The country’s fascination with the November murders of four college students in Idaho has recently centered around the possibility that suspect Bryan Kohberger actually attended a vigil for the slain students.
On Nov. 13, the bodies of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were found in a rented house where the three young women lived in Moscow, Idaho.
Chapin, Kernodle’s boyfriend, was spending the night, according to a Fox News report.
As noted by the New York Post, the university held a Nov. 30 vigil for the students. Since Kohberger’s arrest on Dec. 30, internet detectives have been examining footage of vigil, focusing on one man wearing a blue jacket who was seen walking through the crowd.
#Idaho: University student #murder suspect allegedly spotted at vigil, 17 days after killings – Online investigators claim #BryanKohberger in video pretending to be mourning for the people he killed – Criminal ‘Justice’ Major Was Criminal Genius In His Own Mind – But… pic.twitter.com/gI69Ugga2I
— Shaun Train (@ShaunTrain101) January 8, 2023
Once again, the gym lights are bouncing off the tops of everyone’s head/hair making a white spot. The man does appear that he may be wearing glasses which if it is Bryan he could be wearing to look a bit different. The man has a very distinctive gait.
— H. Abernathy (@DrunkHaymitchPN) January 9, 2023
The blue coat guy at the vigil for the slain Idaho college students appears to have identical profile as Bryan Kohberger being escorted into court today. Same weak chin, same long nose same, hollowed out eyes and same height of hairline. It’s Bryan at that vigil! #BryanKohberger pic.twitter.com/xxIIZzGcLi
— H. Abernathy (@DrunkHaymitchPN) January 3, 2023
ForksTalk Newswatch: ‘Looks identical!’ Video clip suggests suspected killer may have attended vigil for 4 Idaho students: Internet sleuths who had been determined to identify the murderer of four University of Idaho students have not relented since a… https://t.co/FiVhXCUbzF pic.twitter.com/gt60JCoQP9
— ForksTalk (@TalkForks) January 8, 2023
Not everyone agreed.
Blue coat guy at the vigil is certainly not Bryan Kohberger. Blue coat guy is very pigeon-toed, especially in the left leg. Almost like there’s something wrong.
BK walks toe-out. He does have leg shackles on but it’s still apparent. #BryanKohlberger #idahohomicides pic.twitter.com/zy2wDyVsrG
— Dad Who Dads (@dadwhodads) January 8, 2023
In December, Steve Goncalves told Fox News that he had delayed any funeral services for his daughter, Kaylee, because of fears her killer might attend.
“It’s pretty much a fact. Who does something like this and doesn’t tune into the media? Who wouldn’t? It’s in his 100 percent selfish interest,” he said.
“He could easily be there, and that’s the sick kind of twisted person that would do this kind of crap,” he said.
Speaking before Kohberger’s arrest, Mary Ellen O’Toole, a retired FBI profiler, said the “arrogance” and “high-risk nature” of the killing made that a possibility.
“Sometimes offenders show up,” O’Toole said.
“They may take a lot of pleasure in thinking that they got away with the crime, and so going to a service like this where they can walk around and people don’t realize who they are, that can certainly feed into that kind of egotistical response,” she said.
Amid the public debate over video evidence, experts noted that Kohberger’s arrest came after police followed a trail of technology-based breadcrumbs that they believe links him to the killing, leading former Los Angeles County prosecutor Joshua Ritter to tell USA Today: “I think it just goes to this idea that there is no perfect crime in this day and age.”
“It is for the most part a fairly circumstantial case. And building that kind of case requires you to build this kind of tapestry of evidence, which they have done here in a very remarkable way,” Ritter said.
Mary Phan, a professor at the University of Washington School of Law, told the newspaper the evidence amassed against Kohberger amounts to “a perfect case study in modern investigative techniques.”
Howard Ryan, a law enforcement consultant and former New Jersey State Police crime scene investigator, agreed.
“You’re looking at a combination of newer, sophisticated technology, combined with old-fashioned police work,” he told USA Today.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
