Two unidentified men’s blood was found at the crime scene where four students from the University of Idaho were brutally murdered more than two years ago, as disclosed by Bryan Kohberger’s legal team.
According to the attorneys representing the suspected perpetrator, DNA from an unidentified man was detected on a handrail inside the victims’ off-campus residence, while another man’s blood was discovered on a glove located outside the crime scene.
These surprising revelations could provide insight into Kohberger’s defense strategy for his upcoming trial scheduled for August, during which he could potentially face capital punishment.
Latah County prosecutor Bill Thompson previously addressed the presence of DNA from unidentified men, acknowledging they were never uploaded to the FBI’s database because they ‘were not eligible’, reports the Idaho Statesman.
Although the samples had been recognized in court filings last year, it was not previously known at least two of the DNA samples had come from blood.
Kohberger’s attorney Anne Taylor criticized authorities in his latest hearing as she said police did not disclose the unidentified blood when obtaining a search warrant for Kohberger’s arrest in December 2022, which prosecutors did not dispute.
Taylor argued that this should disqualify some evidence collected in the search as it was not properly authorized, however a judge countered that there was still probable cause because Kohberger’s DNA was found on a knife sheath at the murder scene.
The move was part of a broader strategy from Taylor to challenge evidence against Kohberger in a ‘Franks hearing’, which appeals a judge’s probable cause finding and therefore discredits evidence found in a search.
Murder suspect Byran Kohberger’s attorneys say blood from two unidentified men was discovered at the gruesome crime scene where he allegedly stabbed four University of Idaho students to death
Kohberger is accused of murdering University of Idaho students (L-R) Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle on November 13, 2022
The judge in Kohberger’s case has not yet granted a ruling on allowing a Franks hearing to go forward, which prosecutors are opposing as they say key evidence connects Kohberger to the grisly murders.
Among the most pivotal pieces of evidence is the knife sheath, which was found in a bed where two of the students were slain.
Authorities said they identified Kohberger’s DNA on the sheath through genetic genealogy testing, which compared the sample with data from public databases that came from the suspect’s distant relatives.
Taylor has also argued that using public databases to identify Kohberger through his relatives without their knowledge was a violation of his rights.
It comes as the case against Kohberger – who has not appeared in court for three months – has been delayed several times since his arrest in December 2022, with the accused killer now set to stand trial in August 2025.
He allegedly stabbed students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, to death in their off-campus home in a crime that shocked the nation over two years ago.
Kohberger, seen in an updated September 2024 mugshot, is set to stand trial in August following several delays and postponements to his case
Kohberger was identified as a suspect when his DNA was found on a Ka-bar knife sheath (seen in a stock image) at the scene that was traced to him through genetic genealogy
Boyfriend and girlfriend Ethan Chapin (left) and Xana Kernodle (right) were slain in bed together in the gruesome murders in November 2022
The families of the victims have shared their frustration at the unending delays, with the mother of Kaylee Goncalves (left, with Madison Mogen) saying: ‘It’s gut-wrenching how slow everything has to go. Why does this have to be so drawn out?’
His initial trial date was set for October 2023. However, his lead defense attorney Anne Taylor has filed for multiple extensions and further hearings since his arrest, sparking anger from the victims’ families.
Kohberger’s team also delayed revealing his official alibi until May 2024, and when he finally did so, prosecutors and the public reacted with dismay as he claimed he was ‘driving alone’ on the night of the murders ‘to look at the moon and stars.’
In that filing, Taylor said she would be calling on a phone data analysis expert to back up his claims he was miles from the scene, which is one of the pieces of evidence prosecutors and the defense have repeatedly clashed over.
Kohberger has maintained his innocence since his arrest, which came after a high-profile search that took over a month as social media became obsessed with the case.
Internet sleuths pored over the lanky teaching assistant’s history, revealing everything from his middle-school bullying at the hands of popular classmates to his humiliating Tinder dates.
Amid a wave of media attention on the case, the families of the victims have used the spotlight to condemn the proceedings against Kohberger as they are continually delayed.
From cellphone data produced by prosecutors, the route allegedly driven by Bryan Kohberger on the night of the brutal Idaho murders may be a crucial piece of evidence in the state’s case against the 28-year-old. In his new alibi filing, his lawyers say they plan to dispute this data
The off-campus home where the four grisly murders took place was torn down in December amid the delays, despite calls from the victims’ families to keep it standing
Investigators were seen in January 2023 removing a bloodied mattress from the home where four University of Idaho were murdered
In December 2023, the mother of victim Kaylee Goncalves said the ongoing process has been ‘gut wrenching.’
‘It’s gut-wrenching how slow everything has to go. Why does this have to be so drawn out?’ Kaylee’s mother Krisi said in an interview with KHQ.
‘It’s important, I get it, but there are facts, we have certain facts, we have certain knowledge. I can’t believe that this is how it works.’
In December 2023, Idaho officials again came under fire after the off-campus home where the four students were stabbed to death was torn down, against the victim’s families’ wishes.
Although both prosecution and defense agreed for it to be torn down, the families argued against it, with Goncalves’ loved ones fearing the move would ‘destroy one of the most critical pieces of evidence in the case.’
Before it was torn down, the scenes inside the home were so gruesome that exclusive DailyMail.com images showed blood seeping down the outsides of the property.
The defense has also filed to dismiss the entire case, claiming he was indicted by a biased grand jury and the case was tainted by misconduct by the prosecution and the admission of invalid evidence. The motion was denied.
In December, it also emerged that Kohberger was previously investigated in connection to a home invasion in Pullman, Washington in October 2021, just 10 miles from the quadruple murders in Moscow, Idaho. He was never charged in that investigation.
