In connection with the investigation into the killings of four students at the University of Idaho in 2016, authorities have secured search warrants to better understand the suspect, Brian Kohberger’s digital footprint. In particular, investigators have focused on the suspect’s “click activity pertaining to knives.”
On November 13, the remains of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves were found in a residence located off campus. In May, Kohberger, who was 28 years old then, was charged with four charges of murder in addition to other offenses.
Transactions, including Apple, Amazon, PayPal, Venmo, and Youtube were the focus of search warrant applications submitted by the police in Moscow, Idaho. Documents that have just recently been made public date back to September 8 and were submitted for the first time to the Second Judicial District Court of Idaho.
A search warrant that was issued on May 8 and returned on July 5 related to the activity that took place on a redacted Amazon account between March 20 and 30, 2022, as well as between November 1 and December 6, 2022.
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The document requested “all detailed customer click activity pertaining to knives and accessories.”
During the examination, several stab wounds were discovered, leading investigators to conclude that each of the four victims had been attacked with a large knife. The authorities had previously said that Kohberger was related to the crime when male DNA was found on a knife sheath that was retrieved underneath Mogen’s body. This evidence was used to support the authorities’ prior statement.
Nobody has been successful in locating the weapon that was used in the murder.
The search warrant also requested information on the payment method associated with the account, as well as a history of transactions made and abandoned by the user, as well as any suggestions made to the account, any items seen by the user, and any remarks made by the account.
The warrant that was granted by Apple on August 1 and returned on August 9 asked for access to all data connected with a user’s Apple ID across all of the user’s devices. This included text messages that were sent and received on any phones that were tied to the account.
The information was handed back over by the Moscow Police Department, which then used it as evidence in the respective cases.
The viewing history of films on YouTube, as well as transactions made using Venmo and PayPal, were the primary focuses of the other warrants.
The files did not contain any information on the search warrants.
After being arrested on December 30, a grand jury decided to bring charges against Kohberger in May.
At the time of his arrest, Kohberger was a student at a nearby university working on a doctorate in the field of criminal justice. He has since pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. According to his lawyers, he went on a solo drive both the evening before the bodies were found and the morning of the finding of the bodies.
The evidence that tied Kohberger to the scene of the crime was documented in an affidavit for probable cause that was submitted in January. This evidence included cellphone signals, film from security cameras, a witness, and a leather knife sheath.
