Latest news with #Ka-Bar
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Surprise witness in Idaho student murders says she 'saw Bryan there' on deadly night
A surprise second eyewitness has emerged in the Idaho student murders case and could testify against Bryan Kohberger at trial later this year. A woman claiming to be the Idaho DoorDash driver who dropped off food to victim Xana Kernodle minutes before a home invasion stabbing spree killed her, her boyfriend, and two roommates, has emerged as an unexpected eyewitness to testify at Kohberger's upcoming murder trial, and she told police she saw him at the scene. The purported driver revealed herself in a police bodycam video from an alleged DUI stop taken in September 2024 and posted weeks later to the YouTube account, Officer Axon, which publishes law enforcement videos obtained through public records requests. Key Figures Brom Bryan Kohberger's Pennsylvania Youth Summoned To Idaho For Student Murders Trial Web sleuths picked up on it, and her connection to the Kohberger case was reported in the Idaho Statesman Tuesday. "I have to testify in a big murder case here... because I'm the DoorDash driver, so yeah," she says in the video. Read On The Fox News App An officer asks which case. "The murder case with the college girls," she says. "I'm the DoorDash driver. I saw Bryan there. I parked right next to him." She is not named in redacted court documents and may suffer from credibility issues after police in Pullman, Washington, accused her of driving while high on drugs. Bryan Kohberger Defense Suggests 'Alternate Perpetrators' In Idaho Murders, Joining Infamous Legal Strategy DoorDash is among dozens of companies that police sought information from during their investigation, Fox News Digital has previously reported. Kernodle received a delivery less than 10 minutes before the attack, which happened just after 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2022. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES AT THE FOX NEWS True Crime Hub A surviving roommate, who is identified only by her initials in court documents, told police early on in the investigation that she came face to face with a masked man with bushy eyebrows before he left the house without attacking her. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X The attack also killed Ethan Chapin, who was Kernodle's 20-year-old boyfriend, and two 21-year-old roommates, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. All four were University of Idaho students, and all four suffered multiple stab wounds from a large knife, according to authorities. Police found a Ka-Bar sheath under Mogen's body that prosecutors allege has Kohberger's DNA on it. Police allege they linked a suspect vehicle and Kohberger's phone pings to the scene as well. The 30-year-old suspect, who is from Pennsylvania, was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University, just a 10-mile drive from the crime scene. Sign Up To Get The True Crime Newsletter A judge entered not guilty pleas on Kohberger's behalf at his arraignment in May 2023. He faces four counts of first-degree murder and one of felony burglary. He could face the death penalty if article source: Surprise witness in Idaho student murders says she 'saw Bryan there' on deadly night
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Woman claiming to be DoorDash driver on night of Idaho murders emerges as surprise witness at Kohberger trial: ‘Saw Bryan there'
A surprise second eyewitness has emerged in the Idaho student murders case and could testify against Bryan Kohberger at trial later this year. A woman claiming to be the Idaho DoorDash driver who dropped off food to victim Xana Kernodle minutes before a home invasion stabbing spree killed her, her boyfriend, and two roommates, has emerged as a surprise second eyewitness to testify at Kohberger's upcoming murder trial, and she told police she saw him at the scene. The purported driver revealed herself in a police bodycam video from an alleged DUI stop taken in September 2024 and posted weeks later to the YouTube account, Officer Axon, which publishes law enforcement videos obtained through public records requests. Web sleuths picked up on it, and her connection to the Kohberger case was reported in the Idaho Statesman Tuesday. 'I have to testify in a big murder case here… because I'm the DoorDash driver, so yeah,' she says in the video. An officer asks which case. 'The murder case with the college girls,' she says. 'I'm the DoorDash driver. I saw Bryan there. I parked right next to him.' 3 An Idaho DoorDash driver has appeared as a shocking second eyewitness in the trial against Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022. Getty Images She is not named in redacted court documents and may suffer from credibility issues after police in Pullman, Washington, accused her of driving while high on drugs. DoorDash is among dozens of companies that police sought information from during their investigation, Fox News Digital has previously reported. Kernodle received a delivery less than 10 minutes before the attack, which happened just after 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2022. A surviving roommate, who is identified only by her initials in court documents, told police early on in the investigation that she came face to face with a masked man with bushy eyebrows before he left the house without attacking her. 3 The driver said she dropped off food to victim Xana Kernodle just before the home invasion that led to her being stabbed to death, along with Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves also succumbing to fatal stab wounds. James Keivom The attack also killed Ethan Chapin, who was Kernodle's 20-year-old boyfriend, and two 21-year-old roommates, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. All four were University of Idaho students, and all four suffered multiple stab wounds from a large knife, according to authorities. Police found a Ka-Bar sheath under Mogen's body that prosecutors allege has Kohberger's DNA on it. Police allege they linked a suspect vehicle and Kohberger's phone pings to the scene as well. The 30-year-old suspect, who is from Pennsylvania, was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University, just a 10-mile drive from the crime scene. 3 Kohberger is facing four first-degree murder counts along with one count of felony burglary. A judge entered not guilty pleas on Kohberger's behalf at his arraignment in May 2023. He faces four counts of first-degree murder and one of felony burglary. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
New York Post
10-06-2025
- New York Post
Kohberger lawyer asks to postpone trial amid intense media coverage, new crime projects
Bryan Kohberger's lead defense attorney Anne Taylor may be avoiding news cameras, but she has shown she is able to use widespread attention to the case to her advantage in her courtroom maneuvering. Even before Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued the first gag order in the case, Taylor declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital. Advertisement Since then, she has declined to respond to additional requests for comment. 'It is unusual for defense counsel to avoid trying to grab the spotlight and possibly influence public opinion via press conferences, but there's more than one way to skin a cat,' said Royal Oakes, a Los Angeles-based litigator and media analyst. In Kohberger's case, convincing evidence has already been made public — including the allegation that police found his DNA on a Ka-Bar knife sheath under 21-year-old Madison Mogen, one of the four victims, and surveillance video of a suspected vehicle coming and going at the crime scene. 'You've got the car circling the victim's house,' Oakes told Fox News Digital. 'You've got the DNA. You've got the cell phone records. The strategy instead is to go kind of a technical route and question the science of the DNA and also to argue autism by the criminal defendant. That's a key factor, and that's not the kind of thing you necessarily go public with.' Advertisement 7 Bryan Kohberger, (center) who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022. AP Taylor used unflattering depictions of her client to have news cameras thrown out of the courtroom and to secure a change of venue, which moved Kohberger's upcoming trial out of Latah County, where the students were killed, to Boise. Defense filings have highlighted widespread news coverage, as well as social media discussions involving thousands of web sleuths and true crime followers. More recently, Taylor is arguing that two major media projects — a 'Dateline' episode and a forthcoming book from bestselling crime author James Patterson and crime reporter Vicky Ward — should justify another postponement of her client's trial in the deaths of four University of Idaho students. Advertisement In particular, she claims the May 9 'Dateline' episode contains damning material that could put Kohberger's right to a fair trial at risk. 7 Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, appears at a hearing in Latah County District Court, on Jan. 5, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. AP 'The program includes details and materials, including video footage, cellphone records, and photographs of documents, that are not publicly available through official channels,' she wrote in a motion to continue filed on May 20. 'The show repeatedly emphasizes the non-public nature of this information, stating it was obtained from unnamed sources who are close to the investigation, and that the materials were obtained exclusively by 'Dateline.'' Some of it will be inadmissible at trial, she added. Advertisement Furthermore, she asserted that 'the leaked materials appear carefully curated to promote a narrative of guilt.' 7 Anne Taylor, an attorney representing Bryan Kohberger. AP 'The defense strategy of delay and moving the trial is working beautifully,' Oakes said. 'She was able to change the venue. She gets some postponements, and now she wants further postponement.' If she gets it, there are two key factors that would benefit the defense, he added. 'No. 1, give her time to come up with something to overcome this amazingly strong physical evidence against him, and also maybe diminish the public anger,' he said. 'As the months and the years go by, people will forget how horrific the crime was, and maybe give her a better chance to get a good result at trial.' 7 Personal items of four University of Idaho students who were stabbed to death in an off-campus house are removed on Wednesday, December 7, 2022. James Keivom 'They are trying to keep it out of the court of public opinion,' said David Gelman, a Philadelphia-area defense attorney and former prosecutor who is following the case. 'How do you do that? Stay away from media.' However, that is tough in a case where many updates receive international attention. Advertisement 7 Blood oozes out of the side of an off-campus home where four University of Idaho students were murdered. James Keivom 7 Investigator at the scene of the University of Idaho quadruple homicide. James Keivom Kohberger is accused of killing Mogen, two roommates and another friend in a 4 a.m. home-invasion stabbing spree. There is no publicly known motive, but a concerning detail is that he was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at the time of the murders. 7 Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students. Advertisement The other victims were Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. Jack Lu, a retired Massachusetts judge and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Lowell School of Criminology and Justice studies, said Taylor could consider trying to 'humanize' her client — but anything else could be dangerous for the defense. 'That case sends a chill down the spine of every professor in a school of criminology in the United States,' he told Fox News Digital.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
How Bryan Kohberger's notoriously mum defense attorney is using the media to her advantage
Bryan Kohberger's lead defense attorney Anne Taylor may be avoiding news cameras, but she has shown she is able to use widespread attention to the case to her advantage in her courtroom maneuvering. Even before Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued the first gag order in the case, Taylor declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital. Since then, she has declined to respond to additional requests for comment. "It is unusual for defense counsel to avoid trying to grab the spotlight and possibly influence public opinion via press conferences, but there's more than one way to skin a cat," said Royal Oakes, a Los Angeles-based litigator and media analyst. Bryan Kohberger Case Leak Could Lead To Excluded Evidence, Idaho Attorney Warns In Kohberger's case, convincing evidence has already been made public — including the allegation that police found his DNA on a Ka-Bar knife sheath under 21-year-old Madison Mogen, one of the four victims, and surveillance video of a suspected vehicle coming and going at the crime scene. "You've got the car circling the victim's house," Oakes told Fox News Digital. "You've got the DNA. You've got the cell phone records. The strategy instead is to go kind of a technical route and question the science of the DNA and also to argue autism by the criminal defendant. That's a key factor, and that's not the kind of thing you necessarily go public with." Read On The Fox News App Taylor used unflattering depictions of her client to have news cameras thrown out of the courtroom and to secure a change of venue, which moved Kohberger's upcoming trial out of Latah County, where the students were killed, to Boise. Idaho Judge Denies Bryan Kohberger Defense Motion To Suppress Key Evidence Defense filings have highlighted widespread news coverage, as well as social media discussions involving thousands of web sleuths and true crime followers. More recently, Taylor is arguing that two major media projects — a "Dateline" episode and a forthcoming book from bestselling crime author James Patterson and crime reporter Vicky Ward — should justify another postponement of her client's trial in the deaths of four University of Idaho students. In particular, she claims the May 9 "Dateline" episode contains damning material that could put Kohberger's right to a fair trial at risk. Judge Says Gag Order 'Likely' Violated In Bryan Kohberger's Idaho Murder Case "The program includes details and materials, including video footage, cellphone records, and photographs of documents, that are not publicly available through official channels," she wrote in a motion to continue filed on May 20. "The show repeatedly emphasizes the non-public nature of this information, stating it was obtained from unnamed sources who are close to the investigation, and that the materials were obtained exclusively by 'Dateline.'" Sign Up To Get The True Crime Newsletter Some of it will be inadmissible at trial, she added. Furthermore, she asserted that "the leaked materials appear carefully curated to promote a narrative of guilt." "The defense strategy of delay and moving the trial is working beautifully," Oakes said. "She was able to change the venue. She gets some postponements, and now she wants further postponement." If she gets it, there are two key factors that would benefit the defense, he added. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X "No. 1, give her time to come up with something to overcome this amazingly strong physical evidence against him, and also maybe diminish the public anger," he said. "As the months and the years go by, people will forget how horrific the crime was, and maybe give her a better chance to get a good result at trial." "They are trying to keep it out of the court of public opinion," said David Gelman, a Philadelphia-area defense attorney and former prosecutor who is following the case. "How do you do that? Stay away from media." GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub However, that is tough in a case where many updates receive international attention. Kohberger is accused of killing Mogen, two roommates and another friend in a 4 a.m. home-invasion stabbing spree. There is no publicly known motive, but a concerning detail is that he was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at the time of the murders. The other victims were Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. Jack Lu, a retired Massachusetts judge and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Lowell School of Criminology and Justice studies, said Taylor could consider trying to "humanize" her client — but anything else could be dangerous for the defense. "That case sends a chill down the spine of every professor in a school of criminology in the United States," he told Fox News article source: How Bryan Kohberger's notoriously mum defense attorney is using the media to her advantage
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Idaho murder case runs into problems but suspect set for August trial
Bryan Kohberger, the suspect accused of killing four young University of Idaho students in 2022, is set to go to trial in August in a case that could see him sentenced to death. He is charged with the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin – who were together in the same house when someone broke in at night and stabbed them to death. But the case is running into problems, not least a failure by prosecutors to ascribe a motive for the killings, which terrified a region and shocked the US amid a media frenzy around the crime. Last week, Kohberger's attorneys requested a trial delay, citing in part intense publicity around the case generated in part by a recent NBC Dateline special they claim was prejudicial to their client because it contained apparent prosecution leaks in violation of a non-dissemination order. The leaks included information that the phone belonging to Kohberger connected 23 times in four months to a cellphone tower near the rented home where the four students were killed. And also that he searched the internet for information about serial killer Ted Bundy as well as for pornography with the keywords 'drugged', 'sleeping' and 'passed out'. The defense is arguing it now requires more time to prepare for trial because of the publicity around that information. Related: Judge bans use of 'psychopath' and 'sociopath' in Idaho student murder trial Further problems may arise in July with the pre-trial publication of The Idaho Four, by the crime writer James Patterson and the journalist Vicky Ward, who ran afoul of a judge in South Carolina after obtaining crime-scene photos and documents in a civil claim related to that state's notorious Alex Murdaugh double murder case. Kohberger's attorneys have said the blurb for the book 'suggests that the apparent Dateline leak was not the only violation of this court's non-dissemination order' and a delay might mitigate the 'prejudicial effects of such inflammatory pretrial publicity'. Idaho judge Steven Hippler has said he is open to appointing a special prosecutor to question people under oath to determine the origin of the leaks. But whether or not a delay is granted, a number of recent court rulings have been going against Kohberger, who has pleaded not guilty. His defense team has tried to keep considerable evidence, including a 911 call alerting police to the crime; the description of a man with 'bushy eyebrows' at the house around the time of the murders; and his Amazon shopping history, including the purchase of a knife similar to the one the alleged assailant was said to have used, out of the trial. Amazon records show that an account under Kohberger's name and email address bought a Ka-Bar knife, sheath and sharpener in March 2022, eight months before the murders, and had them shipped to his parents' home in Pennsylvania, where he was later arrested. A brown leather Ka-Bar knife sheath was found, police said, next to one victim's body and DNA on the clasp matched to Kohberger. Kohberger's defense team claims his Amazon purchase history was 'out of context, incomplete and unfairly prejudicial', but Hippler ruled it was 'highly relevant' and 'establishes significant connection between the defendant and Ka-Bar knife and sheath'. In another ruling against the defence, Hippler turned down a request to exclude the criminology student's 12-page master's essay from being presented as evidence in the trial. In it, Kohberger assessed how to handle a crime scene where a woman has been found stabbed to death. Other rulings going against the suspect involve evidence about his white Hyundai Elantra – a similar make and model of car that prosecutors say the killer drove and which was captured on security video near the home before the murders and leaving soon after. Nor has the judge allowed defense requests that the death penalty option be dropped because their client was once diagnosed with autism. Hippler instead ruled that the defense can only introduce the diagnosis if Kohberger testifies in his own defense or as a mitigating factor is he is convicted. But Hippler has also ruled that Kohberger's defense was permitted to keep a court filing 'in support of … alternate perpetrators' sealed from public view. It is not yet clear if defense claims of another perpetrator, or perpetrators, claimed to be in the documents will be permitted at trial. Absent from the prosecutors' filings to date are any attempts to ascribe a motive for Kohberger's alleged actions. Forensic psychiatrist Carole Lieberman has said she believes Kohberger's decision to study psychology and then criminology was because he was 'trying to calm the demons inside of him' and simultaneously 'trying to learn how to commit the perfect crime'. To the Guardian last week she went further, arguing that the bloody crime scene and use of a knife was evidence that Kohberger harbored rage against young women. Kohberger, she claimed, had held this rage since at least middle school, when he had a crush on a cheerleader – said to have looked like Kaylee Goncalves – only for her to reject him. 'I think that's why he stalked and killed them,' she said. Related: Man accused of murdering four Idaho students fights against death penalty According to some reports, Kohhberg followed Mogen and Goncalves on Instagram. The defence denies the claim and argues there is no motive to find because Kohberger did not commit the crime. Louis Schlesinger, a professor of psychology at John Jay College, said it should be noted that Kohberger's alleged crime was a targeted mass killing, not a serial killing, because there were two others in the home at the time, including a surviving roommate, who reported seeing an intruder with 'bushy eyebrows', and were not attacked. 'This seems to be situationally based, so you can rule out psychosis or impulsivity,' Schlesinger said, 'and it doesn't appear to be sexually motivated. It could be jealousy or a feeling of rejection or humiliation. But we really don't know the motive was.' But that doesn't mean a jury would not want prosecutors to at least imply a motive. 'Jurors want to hear a motive before they send someone to the execution chamber,' he said. 'They will want to know why he did it.'
