Idaho murders – news: Bryan Kohberger’s attorney’s ties to family of second student victim revealed

Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco

29 January 2023 at 11:38 am·67-min read

The attorney representing Bryan Kohberger has ties to the family of a second victim of the University of Idaho murders, it has been revealed.

Public defender Anne Taylor previously represented the father and stepmother of Madison Mogen in now closed criminal cases, according to court records seen by Inside Edition Digital.

The connection comes after it emerged that Ms Taylor was representing Xana Kernodle’s mother Cara Northington on drugs charges at the time of Mr Kohberger’s arrest.

Court documents, filed on 5 January, showed that the attorney then dropped her as a client – the same day that she took on Mr Kohberger’s case and represented him in court in Moscow for the first time on charges of murdering Kernodle, Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves. Ms Northington said she felt “betrayed” by the attorney.

The ties to the victims’ families has raised some concerns about a possible conflict of interest in the case.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that – months before the killings – Mr Kohberger met Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins for an interview for a research assistant position in public safety. It remains unclear if Mr Kohberger was accepted for the role which started in August.

Key points

Kohberger’s attorney has ties to second victim’s family
Xana Kernodle’s mom feels ‘betrayed’ by attorney who dropped her for daughter’s alleged killer
Bryan Kohberger met local police chief and sent him gushing email – months before murders
Moscow restaurant where victims worked denies Kohberger claims
Attorney debunks speculation about ‘co-defendant’ discovery
Chilling online comments from suspect as teen revealed

VOICES: The eerie online world of the Idaho murders case

15:00 , Andrea Blanco

Even now Bryan Kohberger is in police custody, the online rumour mill shows no signs of winding down.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

The eerie online world of the Idaho murders case

Forensic experts weigh in on evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home:

13:00 , Rachel Sharp

Authorities have lifted the lid on alleged evidence found in the home of Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger, marking the latest development in a horror case that has gripped the nation for two months.

A search warrant was executed at Mr Kohberger’s apartment in Pullman, Washington, on 30 December, the same day he was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania on charges for the 13 November stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho.

A record of evidence recovered during the apartment search was unsealed on Wednesday, revealing the seizure of 15 items including hairs, receipts, a computer tower, a disposable glove and items with peculiar stains.

The record reignited a frenzy of speculation online - despite its simplicity and lack of conjecture.

But what significance, if any, can actually be gleaned from the list? The Independent’s Andrea Blanco spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on each item.

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home

Computer, hair, glove and stained items seized from Idaho murders suspect’s home

11:00 , Andrea Blanco

Police investigating the murder of four Idaho students seized a string of items from suspect Bryan Kohberger’s apartment, including possible hair strands, a disposable glove, items with red and brown stains and a computer, according to an unsealed search warrant.

Investigators stated in the search warrant application that they hoped to find hair strands that could link the suspect to the scene of the horrific November crime in Moscow, Idaho.

They said in the application that this could be either through the four victims or through a dog that was at the rental house at the time of the slayings, reported The New York Times.

Police said that one of the items found at the suspect’s apartment at nearby Washington State University was a “possible animal hair strand.”

In the documents, investigators said one item had a “collection of dark red” spotting, and that a pillow had a “reddish/brown stain” on it.

Restaurant where two Idaho murders victims worked denies Bryan Kohberger rumours

09:00 , Andrea Blanco

Jackie Fischer, owner of the Mad Greek — where slain students Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle were servers — spoke out in a strongly-worded Facebook post on Friday after an anonymous former staff member claimed to People that Mr Kohberger had visited the eatery in the weeks before the killings.

Mogen, Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin were all killed in a violent stabbing attack on 13 November in Moscow. Mr Kohberger, a Washington State University PhD criminology student who lived 15 minutes from the victims’ home, has been charged with the murders.

According to the People report, Mr Kohberger visited the restaurant in Moscow twice in the weeks leading up to the murders and ordered vegan pizza. It also alleged that an investigator with insight into the case reportedly told the magazine that authorities knew about the visits to the restaurant, had seized footage and that both staff and owners had been interviewed by law enforcement.

But within hours of the article being published, Ms Fischer slammed the claims and said they were unequivocally false.

“The news/media should really do their due diligence before running a story with completely fabricated information. This person who wants their 5 minutes of fame has now caused a whole bunch of extra work for myself and the investigators,” Ms Fischer wrote in a Facebook post.

Stained items seized from Bryan Kohberger’s Washington state home

07:00 , Andrea Blanco

In the search warrant record, investigators list several items with stains, including cuttings of a mattress cover, a “reddish/brown” stain on an uncovered pillow and a “collection of dark red spot”.

Forensic expert Dr Monte Miller and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told The Independent that police likely believe those stains could be blood.

“A reddish or brown stain is a euphemism for, ‘We found something that looks like blood,’” Dr Miller said. “It might be blood from the victims, might be his blood. They don’t know until they test it, but they’ll be able to get DNA if it is blood. We don’t know what the stains in the cover sheets look like, but again they’re looking for any kind of DNA, evidence that might have come from the crime scene.”

Bryan Kohberger is facing murder charges in the killings of four University of Idaho students

Ms Coffindaffer added: “They don’t call it blood, but it’s definitely inferred that it was blood.”

Dr Miller noted that while stains on clothing and bedding are not necessarily unusual, investigators will try to link the evidence found at the Pullman apartment to the crime scene in Moscow.

“The likelihood that any of those stains came from the crime scene, is going to be dependent on how well he cleaned up,” he said.

A survivor is defending the surviving roommates in the Idaho murders

05:00 , Andrea Blanco

There are many chilling similarities between the murders of four Idaho students in November and a 1992 attack at a student home in Buffalo – none more so than the experiences of the roommates who survived.

Alanna Zabel tells The Independent’s Rachel Sharp why she feels the need to defend the surviving roommate in Idaho and how she understands the way trauma can shape reactions to such horrifying events:

She slept through an attack in her home - and has a message about the Idaho murders

Speculation around ‘co-defendant’ in Idaho murders case is debunked

03:00 , Andrea Blanco

Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office and attorney at Levin & Associates, spoke to The Independent about the criminal case against the 28-year-old criminology PhD student.

Among the discovery requests made by the defence were witness statements, digital media and police reports about the case. It also included a request for information about a “co-defendant”.

The request prompted speculation online that there may be evidence suggesting that Mr Kohberger had an accomplice in the killings – or that the defence could be planning to argue that as part of their case.

However, Mr Levin explained that this is just part of the standard requests for discovery in a case.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the story:

Speculation that Bryan Kohberger has ‘co-defendant’ in Idaho murders case debunked

She slept through an attack that nearly killed her roommate. Now, she’s defending a stranger in the Idaho murders

01:00 , Rachel Sharp

She slept through an attack in her home - and has a message about the Idaho murders

Xana Kernodle’s mother says Bryan Kohberger lawyer had power of attorney over her as she slams ‘betrayal’

Saturday 28 January 2023 23:00 , Rachel Sharp

The mother of slain University of Idaho student Xana Kernodle has claimed that she gave her power of attorney to the public defender now representing her daughter’s alleged killer.

Anne Taylor, the chief of the Kootenai public defender’s office, filed on 5 January to recuse herself from representing Xana Kernodle’s mother Cara Denise Northington in order to become the lead defence attorney for Bryan Kohberger.

In an interview with NewsNation on Wednesday night, Ms Northington spoke out over the sense of “betrayal” she feels after her attorney stepped down from her case, saying she had given Ms Taylor power of attorney over her.

The Independent’s Andrea Blanco has the full story:

Idaho murder victim’s mom says she gave Bryan Kohberger lawyer power of attorney

Kohberger’s attorney has ties to second victim’s family

Saturday 28 January 2023 21:00 , Andrea Blanco

The attorney representing Bryan Kohberger has ties to the family of a second victim of the University of Idaho murders, it has been revealed.

Public defender Anne Taylor previously represented the father and stepmother of Madison Mogen in now closed criminal cases, according to court records seen by Inside Edition Digital.

The connection comes after it emerged that Ms Taylor was representing Xana Kernodle’s mother Cara Northington on drugs charges at the time of Mr Kohberger’s arrest.

The ties to the victims’ families has raised some concerns about a possible conflict of interest in the case.

Legal expert debunks speculation about ‘co-defendant’

Saturday 28 January 2023 19:00 , Rachel Sharp

Last week, Bryan Kohberger’s attorney Ann Taylor filed a discovery request in the case, asking the judge to order the prosecution to hand over all discovery in the case within 14 days.

Among the discovery requests were witness statements, digital media and police reports about the case.

It also included a request for information about a “co-defendant” in the case.

“Statements of co-defendant. Any written or recorded statements by a codefendant, and the substance of any relevant oral statement made by a co-defendant whether before or after arrest in response to interrogation by any person known by the codefendant to be a peace officer or agent of the prosecuting attorney, or which are otherwise relevant to the offense charged,” the filing reads.

The request has prompted speculation of evidence suggesting that Mr Kohberger may have had an accomplice – or that the defence could seek to argue that as part of their case.

However, Mr Levin explained that this is just part of the standard requests for discovery in a case.

“These are just very standard requests as part of the defence’s discovery request,” he said.

While ruling out other individuals as possible suspects will likely form part of the state’s case against Mr Kohberger, he said that this does not indicate that there are other suspects.

The probable cause affidavit makes no mention of a co-defendant and law enforcement officials have previously insisted that they believe the suspect acted alone.

The request making mention of a co-defendant is also just one of 18 discovery requests made in the court filing.

“I don’t think I would make much hay of that,” Mr Levin said of the discovery request.

Forensic experts discuss evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home:

Saturday 28 January 2023 17:00 , Rachel Sharp

The record reignited a frenzy of speculation online - despite its simplicity and lack of conjecture.

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home

Kohberger’s attorney has ties to second victim’s family

Saturday 28 January 2023 15:00 , Rachel Sharp

The attorney representing Bryan Kohberger has ties to the family of a second victim of the University of Idaho murders, it has been revealed.

Public defender Anne Taylor previously represented the father and stepmother of Madison Mogen in now closed criminal cases, according to court records seen by Inside Edition Digital.

The connection comes after it emerged that Ms Taylor was representing Xana Kernodle’s mother Cara Northington on drugs charges at the time of Mr Kohberger’s arrest.

The ties to the victims’ families has raised some concerns about a possible conflict of interest in the case.

What is the significance of the items seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home?

Saturday 28 January 2023 13:00 , Andrea Blanco

The Independent spoke to two experts - Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety; and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer - for their takes on each of the items seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home.

How strong is the case against Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger?

Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship months before Idaho murders

Saturday 28 January 2023 11:00 , Rachel Sharp

A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings.

New emails show a brief exchange between Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger and the then-chief of Pullman Police Department Gary Jenkins regarding Mr Kohberger’s interview process for the research assistantship for public safety position in April 2022.

In his email to Mr Jenkins, Mr Kohberger wrote that “it was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share [his] thoughts and excitement.” Mr Jenkins replied that it was “great to meet and talk with you as well.”

Read the full story here:

Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by police chief for internship months before murders

UI students launch fundraiser selling bracelets in victims’ honour

Saturday 28 January 2023 09:00 , Rachel Sharp

University of Idaho students have launched fundraiser selling bracelets in honour of the four murder victims.

The Vandal Strong bracelets are black silicon bands featuring the names of Ethan, Maddie, Xana and Kaylee.

They are for sale on the UI website with funds from the sales set to go towards a memorial for the victims.

“Student fundraiser organized by @ASUIDAHO selling #vandalstrong bracelets to raise money towards building a permanent memorial on @uidaho campus for Xana, Ethan, Madison, and Kaylee. A way for us to honor and remember them forever,” tweeted Xana Kernodle’s family member Sheldon Kernodle.

Student fundraiser organized by @ASUIDAHO selling #vandalstrong bracelets to raise money towards building a permanent memorial on @uidaho campus for Xana, Ethan, Madison, and Kaylee. A way for us to honor and remember them forever. Link to buy below:https://t.co/agvLa4CtmB
— Sheldon Kernodle (@amigoshel) January 20, 2023

What’s missing from the affidavit?

Saturday 28 January 2023 07:00 , Andrea Blanco

Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, speaks to The Independent about the strength of the criminal case and what to expect next as it makes its way through the courts.

According to Mr Levin, the affidavit is “unusually” detailed in laying out the case against the suspect.

“Usually probable cause affidavits are very bare bones as at the early stage of the investigation the police and prosecution don’t want to lay out the entire case to the defence,” he said.

“Here it was unusually detailed.”

Mr Levin pointed out two potential reasons for this: to prove to the court that there is enough probable cause to believe that investigators have the right person and that he should be held behind bars until trial, and to correct some of the speculation around the high-profile case.

“I think they wanted to correct some of the narrative of what’s going on,” he said.

“This case has allegedly been cracked through old-school police methods and they’re trying to demonstrate how thorough it is.”

However, despite the extensive nature of the affidavit, Mr Levin said that there are gaps in the case so far laid out by investigators.

“What’s interesting is that there is no specific evidence that puts Kohberger in the house at the time of the murder,” he said.

“There’s no actual footage of him entering the house, no cellphone data of him definitively in the house,” he said.

“There’s no video of him behind the wheel of the car… so it’s a highly circumstantial case.

“It’s an extremely strong circumstantial case but as of yet nothing definitively placing him at the scene,” he said, adding: “But the strands of it all point in his direction with some of key damning pieces of evidence in the case.”

Judge extends gag order in Idaho murders case stopping police from releasing information

Saturday 28 January 2023 05:00 , Andrea Blanco

A court in Idaho has extended a gag order issued earlier this month prohibiting law enforcement officials from revealing information about the murders of four University of Idaho students and the arrest of their accused killer Bryan Kohberger.

The order, issued by the Latah County Chief Magistrate on 4 January, was extended on Thursday and will remain in place throughout court proceedings until a verdict has been reached or unless the mandate is modified by the court.

The earlier court order banned investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and members of both the prosecution and the defence from sharing any new information about the investigation or the suspect before a verdict is reached at trial.

As a result, Moscow Police Department, which had been sharing updates on the investigation, said in a statement that it will no longer be communicating with the public or the media regarding the case.

Thursday’s order both extends and expands the earlier measure.

Debunked: Speculation that Bryan Kohberger has ‘co-defendant’ in Idaho murders case

Saturday 28 January 2023 03:00 , Andrea Blanco

A prominent attorney has debunked speculation that suspected killer Bryan Kohberger had an accomplice in the stabbing murders of four University of Idaho students.

Mr Kohberger is facing the death penalty on charges of murdering Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho, on 13 November.

Last week, Mr Kohberger’s attorney Ann Taylor filed a discovery request in the case, asking the judge to order the prosecution to hand over all discovery in the case within 14 days.

Among the discovery requests were witness statements, digital media and police reports about the case. It also included a request for information about a “co-defendant”.

However, Mr Levin explained that this is just part of the standard requests for discovery in a case.

“These are just very standard requests as part of the defence’s discovery request,” he said.

Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship months before Idaho murders

Saturday 28 January 2023 01:30 , Andrea Blanco

A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings.

Read the full story here:

She slept through an attack that nearly killed her roommate. Now, she’s defending a stranger in the Idaho murders

Friday 27 January 2023 23:15 , Rachel Sharp

She slept through an attack in her home - and has a message about the Idaho murders

‘Stained’ items found at suspect’s home likely covered in blood, say experts

Friday 27 January 2023 22:30 , Rachel Sharp

Last week, police in Washington unsealed search warrants for Mr Kohberger’s apartment in Pullman and his office at Washington State University (WSU).

In the documents, investigators listed several items with stains, including cuttings of a mattress cover, a “reddish/brown” stain on an uncovered pillow and a “collection of dark red spot”.

Experts Dr Monte Miller, a former crime scene investigator and forensic expert for the Texas Department of Public Safety and former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer both told The Independent that police likely believe those stains could be blood.

Ms Coffindaffer added: “They don’t call it blood, but it’s definitely inferred that it was blood.”

Dr Miller noted that while stains on clothing and bedding are not necessarily unusual, investigators will try to link the evidence found at the Pullman apartment to the crime scene in Moscow.

“The likelihood that any of those stains came from the crime scene, is going to be dependent on how well he cleaned up,” he said.

911 dispatcher may be behind ‘unconscious individual’ police report

Friday 27 January 2023 21:45 , Rachel Sharp

The 911 call alerting law enforcement to the murders of the four University of Idaho students has long been shrouded in mystery after Moscow Police said that the caller initially reported “an unconscious individual” in the home.

The call was made from the cellphone of one of the two surviving roommates at around 11.58am on 13 November, with the dispatcher speaking to multiple people.

Officers arrived at the home to find a bloody scene, with Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin all dead from multiple stab wounds.

Since then, questions have persisted around why the caller reported an “unconscious individual” when officials described the crime scene as one of the worst they had ever seen.

A potential reason for the mysterious 911 call has now been revealed in Air Mail’s article “The Eyes of a Killer”.

Civilian employees at Whitcom 9-1-1, an agency in Pullman, Washington, handle the 911 calls to the Moscow Police Department as well as several other agencies, according to the report.

The agency is severely understaffed to such an extent that the dispatchers’ guild has previously warned that “our ability to uphold public safety is at risk”.

Under standard protocol, when callers “are agitated” the dispatcher will often assign the call with the generic label of “unconscious person” rather than waste valuable time and resources trying to gather specific details.

In this case, it is possible that the dispatcher assigned the generic label while speaking to the students who were panicked by what they saw and were passing the phone from one to the other.

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home in the Idaho murders case

Friday 27 January 2023 21:00 , Rachel Sharp

The record reignited a frenzy of speculation online - despite its simplicity and lack of conjecture.

What forensic experts say about evidence seized from Bryan Kohberger’s home

Bryan Kohberger’s attorney’s ties to second victim’s family revealed

Friday 27 January 2023 20:15 , Rachel Sharp

The attorney representing Bryan Kohberger has ties to the family of a second victim of the University of Idaho murders, it has been revealed.

Public defender Anne Taylor previously represented the father and stepmother of Madison Mogen in now closed criminal cases, according to court records seen by Inside Edition Digital.

The connection comes after it emerged that Ms Taylor was representing Xana Kernodle’s mother Cara Northington on drugs charges at the time of Mr Kohberger’s arrest.

The ties to the victims’ families has raised some concerns about a possible conflict of interest in the case.

Why is there a six month gap before the preliminary hearing?

Friday 27 January 2023 19:30 , Rachel Sharp

At his status hearing in Latah County Courthouse on 12 January, Bryan Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial - which would have set his preliminary hearing within 14 days.

Instead, his attorney asked that the next court date instead be delayed until the summer, to give defence more time to review all the evidence in the case.

The prosecution agreed with the request and the judge scheduled the preliminary hearing for the week beginning 26 June, setting aside the entire week for the hearing.

Now, the victims’ families and the public will have to wait another six months to learn further details about the murders and the case against Mr Kohberger.

Duncan Levin, a former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office who has no official connection to the Idaho murders case, told The Independent that a six-month time gap between a status hearing and preliminary hearing is “somewhat unusual” but it’s a marker of the complexity of the case.

“It is somewhat unusual to see such a long gap but then again nothing is normal in this case,” he said.

“Death penalty cases do mean that everything will take longer and be done a little bit differently than one might expect to see on a typical case.”

The six-month delay is a benefit to both sides, he added.

“The defence wants as much time as possible to conduct their own investigations before they have the opportunity to cross-examine the state’s witnesses. So they’re eager to have more information in their hands before any testimony is heard in the preliminary hearing,” he said.

“Similarly, the prosecution needs time to conduct further investigations. For example they will be likely doing a forensic examination of Kohberger’s automobile and residence. And they are still yet to uncover a motive. They have a lot of work yet to do.”

He added: “Both sides really need more time to review evidence and develop their cases.”

Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by local police chief for internship months before Idaho murders

Friday 27 January 2023 18:45 , Rachel Sharp

A criminology PhD student accused of murdering four University of Idaho students was interviewed by a local police department for an internship position months before the slayings.

Read the full story here:

Bryan Kohberger was interviewed by police chief for internship months before murders

Bryan Kohberger’s neighbour says he claimed to have submitted DNA to ancestry website in past

Friday 27 January 2023 18:00 , Rachel Sharp

A neighbour of Bryan Kohberger has claimed that the murder suspect told him he had submitted his DNA to an ancestry website in the past – casting new light on the revelation that investigators used a genealogy database to help match him to DNA evidence found at the crime scene.

The 28-year-old PhD student was tracked down by investigators in part thanks to DNA that the killer is believed to have left inside the student home in Moscow, Idaho.

According to the probable cause affidavit, a knife sheath was left behind at the crime scene on the bed next to the bodies of Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.

DNA found on the sheath was matched to Mr Kohberger, using DNA obtained from trash taken from his parents’ home, the affidavit states.

Sources told CNN that investigators also enlisted the help of a genetic genealogy database.

Now, Mr Kohberger’s neighbour has spoken out to say that the suspect once brought up the topic of his ancestry and told him he had submitted his DNA for consumer genetic testing months before the murders.

The neighbour, who was not named but is a fellow Washington State University graduate student who lived in the same on-campus apartment complex in Pullman, Washington, as Mr Kohberger, told the Idaho Statesman that the pair got to know each other after they both moved there in August.

He said that they exchanged cellphone numbers and they went on a walk together chatting one evening in August.

“He talked about his ancestors,” he said.

“He had some sort of DNA test. I don’t know how he got to that point… It was just interesting to him.”

Kohberger is believed to have followed the three female slain University of Idaho victims on Instagram

Friday 27 January 2023 17:15 , Rachel Sharp

Bryan Kohberger is believed to have followed the three female slain University of Idaho victims on Instagram prior to the stabbings, according to a report.

An investigator familiar with the case told People that the 28-year-old criminology PhD student followed the accounts of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle but they did not follow him back.

Then, in late-October – just weeks before the 13 November slayings – Mr Kohberger allegedly messaged one of the victims “repeatedly” on the social media platform, the source said.

Officials have not confirmed the account and a gag order is currently in place around the high-profile case.

Victim’s mother says Bryan Kohberger lawyer had power of attorney over her as she slams ‘betrayal’

Friday 27 January 2023 16:30 , Rachel Sharp

The mother of slain University of Idaho student Xana Kernodle has claimed that she gave her power of attorney to the public defender now representing her daughter’s alleged killer.

The Independent’s Andrea Blanco has the full story:

Idaho murder victim’s mom says she gave Bryan Kohberger lawyer power of attorney

Legal expert debunks speculation about ‘co-defendant'

Friday 27 January 2023 15:45 , Rachel Sharp