Bryan Kohberger May Have Been in Idaho Murder Victims’ Home Before Killings, Prosecutor Suggests

Bryan Kohberger prosecutor Bill Thompson theorized that it was possible the Idaho Four killer had been at the scene of the crime before the night of the murders.

On November 13, 2022, Kohberger, 30, brutally murdered Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21. He pleaded guilty to the slayings on July 2, and nearly three weeks later, he was ordered to serve four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

While the high-profile case has come to a close, there is still so much unknown about the motivation behind the murders, as well as the events leading up to them.

During a sit-down for the 48 Hours podcast with correspondent Peter Van Sant, Thompson clarified they couldn’t be certain Kohberger had been inside of the victims’ Moscow home before the night of the crimes, but it’s possible due to the “unique layout” of the property that made it a “little bit confusing” to traverse.

“Admittedly, if he was parked up behind the house on that bank, which we believe is where he parked, he would be able to see into the house at night and he would be able to see whose rooms were where,” he added.

Elsewhere in the interview, Thompson also said there “may have been other potential victims” that Kohberger was “looking at” before making his decision to kill the four University of Idaho students.

Another question yet to be answered is why Kohberger spared two of his victims’ roommates – Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke – who were in the house at the time of the murders.

As the National Enquirer previously reported, Thompson suggested that Kohberger got nervous about the time he’d spent at the scene and wanted to make a hasty exit before police potentially arrived.

“At that point, he’d been in the house probably longer than he planned, and he had killed more people than he planned,” the prosecutor speculated to the Idaho Statesman. “It wouldn’t surprise us that the killer was scared at that point and decided they had to leave.”

Although Kohberger was given a chance to elaborate on his reason for committing the horrific crimes at his July 23 sentencing hearing, he declined.

Kohberger has since been transferred to Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho. He is currently living in the prison’s J Block, used to house offenders that are in “protective custody, long-term restrictive housing and [on] death row.”