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Search warrant details items seized from apartment of Idaho murder defendant

APTOPIX Four Dead University of Idaho
Posted at 6:24 AM, Jan 19, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-19 13:08:44-05

A reddish-brown stained pillowcase, hair strands and one nitrite-type black glove were among the items Washington State University Police gathered from the apartment of Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with the murders of four college students slain in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, according to a search warrant unsealed on Wednesday.

An animal hair was also found during the search of Kohberger's apartment, the search warrant said. A dog that belonged to one of the victims, 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, and her ex-boyfriend was found in the Moscow residence when local police officers initially responded to the scene, the search warrant documents said, and dog hair was one of the items police were hoping to find during the search of Kohberger's apartment.

A more elusive item was the murder weapon, which police have not yet recovered. The search warrant said, however, that on Nov. 13, 2022, an empty knife sheath was recovered at the crime scene under or next to the body of victim Madison Mogen, 21.

In the search warrant application, investigators detailed that the King Road residence — where the murders occurred — contained a significant amount of blood splatter, which occurs when drops are released due to intense motion. Police suspected blood would be found on Kohberger's person, clothing or shoes, the warrant said.

Police also found a latent shoe print while processing the crime scene, which showed a diamond-shaped pattern similar to the one found on Vans shoes, the search warrant revealed. No results from blood testing were reported in the search warrant.

In the search warrant documents, investigators said they had located a tan leather knife sheath laying on the bed next to one of the victims. The sheath was later processed and had Ka-Bar, USMC and the United States Marine Corps eagle globe and anchor insignia stamps on the outside of it.

The Idaho State Lab later located a single source of male DNA left on the button snap of the knife sheath.

Law enforcement sources had previously told CBS News that forensic analysis allegedly linked Kohberger to the crime scene in Idaho, and an affidavit stated that DNA was found on a knife sheath left at the scene of the murders.

Police also gathered a computer tower, receipts from Walmart and Marshall's, a dust container from a Bissell Power Force vacuum and a Fire TV stick with a cord and plug, according to the search warrant.

Kohberger was arrested on a fugitive from justice warrant in Pennsylvania, police announced on Dec. 30, and extradited to Idaho, where he was formally charged with the murders.

Police also searched Kohberger's office at Washington State University, which is only about a 15-minute drive from Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger was a Ph.D. criminology student and teaching assistant who had just finished his first semester at WSU, the school said in a statement.

The 28-year-old faces four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary for his alleged involvement in the murders, said Latah County, Idaho, prosecutor Bill Thompson during a news conference after his arrest.