Yahoo News Idaho murders – live: Graduation ceremony honours victims as neighbour describes ‘scream’ from day of murder
Moscow Police have been inundated with tips about a mystery vehicle which could hold the key to solving the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students in Moscow, Idaho.
Investigators announced earlier this week that they are searching for the occupant or occupants of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra that was seen “in the immediate area” of the home on King Road in the early hours of 13 November.
The time of the vehicle’s sighting matches the time that Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were stabbed to death in their beds.
The occupant of the vehicle “may have critical information to share regarding this case,” police said.
Since issuing the appeal for information, tips have poured in prompting officials to direct the tip line to an FBI call centre to keep up with demand – while border agents are also on the lookout for the vehicle.
Investigators have debunked theories that the car was spotted in police bodycam footage near the house at around 3am on 13 November. The footage was from an unrelated “alcohol” incident that is not connected to the murders, police said.
Key points
Police say individuals cleared as suspects may be reinterviewed
Kaylee Goncalves’ family mull legal options
Police chief breaks down as he vows case ‘not going cold’
Victims' belongings to be returned to families
Details revealed about Kaylee Goncalves’ ‘stalker’ claim
Police seek occupants of white Hyundai Elentra
Police vow to crack down on online misinformation
11:15 , Rachel Sharp
Police investigating the quadruple homicide have vowed to crack down on online misinformation spreading about the case.
On Friday, Moscow Police Department issued a statement saying that law enforcement have been monitoring online activity and warning that internet sleuths could face criminal charges if they resort to harassing individuals over the deaths.
“Investigators have been monitoring online activity related to this ongoing and active case and are aware of the large amount of rumors and misinformation being shared as well as harassing and threating behavior toward potentially involved parties,” the department said.
“Anyone engaging in threats or harassment whether in person, online or otherwise needs to understand that they could be subjecting themselves to criminal charges.
“Moscow Police Department cautions the public not to rely on rumors and remains committed to keeping the public informed. We urge reliance on official channels for accurate information.”
The warning comes as rumours have been rampant on social media and Reddit as the murders continue to be unsolved four weeks into the investigation.
Several individuals have fallen under suspicion online – including people already ruled out as suspects – and authorities have been forced to issue multiple statements refuting rumours and conspiracies.
Why Idaho police keep changing their story on whether killings were ‘targeted'
10:55 , Rachel Sharp
Confusion continues to mount around the unsolved University of Idaho murders as investigators appeared to walk back their claim that one or more of the victims was “targeted” in the brutal attack and accused the local prosecutor of “miscommunication”.
Earlier this month, Moscow Police Department released a statement saying that they actually “do not currently know” if the killer specifically targeted the victims or the off-campus home on King Road that became the site of the bloodbath.
“Detectives do not currently know if the residence or any occupants were specifically targeted but continue to investigate,” the statement said.
It came after Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson gave conflicting statements about the nature of the crime just days before.
However, he appeared to walk back the longstanding belief that the killings were targeted, saying that it was “perhaps not the best word to use”.
Rachel Sharp looks into the question for The Independent.
Idaho police create more confusion over claim murders were ‘targeted’
‘We’re gunna get our justice’: Parents share warm memories and grief at vigil for slain Idaho students
10:35 , Rachel Sharp
Snow blanketed the campus of University of Idaho on a recent evening, as students, families, and community members joined together for a vigil remembering four students who were brutally murdered earlier this month.
It’s been more than three weeks since Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kerndole and Ethan Chapin were killed in the early hours of 13 November.
Police still have few clues as to who murdered the students or what inspired such violence, but university officials and families of the victims alike urged the community to remember the joy the slain students brought to each other and the world, and to hold close to family and friends.
“Make sure that you spend as much time as possible with those people because time is precious and it’s something you can’t get back,” Stacy Chapin, the mother of Ethan Chapin, said onstage as she choked up.
More from our full story.
‘We’re gunna get justice’: Parents share memories and grief at Idaho murders vigil
What we know and what remains a mystery in the Idaho murders
10:15 , Rachel Sharp
Investigators have admitted that they are stumped by the killings in the small, notoriously safe college town and still have no suspects or persons of interest on their radar. For the past month, officials have given little in the way of updates on the case – this silence and absence of information only serving to trigger an avalanche of online rumours and conspiracy theories among internet sleuths.
While police won’t say what they do know, they have resorted to debunking some of these online theories that they know to be incorrect.
But, with each piece of information revealed or each theory debunked, dozens more questions emerge about the case.
Here, The Independent takes a deep dive into the mountain of unsolved questions – and the scant details we do know.
These 12 questions could hold the key to solving the Idaho murders
Moscow police rule out link between University of Idaho murders and 2021 stabbing in Oregon
09:50 , Josh Marcus
Police investigating the murders of four University of Idaho students ruled out a possible connection to a similar stabbing a year before.
Moscow Police issued a statement that the August 2021 fatal stabbing of Travis Juettern, 26, in Salem, Oregon, is not believed to be linked to the killings of Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen.
“There have been numerous media inquiries about a 1999 double stabbing in Pullman, Washington, and the 2021 double stabbing (with one death) in Salem, Oregon,” the statement read.
“While these cases share similarities ... there does not appear to be any evidence to support the cases are related.”
Andrea Blanco has more.
Moscow police rules out link between Idaho murders and 2021 stabbing in Oregon
Man arrest on domestic charges near Idaho crime scene not connected to student murders
08:50 , Josh Marcus
A convicted killer was arrested on battery charges just a mile away from the scene where four University of Idaho students were murdered in November.
The man, 39-year-old James Leonard, is not considered a suspect in the brutal stabbings last month, Moscow Police have said. Leonard was arrested for allegedly beating his wife and underage daughter before injuring himself with a knife, a criminal complaint obtained by Fox News Digital revealed.
Leonard, who was convicted of a fatal shooting in 2007, is also being legally represented by Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt, who went on national television to reveal that Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were likely sleeping when they were killed inside their off-campus rental home on 13 November.
Moscow PD told Fox that the two investigations in the usually safe town of just 25,000 are not linked in any way. Meanwhile, the probe into the murders seemingly entered a breakthrough phase on Wednesday, when local authorities revealed they’re seeking information about a white Hyundai Elantra seen near the students’ home around the time of the murders.
Andrea Blanco has more information.
Man arrested a mile from University of Idaho stabbings not linked to the murders
Mother of murdered Oregon man speaks out after police reveal possible link to Idaho student slayings
07:50 , Josh Marcus
The grieving mother of a 26-year-old man murdered in Oregon last year says she has been given “hope” that the case will finally be solved after police revealed they are exploring a potential link to the murders of four University of Idaho students in Moscow.
Myra Juetten told The Independent that finding out who killed her son Travis Juetten in a brutal stabbing attack in his home in Silverton, Oregon – and also catching the killer of the slain students in Idaho – would be “the best Christmas present ever”.
“I want answers for all five of them,” she said of the victims.
“If law enforcement can work together and solve both cases that would be the best Christmas present ever.”
Rachel Sharp reports for The Independent.
Exclusive: Mother of murdered Oregon man reacts to possible link to Idaho slayings
Sister of Idaho university victim begs students to flee campus
06:52 , Josh Marcus
The grieving sister of one of the University of Idaho victims stabbed to death in a brutal knife attack has begged other students to “leave” the college town, telling them that “your grades are severely less important than your lives”.
Kaylee Goncalves’s sister Aubrie Goncalves issued an impassioned plea on her Instagram page, warning students in the small town of Moscow, Idaho, that they are not safe while her sibling’s “sicko” killer remains at large.
“To the students of the University of Idaho that are still staying around campus, leave,” she wrote.
“Your grades are severely less important than your lives. I wish all the students of U of I safety and peace. You guys are not safe until this sicko is found.”
Rachel Sharp has the story.
Idaho university victim’s sister begs students to ‘leave’ town as killer is at large
Idaho murder victim’s father turns to private investigators amid lack of updates from ‘inexperienced’ police
05:50 , Josh Marcus
The father of a slain University of Idaho student has shared his frustration with how police are handling the quadruple murder as official updates and developments grow increasingly unsubstantial.
Steve Goncalves, whose daughter Kaylee Goncalves was brutally stabbed along with her friends Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin on 13 November, told the New York Post that he has turned to private investigators for help.
His decision to seek outside help stems from a lack of confidence in the Moscow Police Department, which has been working with the Idaho State Police and the FBI on the murders.
Mr Goncalves noted that one of the officers in the investigation was only a teenager when Moscow saw its last murder in 2015. “So they’re just inexperienced — and I don’t want anyone making mistakes in my child’s case,” he said.
Andrea Blanco has the story.
Idaho murder victim’s frustrated father is seeking help from private investigators
Moscow police say victim’s ‘stalker’ isn’t connected to murders
04:50 , Josh Marcus
Police in Idaho have made new revelations about reports that one of the four University of Idaho students killed last month had a stalker.
More than three weeks after the brutal slayings of Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen on 13 November, Moscow police said the department was able to track down previously reported claims that Goncalves had complained about a stalker before her death.
In a statement, the department said on Facebook that they are aware of an “isolated” incident involving Goncalves and two men back in October. The men, who reportedly followed Goncalves into a business and as she returned to her car, are not believed to be involved in the murder, Moscow police said.
“In mid-October, two males were seen inside a local business; they parted ways, and one male appeared to follow Kaylee inside the business and as she exited to walk toward her car. The male turned away, and it did not appear he made any contact with her,” the post read.
Andrea Blanco has the story.
Moscow police reveal victims’ ‘stalker’ incident, rule out connection to murders
Were the Idaho murders ‘targeted’?
03:50 , Josh Marcus
The family of one of the Idaho victims has claimed that law information officials have given them “vague” information about the case and whether it was just one student who was the target in the murders.
Kaylee Goncalves’ father, Steve Goncalves, said that he was “a little in denial” about the killings and is focused on getting justice for his daughter despite the lack of information.
Authorities have remained largely silent about any breakthroughs in the tragedy, in which students Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21, were found dead on 13 November.
“I’ve been told it’s one [target], but then again, there’s the bigness like it’s purposely big. I’m hoping, but it confuses everyone, yeah, because nobody knows what that really means other than maybe somebody had a different kind of attack footprint,” Mr Goncalves said in an interview with CNN.
Maroosha Muzaffar has more.
Police tell Idaho victim’s family only one of the slain students was the target
Idaho victim’s family might sue police department
02:50 , Josh Marcus
The grieving family of murdered University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves are considering legal action to force police to release information about the case, as tensions continue to mount between law enforcement and the victims’ families.
More than three weeks have now passed since Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were murdered in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, and police appear to be no closer to catching the killer.
No suspects have been named, no arrests made and the murder weapon – a fixed-blade knife – is yet to be recovered.
Law enforcement officials are remaining tight-lipped about several details of the brutal killings, including who may have been the target of the attack.
Rachel Sharp is following the story.
Murdered Idaho student’s family mull legal action as tensions mount with police
Apparently Ted Bundy’s lawyer has strong feelings about Idaho case
01:50 , Josh Marcus
Ted Bundy’s former defence attorney has drawn comparisons between the serial killer’s crimes and the brutal stabbings of four University of Idaho students in November.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, John Henry Browne compared the crime scene at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, to a “de facto sorority house,” which Bundy targeted during his violent crime sprees in the 1970s.
Mr Browne is not involved in any way with the investigation into the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. Authorities investigating the 13 November slayings have never suggested that a serial killer could be behind the crime.
“Just the randomness of it is actually something that does stand out,” Mr Browne told Fox News. “Of course, most of Ted’s misbehaviour was random. There were times when Ted would follow people and then decide not to kill them. And that was his way of exercising his grandiosity, you know, ‘I can control life here and there.’”
Andrea Blanco with the details.
Ted Bundy’s former attorney weighs in on Moscow students’ brutal murders
Idaho police to reunite families of murdered students with their belongings as tensions grow over probe
01:20 , Josh Marcus
Police in Moscow have announced that they will return some personal items belonging to the four University of Idaho students who were murdered at their off-campus home last month.
In a Facebook update, Moscow police said: “Starting Wednesday morning, December 7, 2022, and potentially into Thursday, Moscow police chief James Fry, along with members of the department, will collect and remove some of the victims’ personal belongings from the residence, which are no longer needed for the investigation, so that they can be returned to the families.
“The items will be loaded into a truck and transferred to a secure location until the families can collect the belongings. These arrangements were made in coordination with the families.”
On 13 November, Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Madison Mogen, 21, were found stabbed to death.
Read Sravasti Dasgupta’s full story.
Idaho police to reunite families of murdered students with their belongings
Fraternity president speaks out about Ethan Chapin’s final hours
00:50 , Josh Marcus
The president of the Sigma Chi chapter at the University of Idaho has said that the fraternity is cooperating with the police investigation into the brutal murders of four students.
Ethan Chapin was a member of Sigma Chi and attended a party at the frat house with his girlfriend Xana Kernodle just hours before they were killed. They were at the party from 8pm to 9pm on 12 November before returning to the home where they were killed at around 1.45am.
It remains a mystery where they were in the roughly five hours between the two places.
Reed Ofsthun, president of the university’s Sigma Chi chapter, told reporters that the fraternity is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Rachel Sharp and Andrea Blanco reporting.
President of fraternity where two victims spent final hours speaks out
Neighbours offer new details about University of Idaho murders
00:20 , Josh Marcus
A neighbour of the University of Idaho students murdered in their off-campus rental home in Moscow last has revealed new details about the crime scene.
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were killed between 3am and 4am on 13 November, Moscow Police have previously said.
The group had arrived home before 2am and were found dead by law enforcement around noon after a 911 call about an “unconscious person” was made from the phone of one of the surviving roommates nearly nine hours later.
Chapin and Kernodle’s bodies were found on the second floor while Mogen and Goncalves were found inside a room on the third floor. The two surviving roommates were on the first floor during the stabbings and are believed to have slept through it.
Andrea Blanco has the full story.
Neighbour of Moscow murder victims says ‘front door was left open’ after slayings
Students ‘don’t feel as safe as they used to’ after Idaho murders
Sunday 11 December 2022 23:50 , Josh Marcus
The town of Moscow, Idaho, was once known as a lively, safe university community where parents were excited to send their children.
Not so after four University of Idaho students were brutally killed in November.
Numerous students fled campus after the murders, and those who stayed say things feel different.
“I’m in a sorority and we are getting a new security system in our house,” Abigail Spencer, news editor of the student paper, told The Telegraph. “A lot of students don’t feel as safe as they used to.”
Here’s our correspondent Sheila Flynn’s report from campus.
Guns, deadbolts and mass student exodus: Terror grips Idaho town after murders
‘I am frustrated’: A student’s perspective on the University of Idaho murders
Sunday 11 December 2022 23:20 , Josh Marcus
The murder of four University of Idaho students shook the small community of Moscow, Idaho, to the core.
In a column for the student newspaper, Katarina Hockema described feeling like the “fragile bubble I felt around our town” pop after the brutal killings.
“Anyone who has lived in Moscow knows that parents dream of sending their kids to this community,” she writes. “For so many families, UI is far enough away to meet a student’s need for independence, but close enough for a weekend trip home without too much trouble. Parents drop their kids off at their dorm, teary at their new empty-nester status, but relieved that they will be home for Thanksgiving.”
Ms Hockema, later in the article, describes the frustration of waiting on the police to find a killer.
“I am frustrated,” she writes. “Maddened by the cruelty and disregard for human life this person (or these people) displayed. Anxious from the lack of critical information, and the seemingly endless days with few to no updates. Anxious for my safety, as a lack of suspect and a lack of threat do not align. Saddened and heartbroken for these families, these friends, and all of those who were close to Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.”
Read the full column here.
Wife of man arrested near Idaho murder site says husband has ‘nothing to do’ with death of students
Sunday 11 December 2022 22:53 , Josh Marcus
The wife of James Curtis Leonard, a Moscow, Idaho man with a previous manslaughter conviction, said her husband has “nothing to do” with the killing of four University of Idaho students this November.
Leonard, who was reportedly arrested last week on domestic violence charges, caught the eye of online sleuths a potential suspect in the slaying of the four students.
His wife, who chose to comment anonymously, said her family has been the target of harassment over the wrongful allegation.
“There’s a lot of crazy stuff going on, but my husband had nothing to do with what happened up there,” she told the Daily Mail.
“People on the internet are trying to pin the murders on him,” she continued. “I had to get off that social media s—t.”
Police have said the man isn’t linked to the student deaths.
Here’s our report on Leonard.
DNA could play key role in cracking Idaho murder case
Sunday 11 December 2022 22:00 , Josh Marcus
DNA samples could provide investigators with major clues as they seek justice in the murder of four University of Idaho students.
That’s true in most cases, but especially this one, according to Greg Hampikian, the co-director of the Idaho Innocence Project.
He told East Idaho News that because the slain students were killed in a knife attack, there’s likely DNA all over the crime scene.
“If it’s a deep wound, their hand can come in contact with my shirt or my skin,” Hampikian said. “And so those sites where the injury is in a stabbing wound are very important to swab and collect DNA from for the touch.”
He continued: “I would just say to the investigators, ‘Please make sure you take a sample from everyone you talk to; just ask them, ‘Will you give us a DNA sample?’”
Idaho police are reportedly already getting DNA reports back from the scene, though they haven’t yet announced any forensic breakthroughs.
Reddit speculation runs wild after Idaho murders
Sunday 11 December 2022 21:30 , Josh Marcus
These days, thanks to our 24/7 news cycle and inundation with true crime media, members of the public are increasingly consuming actual criminal investigations as a sort of entertainment, with fan theories to be traded online and audience participation encouraged.
Nowhere can this effect be seen more strongly than on the online message board Reddit.
The r/idahomurders subreddit is filled with all kinds of speculation, from theories that the University of Idaho murders were a drug deal gone ban, to wild accusations that police are carrying out a cover-up.As a reminder, if you’re looking for information about this case, turn to a trusted news organization, or social media posts coming directly from a government official or agency.
Earlier this year, Sheila Flynn had this fascinating look into the costs of America’s true crime obsession.
True crime is a guilty pleasure. Victims, families, and killers have words of warning
YouTuber accused of releasing fake audio of Idaho murders
Sunday 11 December 2022 21:00 , Josh Marcus
YouTuber Joseph Morris is accused of releasing a hoax video, featuring audio the content creator claimed came from a neighbour capturing the moment four university of Idaho students were killed, MEAWW reports.
In the clip, a female voice can be heard yelling what sounds like, “Leave me alone!”
Mr Morris has 270,000 subscribers.
Another YouTuber, iCkEdMeL, then released a fact-checking video, showing evidence that he believes Mr Morris’s purpoted crime scene audio was lifted from an unrelated YouTube video.
Idaho police have warned of rampant misinformation and conspiracy theories online related to the case, and urge members of the public to only consider information verified if it’s coming directly from government officials.
So far, no audio of the crime, if it exists, has been released to the public.
Idaho State Police defend investigation timeline
Sunday 11 December 2022 20:30 , Josh Marcus
It’s been weeks since four University of Idaho students were brutally killed, and police still haven’t located a suspect or a murder weapon.
On Sunday, the Idaho State Police defended this timeline.
“I don’t know that having a case that’s four weeks old is a long time. It is obviously for the family and the community, no doubt about that. There’s fear and desire for this case to be solved in the community,” Aaron Snell of Idaho State Patrol told The Spokesman-Review. “But as far as, like, a homicide, a case of this magnitude, I don’t know that four weeks is a ‘long time’ for a case that’s this complex.”
“The leads and tips are still very high-quality. They’re helping us,” he added. “The community has been exceptionally responsive to our request for information.”
‘We’re taking our time to do it right'
Sunday 11 December 2022 20:00 , Josh Marcus
Moscow Police Chief James Fry is assuring the public that he’s confident his department has effectively ruled out certain suspects in the murder of four University of Idaho students.
“Many, many hours have gone into that,” he told Fox News. “Several investigators and the investigative team have all looked at their information that comes in and they have verified that those people can be cleared. What I want to assure them is we’re doing everything we can and we’re taking our time to do it right.”
Previously, officials have said cleared individuals may be re-interviewed.
Idaho police say people cleared as suspects in student murders may be reinterviewed
So far, as we have reported, police have cleared a number of individuals of suspicion.
Food truck man, roommates and ex-boyfriend ruled out as suspects in Idaho murders
Moment of silence held for Idaho victims during graduation
Sunday 11 December 2022 19:30 , Josh Marcus
On Saturday, the University of Idaho held its winter graduation ceremony and featured a moment of silence in honour of slain students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle.
Ms Goncalves had been planning on graduating early at the end of the winter semester and moving to Austin, Texas, for a marketing job.
The murder that rocked Moscow in 2011
Sunday 11 December 2022 18:57 , Josh Marcus
The murder in November of four University of Idaho students was not only shocking for its brutality, but because the town of Moscow rarely sees homicides, period.
Prior to the student slaying, the last homicide in town was in 2015.
But before that, another dramatic killing rocked the small town, Fox News Digital reports.
In 2011, University of Idaho professor Ernesto Bustamante shot and killed Katy Benoit, a 22-year-old psychology student from Boise, in her apartment, before killing himself.
The killing came months after the pair broke off a romantic relationship.Rowdy Hope, a friend of the professor’s, told The Associated Press Bustamante had “multiple handguns and multiple personality disorders…[including] one Bustamante calls a ‘psychopathic killer’ and another Bustamante calls ‘the beast.’”
WATCH: Idaho police chief tears up over student murders
Sunday 11 December 2022 13:00 , Josh Marcus
The murder of four college students at the University of Idaho in November has shaken the small town of Moscow, Idaho, including their police chief James Fry.
He recently became emotional when talking about the case.
Watch below.
Police receiving toxicology reports from crime scene
Sunday 11 December 2022 12:00 , Josh Marcus
Police are starting to receive toxicology reports from the hair, fibers, blood, and DNA recovered at the crime scene of the University of Idaho murders, CNN reports.
These new pieces of evidence might hold the key to cracking open the case.
So far, police haven’t named a suspect or located a murder weapon.
What are the big questions left to solve in the Idaho murder investigation?
Sunday 11 December 2022 11:00 , Josh Marcus
The investigation into the brutal murders of University of Idaho students Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin is now in its fourth week, with the killer or killers still at large.
Every individual connected to the case so far – from two surviving roommates to a victim’s former boyfriend – has been publicly ruled out by police, leaving an echo chamber with no names to fill it.
Details about the murders that shook the small college town of Moscow, Idaho, remain scant, the murder weapon is nowhere to be found and there are huge gaps in the timeline of the last known movements of two of the victims.
Investigators have admitted that they are stumped by the killings in the small, notoriously safe college town and still have no suspects or persons of interest on their radar. For the past month, officials have given little in the way of updates on the case – this silence and absence of information only serving to trigger an avalanche of online rumours and conspiracy theories among internet sleuths.
Our reporters rounded up the big questions still remaining in the police investigation.
These 12 questions could hold the key to solving the Idaho murders
There may have been more roommates in house where Idaho murders took place
Sunday 11 December 2022 10:00 , Josh Marcus
A sixth person may have also lived in the home where four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered in their beds, it has now been revealed.
Moscow Police said in a statement that a sixth individual is listed on the lease for the three-storey home but that investigators “do not believe that individual was present during the incident”.
The identity of that person has not been publicly released and it is not clear when they lived at the property.
When asked byThe Independent if the individual has been ruled out as a suspect in the horrific murders, a police spokesperson said that the statement was all they could release at this time.
Rachel Sharp reports.
Sixth person may have also lived at house where Idaho students were murdered
ICYMI: Two flatmates who survived Idaho stabbing frenzy break their silence
Sunday 11 December 2022 09:00 , Josh Marcus
Two University of Idaho students who survived a quadruple homicide at their Moscow home shared memories of their slain friends in their first public statements since the murders.
Dylan Mortenson and Bethany Funke were asleep on the first floor of their Moscow, Idaho, student rental house when their three roommates Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, and Xana Kernodle, along with Kernodle’s boyfriend Ethan Chapin, were stabbed to death on 13 November.
At a memorial held in Post Falls, Idaho, on Friday, a youth pastor from Real Life Ministries shared a letter written by Ms Mortenson, according to the Idaho Statesman.
She described Kernodle, 20, as the “life of the party”, adding she was “strong, intelligent, hardworking” and beautiful.
Bevan Hurley reports.
Idaho murders: Two flatmates who survived stabbing frenzy break their silence
Meanwhile in Idaho state prison ...
Sunday 11 December 2022 07:59 , Josh Marcus
The state of Idaho has been forced to cancel an execution it had planned for December 15 because it failed to get the lethal drugs it needed to carry it out.
Idaho was set to execute Gerard Pizzuto by lethal injection, but the Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) informed the state’s Board of Correction earlier this week that the death warrant for Mr. Pizzuto recieved on November 16 should be allowed to expire.
“While our efforts to secure chemicals remain ongoing, I have no reason to believe our status will change prior to the scheduled execution on December 15, 2022,” IDOC Director Josh Tewalt wrote in a memo quoted in a department Facebook post. “In my professional judgement, I believe it is in the best interest of justice to allow the death warrant to expire and stand down our execution preparation.”
Idaho cancels execution because of failure to obtain lethal drugs
Who was the intended target of the Idaho killer? One family has a theory
Sunday 11 December 2022 07:00 , Josh Marcus
The grieving father of one of the four slain University of Idaho students said his daughter and her best friend may have been prime target as the perpetrators ‘chose to go upstairs’ where they were sleeping.
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in their off-campus home in Moscow on 13 November. Weeks later, the police are yet to name a suspect.
Steven Goncalves, father of 21-year-old Kaylee, said that the suspect went upstairs where his daughter and her best friend Mogen, 21, were sleeping on the same bed on the top floor, which was out of the way of the killer’s entry point.
Authorities said that the perpetrator entered the house through a sliding glass door or window on the second floor of the home, which meets a hill on the ground level in the backyard.
The other two victims — Kernodle and Chaplin — were found dead on the second floor of the house.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar has the story.
Father of Idaho murder victim says his daughter may have been prime target
Police reveal information about victim’s dog in Idaho murders
Sunday 11 December 2022 06:00 , Josh Marcus
The dog found unharmed inside the home where four University of Idaho students were butchered in their beds did not tamper with the crime scene and was not discovered in the same room as any of the victims, it has been revealed.
Moscow Police said in an update that Murphy, the pet dog that victim Kaylee Goncalves shared with her former long-term boyfriend, was found in a room where the crimes had not been committed.
“Officers did not find any evidence on the dog and there was no indication the animal had entered the crime scene,” the statement said.
It remains unclear where Murphy was physically located when the murders took place, police said.
More details in our full report.
Idaho police offer new details about Kaylee Goncalves’ dog at the crime scene
Boyfriend of Idaho murder victim speaks publicly for the first time: ‘She was the person I loved most’
Sunday 11 December 2022 05:00 , Josh Marcus
The boyfriend of slain University of Idaho student Madison “Maddie” Mogen has publicly spoken out for the first time, weeks after she and three friends were stabbed to death in a brutal, yet-to-be-solved attack.
Jake Schriger, a fellow student at the university who had been dating Mogen for nearly a year, spoke about his 21-year-old girlfriend at a vigil in Post Falls, Idaho, on 2 December.
Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in their off-campus home in the college town of Moscow on 13 November. Four weeks later, the police are yet to name a suspect in the quadruple murder.
“None of these people deserved this,” Mr Schriger said in front of the families of the victims in Kernodle’s hometown.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar has the story.
Boyfriend of Idaho murder victim opens up on her death publicly for the first time
More interviews could be coming for cleared Idaho murder suspects
Sunday 11 December 2022 04:00 , Josh Marcus
Individuals who have already been publicly cleared as suspects in the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students may be reinterviewed by law enforcement as the investigation rumbles on for a fourth week and the killer remains at large.
Moscow Police Chief James Fry told Fox News on Tuesday that “cleared” individuals could still be called back in to speak with police if the evidence leads law enforcement back to them.
“We always have the option of reinterviewing,” he said.
“We’ve actually reinterviewed people two or three times because we’ll get tips, or we’ll get information that we need to verify again, and sometimes we need to ask the questions just a little bit different to ensure that we’re getting the proper information to continue on with this investigation. So, that happens regularly in all investigations.”
Rachel Sharp has the story.
Idaho police say people cleared as suspects in student murders may be reinterviewed
Murdered Idaho student’s family mull legal action as police chief breaks down and vows case ‘isn’t cold’
Sunday 11 December 2022 03:00 , Josh Marcus
The grieving family of murdered University of Idaho student Kaylee Goncalves are considering legal action to force police to release information about the case, as tensions continue to mount between law enforcement and the victims’ families.
More than three weeks have now passed since Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were murdered in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, and police appear to be no closer to catching the killer.
No suspects have been named, no arrests made and the murder weapon – a fixed-blade knife – is yet to be recovered.
Law enforcement officials are remaining tight-lipped about several details of the brutal killings, including who may have been the target of the attack.
Rachel Sharp has the story.
Murdered Idaho student’s family mull legal action as tensions mount with police
The five-hour time gap puzzling investigators
Sunday 11 December 2022 02:00 , Josh Marcus
The mystery continues to deepen around Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin’s final hours before they were brutally stabbed to death alongside Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves in a student rental home in Moscow, Idaho.
On the night of 12 November, Kernodle and Chapin had gone to a fraternity party at Sigma Chi from 8pm to 9pm on the University of Idaho campus.
The young couple then arrived back at the home on King Road that Kernodle, Mogen and Goncalves shared with two other female students at around 1.45am on 13 November.
The four victims were all stabbed to death at around 3am or 4am, their bodies lying undiscovered for several more hours.
Three weeks on from the murders, there continues to be an almost five-hour gap between the time Kernodle and Chapin were seen at the frat house party and the time they arrived back at the house where they were attacked.
Rachel Sharp has the story.
Five-hour gap in victims’ movements still unexplained weeks on from Idaho murders
