog outside about a month before she and her three roommates were killed.
Bethany Fanque, one of the two roommates who survived the attack, said Goncalves “talked to everyone” about the unknown man he saw outside the three-storey home. It scared Goncalves and she called her roommate and asked when they would be home, Fanke said.
Another surviving roommate, Dylan Mortensen, said, “When Kaley took her dog Murphy to pee, she saw a dark figure staring at her from a wooden line,” police documents said. Mortensen went on to say, “There were some light stories and jokes made about stalkers in the past.”
Another friend of Goncalves told law enforcement about two to three weeks before the murder, but Goncalves told her friend that “individuals are chasing her.” A friend who had lunch with Goncalves in September mentioned a strange message on Facebook and told police she remembered receiving something in an email.
It is unknown whether these events have anything to do with the murder. Investigators have found no evidence that Coberger has direct contact with any of the victims, including social media. However, between July and November 2022, Kohberger’s phones were picked up almost 20 times by a mobile phone tower near the murder.
A few days before the murder, my roommate was worried about the possibility of an intruder.
Funke told investigators that on November 4, 2022, she and her roommates returned home to find the front door wide open.
Concerned, the roommate got a golf club from one of the bedrooms on the first floor and checked the house for a possible intruder. Goncalves were away on the weekend, Funke said.
“There was a wind blowing, the hinge screws were loose and Xana’s dad stuck it in place before leaving the weekend,” she told police.
The woman says she saw Koberger walking near a Moscow house
The woman, who lived about 220 yards from the murder office, told investigators she once faced a man who saw her nervously walking near her home before the murder took place.
The woman told police that in August or September 2022, her daughter came out to the house and told her “someone walked through the garden.” She went to the window and saw a “tension” man walking east to west from the south side of her house,” police records state.
She said the man had a prominent nose and curly hair and he didn’t say anything while he was walking. She then saw the same man walking in the opposite direction about 15 minutes later. The woman went outside and cried out that he was on private property. The man “didn’t see her and simply left,” she told police.
The unproclaimed woman said she believes the man is a Coberger after seeing his photo on the news.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
