Evidence tape borders a handprint on a window of the apartment where four University of Idaho students were murdered November 13.
The handprint has not been assigned any special significance by investigators processing the grisly crime scene. Local police efforts are being augmented by Latah County sheriff’s deputies, Idaho State Police and an FBI field team.
Moscow, Idaho, Police Chief James Fry said in a Saturday update that 113 pieces of physical evidence are being processed by the Idaho State Police crime lab.
Gov. Brad Little (R-ID) directed up to $1 million in state emergency funds for the ongoing investigation, Fry added.
University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were stabbed to death with a knife, according to Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt.
Mabbutt said it appears the victims were asleep in their 1122 King Road apartment when the November 13 Moscow massacre began. Each victim was stabbed more than once, she said, saying the attack seemed personal. She added that autopsies conducted by the Spokane County coroner’s office found no evidence of sexual assault.
Police investigators confirm that two surviving roommates are not considered suspects. The surviving roommates were out that evening with other people and returned home around 1 a.m., police said in a statement. The two reportedly locked their ground floor bedroom doors before going to sleep.
Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen were at a local bar, called The Corner Club, at 202 N. Main Street in downtown Moscow between 10 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. November 13, police said. Around 1:40 a.m., Mogen and Goncalves were at a local food vendor called the “Grub Truck” at 318 S. Main Street. Their presence was confirmed by video footage secured by law enforcement.
The two were driven to their 1122 King Road residence at 1:45 by a private party, according to police who added the driver is not a suspect.
Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were spotted at the Sigma Chi house on the University of Idaho Campus at 735 Nez Perce Drive within walking distance of their apartment. At approximately 1:45 a.m., Chapin and Kernodle returned to the King Road apartment.
Moscow police officers responded to the King Road address after a 911 dispatcher received notice of an unconscious person. Mogen, Goncalves, Chapin and Kernodle were discovered dead in the residence, police said, adding two victims were found on the second floor and the other two in a third floor bedroom.
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