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Court documents in the killings of four University of Idaho students released

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Posted at 10:36 AM, Jan 05, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-05 15:09:07-05

Court documents have been unsealed in the case of four University of Idaho students killed in their off-campus home.

Bryan Kohberger has been charged with the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves. Kohberger has also been charged with Burglary.

Kohberger appeared in an Idaho courtroom Thursday morning.

Authorities said his DNA was on a knife sheath found at the scene of the crime. Investigators also said that an unharmed roommate saw a masked man at the crime scene the night of the attack.

The document clarifies the time window during which investigators believe the four victims were murdered - now between 4:00 and 4:25 a.m. the morning of November 13.

Data obtained by investigators shows Kohberger's cellphone pinged near the King Road home on 12 occasions before the killings, mostly late at night and early in the morning. Cell data also shows him near the home on the morning of November 13 between 9:12 and 9:21 a.m., which was about five hours after the victims were killed, and before police were called to the scene, according to documents.

The court documents say Kohberger's phone did not ping at the King Road location during the time of the murders, but data shows it may have been turned off or "put on airplane mode" between 2:47 and 4:48 a.m. on the morning of November 13.

"This is done by subjects in an effort to avoid alerting law enforcement that a cellular device associated with them was in a particular area where a crime is committed. I also know that on numerous occasions, subjects will surveil an area where they intend to commit a crime prior to the date of the crime," the document states.

Documents state the suspect's white Hyundai Elantra was seen on surveillance footage circling the residence between 3:30 and 4:20 a.m.

Read the unsealed documents below: