Bryan Kohberger, the primary suspect in the University of Idaho stabbings, reportedly was seen in at least one of the school’s common areas multiple times before an attack that left four students dead back in November, according to a new report.
Kohberger was a criminology Ph.D. student at Washington State University, located just seven miles from where the students were stabbed to death on Nov. 13 at approximately 4 a.m. in their six-bedroom house just minutes from the University of Idaho campus in Moscow where all four victims were students.
Following the murders, Kohberger finished out his semester at WSU as both a student and teaching assistant, then drove to his home in Pennsylvania with his father.
While Kohberger’s first semester at the school came to a close, police were still searching for the person behind the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin that occurred just across the Idaho state line.
This week, two students at the University of Idaho told People that they recognized Kohberger and had seen him around campus, specifically in the Idaho Student Union Building. The alleged murderer was reportedly an awkward presence, who had a staring problem and had creeped them out.
One sophomore student, identified in the report only as Chelsea, said she had seen him early in the semester sitting in the cafeteria alone, drinking water.
“He was the type to stare,” she told the magazine. “He wouldn’t look away if you caught him staring. Like he wanted you to notice that he was looking at you. He didn’t smile, didn’t nod, didn’t say anything. Just stared.”
She and a friend became so uncomfortable that they finished their meal elsewhere.
Another student said she’d seen Kohberger so often she thought he was a student at the school. “He was just really quiet and really intense, staring,” she said. “He made me uncomfortable.”
Behavioral analyst Susan Constantine, who specializes in body language and detecting deception, previously said that Kohberger’s stare, which has been seen in photos before and after his arrest and in bodycam video from Indiana police who pulled him and his father over while they made their cross-country trip, reminds her of behaviors she’s seen in interviews with other inmates.
“You can see that stalker in his eyes, that fixation, that’s a scary thing,” she said.
It is believed that Kohberger stalked the home on King Road at least 12 times before the murders, and returned to the scene a final time several hours after.
Police believed that he planned out the attack and attempted to cover his tracks.
The case was issued a gag order by Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall, restricting comment from investigators and attorneys for both sides. Marshall set Kohberger’s preliminary hearing for the week of June 26, and he is being held without bail at present.
Kohberger has been charged with felony burglary and four counts of first-degree murder and could face the death penalty if convicted.
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