Idaho murders: Brian Kochberger reveals ‘huge problem’ with ‘potential to compromise’ prosecution, lawyer warns

The slow but steady stream of leaks in the Idaho student murder case could have dire consequences for prosecutors seeking justice for the four students stabbed to death late last year, according to a veteran lawyer in the state.

Although the case against Brian Kochberger is currently under a restrictive non-disclosure order, which itself faces challenges in court, investigators and attorneys for both sides, as well as victims, survivors and their families, are limited in what they can publicly speak about. happened. happening.

“It’s a huge problem that this source is leaking information,” – Edwina Alcox, former attorney for Cult Mom child murder suspect Lori Vallow of Boise. “This could jeopardize the integrity of the investigation and prosecution of the case.”

There are fears that too much attention to closely monitored national news could taint the jury in Lata County, a rural stretch of farmland and mountains in northern Idaho, where more than half live in Moscow, the campus where all four of the murdered University of Idaho students lived.

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“If an employee of my office did this, he would definitely no longer work,” Elcox added.

The remarks come after a series of posts in which unnamed law enforcement sources alleged a stabbing suspect and evidence against him, including that he allegedly had a bunch of photos of one of the victims on his phone and sent at least at least one of them. Instagram posts before crime.

“I understand that Kochberger thought he was smart. But as a criminology graduate student, it should have been pretty obvious that keeping photos of one of the victims could be problematic.”

— Edwina Alcox, Attorney

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Madison Mogen (top left) smiles on the shoulder of her best friend Kaylie Gonsalves as they pose with Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and two other housemates in Gonsalves’ last Instagram post, posted the day before four students were stabbed to death. . (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)

“I understand that Kochberger thought he was smart,” Elcox said. “But as a criminology graduate student, it should have been pretty obvious that keeping pictures of one of the victims could be problematic for him.”

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Even if he had them and then deleted them, investigators would be able to recover the data, she said.

“If the information contained in the search warrant affidavit is correct, he clearly had at least a superficial understanding of mobile phone technology,” she said. “He may have been so arrogant that he thought he was smarter than the investigators, but he couldn’t help but keep photos that he could easily access.”

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Kochberger is accused of breaking into the house around 4 a.m. on November 13, 2022, after the victims were seen partying at various locations in Moscow, a typically serene college town in the Idaho mountains near the Washington state border.

Police say he brutally stabbed four students inside — 21-year-olds Madison Mogen and Kaylee Gonkavles and 20-year-olds Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

Victims of the November 13 massacre at the University of Idaho, from left to right: Kaley Gonsalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen. (Instagram @xanakernodle / @maddiemogen / @kayleegoncalves)

According to Lata County Coroner Kathy Mabbatt, all four were stabbed multiple times with a large knife. Only a few had defensive wounds, while others could be ambushed in their sleep.

According to the police statement, Kochberger left a Ka-Bar knife sheath with DNA on the latch. Investigators found him in Mogen’s bed, next to her body, and found a match for the father’s DNA in a dumpster at Kochberger’s parents’ home on the other side of the country.

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Koberger lived in an apartment in Pullman, Washington, where he studied for his Ph.D. at the department of criminal justice and criminology of the school. The campus is across the state line but less than 10 miles from the University of Idaho.

Brian Kochberger, 28, is charged with the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylie Gonsalves and Madison Mogen. (Lata County Sheriff’s Office)

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Allegedly, he wandered the King Road home for several weeks, making his rounds at least a dozen times and returning a few more hours after the murder.

University officials announced on Friday that a landlord had donated the King Road property and that they plan to demolish it.

They also said that a memorial garden would be built at an undisclosed location in honor of the victims and other students who died.

Koberger is being held without bail at the Lata County Jail. His next scheduled trial date is June 26.