Global Courant
Bryan Kohberger’s defense team tore up prosecutors’ DNA collection, using genetic genealogy and tracking a white sedan allegedly connecting their client to the murder of four University of Idaho students.
DNA from three other unidentified men was found at the crime scene, including on a glove found outside the home in Moscow, Idaho, where Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison May, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20, were killed in November, according to the June 22 police report.
“It remains unclear what the police first relied on to focus their investigation on Mr. Kohberger,” his lawyers wrote in court documents challenging the police’s use of genetic genealogy and questioning how police managed to search for a white Elantra .
“It doesn’t matter which came first, the car or the genetic genealogy, the research turned up precious little,” Kohberger’s defense team argued. “There is no connection between Mr. Kohberger and the victims.”
BRYAN KOHBERGER’S DNA MATCHES MONSTER VAN MESSCHEDE AT IDAHO VICTIMS MADDIE MAGEN: DA
Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom for his arraignment hearing at Latah County District Court Monday, May 22, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger is accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in November 2022. (Zach Wilkinson/Moscow-Pullman Daily News via AP)
Kohberger’s lawyers said they “don’t know what, if any, tests were performed” on those three DNA samples, the court document said.
He is accused of murdering four Idaho students in an off-campus rental on November 13, 2022.
The prosecution’s latest indictment details how authorities came to believe that DNA from a knife sheath found near Mogen’s body belonged to Kohberger, which was a “statistical match” to DNA from a cheek swab taken after his arrest .
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Bryan Kohberger listens during a gag hearing for a case against Bryan Kohberger in Latah County District Court, Friday, June 9, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger is accused of murdering four University of Idaho students in November 2022. (Zach Wilkinson/Moscow-Pullman Daily News via AP, Pool)
According to the court documents, police used relatively new and publicly available genetic genealogy investigative techniques, and the FBI began checking the sample against publicly available DNA databases and archives accessible only to law enforcement.
Eventually, investigators developed a lead and collected a DNA sample from the trash outside the Kohbergers’ Pennsylvania home, found a family match, and collected samples directly from the suspect after his arrest.
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The victims of the University of Idaho massacre on November 13, from left to right: Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen. (Instagram @xanakernodle / @maddiemogen / @kayleegoncalves)
WATCH: HOW GENETIC GENEALOGY HELPED IDENTIFY KOHBERGER AS A SUSPECTED
However, the defense questioned how law enforcement narrowed the focus to Kohberger, arguing that prosecutors have no right to FBI data unearthed through genetic genealogy sites.
They alleged that prosecutors purposely withheld details of the genetic genealogy profile that was created.
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“A large-scale investigation focused on (Kohberger) and (Kohberger) alone,” his defense team argued. “The state seems to be trying to hide its original domino so it can’t discover why.”
In last week’s filing, the defense argued that this information should be released in detail.
Bryan Kohberger, left, who is charged with murdering four University of Idaho students in November 2022, watches his attorney, public defender Anne Taylor, right, during a hearing in Latah County District Court, Thursday, January 5, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool)
READ: FULL COURT SUBMISSION
“Essentially, due to the lack of disclosure and their motion to protect the genetic genealogy research, the state is hiding its entire case.”
Kohberger has been held without bail at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania since his arrest in late December.
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A judge has entered not guilty pleas for Kohberger in his case. His trial begins on October 2 and he could face the death penalty if convicted.
Chris Eberhart is a crime and American news reporter for Fox News Digital. Email tips to [email protected] or on twitter @ChrisEberhart48
