Smart phone was smarter than suspect
Arrest in Idaho killings shows there is no such thing as off the grid
I was one of those people who watched stories about the brutal Moscow, Idaho slayings and concluded that law enforcement wasn’t up to the task. So let me apologize for my private thoughts on the investigation into the November murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
The 19-page affidavit released this week following the arrest of Bryan Kohberger, 28, shows methodical forensic work. (Kohberger should expect the presumption of innocence pending trial, but news reports are not his friend.)
There’s a lesson in this story — in the age of ubiquitous security cameras, there is no hiding. Law enforcement conducted a “video canvass.” Nearby surveillance cameras picked up the movements of a certain Hyundai Elantra. There were five cameras, for example, in nearby Washington state that recorded the car’s travel. The affidavit documents the many times the Elantra was caught on camera.
Law enforcement also pinged Kohberger’s car’s location using data from his cell phone.
The other lesson is that if you think you are super-smart — indeed, so brainy that you can get away with murder — you’re probably wrong. The affidavit explores how Kohberger tried to make sure his phone did not tie him to the crime — but while he apparently turned off his device, he failed to eliminate his electronic footprint.
(Before the murders, Kohberger was detained by CPI at a traffic stop in Moscow. He gave his phone number to law enforcement, and that was used to discern his whereabouts ahead of the killings.)
Also, the accused killer seemingly left behind a tan leather knife sheath that turned out to hold “a single source of male DNA (Suspect Profile).” That DNA was found to be consistent with DNA which the suspect’s father apparently left on trash.
So this was not a mastermind’s perfect crime. Hubris is not the criminal’s friend.
One more thing: Idaho has the death penalty. If a jury finds Kohberger guilty, he would be a strong candidate for the ultimate punishment. According to the affidavit, the accused’s phone tapped into the cell-phone tower that provided coverage for the home of the four victims “on at least twelve occasions prior to Nov. 13, 2022.”
Planning and premeditation, multiple victims, and a violent and gruesome end. I can’t think of a more deserving crime for the ultimate punishment.
Debra J. Saunders is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Chapman Center for Citizen Leadership. Contact her at dsaunders@discovery.org.