The arrest of Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old criminology Ph.D. student, in connection with the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students has sent shockwaves through the nation. As investigators delve deeper into Kohberger’s past, a previously unreported incident has come to light, raising questions and adding another layer of complexity to the already disturbing case. Body camera footage obtained by ABC News reveals that Kohberger was investigated in connection with a home invasion in Pullman, Washington, just over a year before the Idaho murders occurred. The chilling similarities between the two events have sparked speculation and intensified the scrutiny surrounding Kohberger.
The Pullman incident, which took place in October 2021, involved a masked intruder armed with a knife who entered a woman’s bedroom in the early morning hours. The woman, whose identity has been protected, recounted her terrifying encounter to responding officers, describing how she bravely fought back against the assailant, kicking him in the stomach and screaming, causing him to flee the scene. Despite a swift response from law enforcement, the suspect remained elusive, and the case eventually went cold. The incident occurred just ten miles from the location of the Idaho student murders, and the similarities between the two cases are striking.
The Idaho murders, which occurred on November 13, 2022, claimed the lives of four young students: Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, also 20. The victims were found stabbed to death in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. A surviving roommate reported seeing a masked man with “bushy eyebrows” after hearing cries and sounds of a struggle, further fueling the comparisons between the two incidents.
Kohberger’s arrest in December 2022 at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania brought a sense of relief to the grieving communities of Moscow and Pullman, but also raised numerous questions about his potential involvement in both cases. The Pullman Police Department confirmed that Kohberger was a person of interest in the home invasion case, but later clarified that he is no longer considered a suspect. The discrepancies in the victim’s description of the intruder and Kohberger’s physical appearance, as well as the fact that Kohberger was not yet enrolled at Washington State University at the time of the Pullman incident, contributed to the decision to clear him as a suspect in that particular case.
Despite being cleared as a suspect in the Pullman case, the similarities between the two incidents remain unsettling. Both involved a masked intruder armed with a knife, entering homes in the early morning hours and maintaining silence throughout the ordeal. While Pullman police consider the home invasion case closed and unsolved, the victim expressed frustration that the investigation was not pursued more vigorously. This unresolved case now casts a shadow over the upcoming murder trial of Bryan Kohberger, scheduled to begin in August 2025.
The upcoming trial will undoubtedly be a complex and emotionally charged event. The prosecution will present evidence linking Kohberger to the Idaho murders, while the defense will likely explore all avenues to raise reasonable doubt. Whether the Pullman home invasion case will be introduced as part of the defense strategy remains unclear, but it adds another layer of intrigue to the already captivating narrative. The trial, which carries the potential for the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted, promises to be one of the most closely watched legal proceedings in recent memory. As the legal process unfolds, the families of the victims, the communities of Moscow and Pullman, and the nation as a whole will await justice for the four young lives tragically cut short.
