A previous investigation connected to Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of killing four college students in Idaho, that involved a home invasion that police later determined he was not involved in could help shape his defense in the high-profile murder case, according to an attorney who once served as a public defender.
Attorney Brian Buckmire spoke to ABC News about the new development, saying that "without a doubt" Kohlberger's defense team will use the home invasion case to try and "raise reasonable doubt."
Why It Matters
Kohberger, 30, is accused of fatally stabbing University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus residence in the city of Moscow, Idaho, in 2022. He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
The home invasion case happened a year before the killings. Police responded to the alleged home invasion in nearby Pullman, Washington. The home was less than 10 miles from the off-campus residence where Mogen, Goncalves, Kernodle and Chapin were stabbed.
What To Know
In body camera footage obtained by ABC News, a woman tells police responding to the home invasion incident that a masked intruder entered her bedroom in Pullman at around 3:30 a.m.
"I heard my door open and I looked over, and someone was wearing a ski mask and had a knife," the woman said. "And I like kicked the (expletive) out of their stomach. They flew into my closet then ran out the door and went up the stairs."
Police did not find the suspect or any evidence at the scene, according to the police report obtained by ABC News.
Kohberger was named as a person of interest in the Pullman incident 13 days after he was arrested in the Idaho killings.
The woman described the alleged intruder as 5-foot-3-inches to 5-foot-5-inches, but Kohberger is 6-feet tall. Kohberger was also not enrolled in or visiting Washington State University, which is in Pullman, at the time of the incident.
Pullman officials told ABC News that Kohberger is no longer a person of interest in the alleged home invasion and the case has since been closed.
"We have no reason or evidence to believe he was involved in this burglary at this time," police told the outlet.
Buckmire said that Kohberger's defense team will almost certainly use the closed case to point to an "alternative suspect," but wonders if the judge would admit the evidence.
"Without a doubt, Bryan Kohberger's defense team is going to try to raise reasonable doubt by pointing to an alternative suspect in using this alleged burglary. The question becomes, why would a judge admit this evidence where nothing about this case tends to prove that Bryan Kohberger was not the murderer," Buckmire said.
What People Are Saying
Brad Garrett, an ABC News crime & terrorism analyst: "When you look at the Idaho murders, one of the things detectives and agents did almost immediately is, are there other cases in the area that might have some similarities. For example, fingerprints, DNA, hair samples—anything that you could either biologically or genetically or fingerprint wise, link this suspect to that particular burglary."
What Happens Next
Kohberger remains in custody at Ada County Jail in Boise, Idaho, as he awaits trial. He is facing the death penalty if convicted.
His trial is scheduled to begin on August 11, 2025, with jury selection on July 31. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 23.
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