Idaho: Documents Released and New Details
There's a lot we are finding out after nearly 3 years. Along with the release of Moscow police documents the Goncalves family has shared additional horrific information about Kaylee's injuries.
Hi friends! As many of you know- Moscow police released several downloadable files relating to their investigation into the murder of Kaylee, Maddie, Xana, and Ethan. I have now read over 300 documents- the contents of every single folder provided.
Note: When this newsletter is published there will also be an audio version of all included information on the Autopsy of a Crime podcast.
I’m going to be going through a lot of them in this post, but first I want to bring up something in the event you, the reader, don’t know. The families, Kaylee’s specifically, are reading these documents at the same time we are. Many things contained in these documents were not told to the families prior to being released. They were not given any documents- despite asking for them for years. They were not given these files prior to a public release. They obtained them the same way we are. The families of the victims! Finding out these horrible details in real time, at the same time as the public, press, and media. It’s diabolical. During an interview with Brian Entin, Alivea Goncalves told him she hadn’t even downloaded the documents herself yet because so many people were visiting the site it kept crashing. Strangers read these documents before the family.
After reading through these documents, I can’t help but feel prosecutors never wanted these details aired out during a trial. They want to make this go away. They fear the impact it could have on the town- mainly the university. For an idea- Moscow increases in population by thousands when students return to school. During months like summer, when students go home, Moscow has a population of roughly 2,000 people.
It’s without doubt that all officers and specialists involved went above and beyond. When the case went to Bill Thompson is when things seems to have gone downhill. Steve Goncalves has been very outspoken regarding his desire for answers, to see the files before the public, to have questions about his child answered. He was denied every time. For nearly three years. So it’s an understatement to say that the decision for Bill Thompson to now do interviews is distasteful. Suddenly he wants to speak. Why?
Seemingly the flood gates have opened now that sentencing is finished and the gag order is lifted. Detectives, police, and lead prosecutor Bill Thompson have all given interviews with various media outlets.
Within the last 24 hours it’s been revealed that Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee’s mother, received threatening text messages during the sentencing hearing. This was shared exclusively with Brian Entin of News Nation. The texts seem to have came through after Kristi gave her victim impact statement. The family immediately called over a bailiff and an investigation into who sent these messages is ongoing. Portions of the texts have been released and are below. It is believed the author of the texts was not truly in the courtroom. How truly despicable to send to a grieving mother while she sits in a courtroom for her daughter’s murderer to be sentenced.
Some important things I noted while reading through the documents:
Prior to the murders there were several events when Murphy ran off behind the home barking. This was unlike him and it took several calls to him before he came back. On one occasion, Murphy ran off, and others at the home believed they heard rustling. As if someone was moving around in the wooded area Murphy ran off to- behind the 1122 King Road home.
Roughly a month before the murders, Kaylee had Murphy outback to use the restroom and told her friends she seen a shadow figure of someone standing in the area behind the home. Watching her. She was very creeped out and told several friends about this incident.
I also want to note it is intentional that I will not be saying his name. He will be mentioned only as murderer or BK unless it’s a direct quote from documents. He doesn’t deserve the attention. This is about them. Kaylee, Maddie, Xana, Ethan.
Before getting into these documents, I want to warn my readers. Many of these reports are detailed and graphic. It’s hard to take in. Hard to read. Hard to imagine. Absolute horror. Depravity.
*Warning: Graphic Material
The information below regarding the scene is going to be separated and put into bullet points. Xana and Ethan and the scene in Xana’s room. Maddie and Kaylee and the scene in Maddie’s room. I’m doing this as it’s a lot of information to go through. I’m going to begin with Xana and Ethan as they were who Hunter Johnson, Ethan’s friend, found and who police first discovered.
None of the females on the scene saw the victims. Hunter is the only one who went into Xana’s room. Police discovered Kaylee and Maddie while clearing the home, after determining Xana and Ethan were deceased, to ensure the perpetrator or anyone else wasn’t inside.
Xana’s bedroom door was cracked open which was odd, because it usually would have been closed.
After discovering Xana, Hunter Johnson got the females out of the house- he then went back inside. He grabbed a kitchen knife for safety and returned to Xana’s room. Some documents reference that Hunter checked for pulses.
Hunter later put this knife on the ping pong table. He pointed it out to officers and told them why it was there and why he grabbed it.
Murphy, Kaylee’s dog, was in Kaylee’s bedroom. Unharmed. Seemingly timid and afraid. Investigators determined he had not been in the room with Maddie & Kaylee because there was no blood on him.
The sliding door was open upon arrival of first responders.
During the night Bethany heard what she thought was a firecracker and seen a flash of light under her bedroom door. (It’s unknown what this was.)
Bethany also thought she heard the sounds of cups falling off of the beer pong table.
As we know- Dylan seen the murderer coming down the hall leading away from Xana’s room. In documents of interviews with roommates it’s noted Dylan said the individual had a big nose. This was interesting since we’ve previously heard she seen nothing but bushy eyebrows.
We also know Dylan heard an unknown male voice say something to the effect of “It’s ok. I’m going to help you.” It’s noted in the documents of interviews with Dylan that this statement was not said kindly. Which makes it all the worse.
Xana and Ethan
Xana was found on her bedroom floor, on her back, in thong style beige underwear and a gray sweatshirt. Both covered in blood. She also had dried blood on her body and face. She was covered in blood and surrounded by blood. A deep gash was found on Xana’s left hand between her thumb and index finger. Noted as a defensive wound. There were also wounds on her arms and face. The autopsy determined Xana was stabbed over 50 times, many of which were defensive founds. Xana’s fatal injuries were 1 laceration to her right lung, and 2 lacerations in her heart.
Ethan was on the bed, on his back, a blanket was pulled up to his midsection. The blankets and bed were saturated in blood. Ethan’s head was between the bed and wall. Arterial blood spray was near his head on the wall. There was blood on the wall near his head as well as on a nightstand. He had 2 large cuts on the back of his legs. Ethan’s fatal injuries were a severed subclavian vein and severed jugular vein. (*The subclavian vein is located near the collarbone.)
The nightstand was noted as seeming out of place or like it had been moved due to an awkward position.
Officers and detectives noted that it appeared an intense struggle occurred in Xana’s bedroom.
Blood was smeared on various items in the room, on the floor, and blood spatter was on the walls.
Detective Darren Gilbertson spoke to CNN and said Xana “fought hard”. She was awake and had just recently gotten her door dash order.
Kaylee and Maddie
Kaylee and Maddie were found in Maddie’s bed.
Both of them laying on their backs. Feet towards the bedroom door.
They were covered by a pink blanket that was saturated in blood. Both had numerous visible stab wounds.
A pool of blood was observed near Kaylee’s midsection.
Maddie appeared to be laying up against Kaylee.
Blood cast off was observed on multiple walls in the bedroom.
A tan knife sheath was located next to Maddie on her right side.
Kaylee’s face was disfigured. She was unrecognizable. It’s noted that her facial structure was extremely disfigured.
Steve Goncalves has shared that Kaylee’s teeth were knocked out. She was stabbed in the top of the head multiple times. She also had bruising around her mouth.
Maddie had stab wounds, a gash under her right eye that went from the corner of her eye to her nose, as well as wounds to her forearms and hands.
Maddie’s fatal wounds were a left lung laceration and a liver laceration.
Kaylee’s fatal injuries were a left lung laceration, a liver laceration, 2 subdural bleeds, and a stab wound behind her clavical which cut her subclavian vein and artery. Kaylee also had signs of asphyxial injuries and blunt force injuries. Her autopsy says she had over 20 stab wounds.
While speaking to CNN, Detective Darren Gilbertson was asked about Kaylee’s autopsy which stated she suffered over 20 stab wounds. However, Steve Goncalves has said Kaylee suffered over 30 stab wounds. Gilbertson said he won’t go into detail for privacy and respect for the families, but they do know how many times she was stabbed, and that the information Mr. Goncalves has is very accurate. The knife is referenced as the “primary” weapon. My understanding of this is that the knife is what caused the deaths; however, Kaylee had injuries to her face and around her mouth that are not consistent with the knife blade and detectives do not know what caused those injuries. Gilbertson told CNN the facial injuries are not consistent with a fist, but a fist may have been a part of it. When asked about the selfie with a thumbs up, Gilbertson said while it has widely circulated and due to the date it draws speculation- they have many other photos he took of himself with the same or similar poses.
The Investigation
The Scene
The 2 bedrooms were the primary crime scenes. There’s nothing notable about blood located anywhere else in the home or any items out of place or missing. Over $100 in cash was found on Xana’s dresser and collected as evidence.
Some items noted that were observed or collected did not link back to BK. For example, 1 black glove that had a rubberized palm. A stain was on this glove believed to be blood; however, it did not become a critical piece of evidence and was not linked to the murders. This investigation was extremely thorough and any leads or routes detectives went down are well documented even if they weren’t fruitful.
Footprints in the snow leading to and away from the home were photographed, casted, and measured. Approximately 13.5 to 14 inches in length. These footprints led from the sliding door to the front door of the home. They were not confirmed to belong to the murderer.
Again, the officers, agencies, and detectives did an incredibly thorough job. There is an extremely detailed list of photographs, evidence, and chain of custody for all evidence. Any time evidence was transported or viewed, it is noted. When belongings were removed from the home, every officer present made a written report on what was removed and why. There are also written reports for times the defense requested items, or detectives returned to the home by request of the defense. With that said- there are, of course, documents of tips, interviews, evidence, etc that didn’t pan out or link to BK. Nonetheless, those documents are included as part of the investigation.
I’m going to skip over the information and work that led to the murderer as we already know most of it. Primary was the DNA on the sheath. Once they had a name they obtained warrants for his cellphone, financials, and so on that further linked him to the 1122 King Road home. Like his 23 trips to the area in the months leading up to the murders. I’ll skip a head to the searches performed on his car, apartment, financials, etc. There’s also a very detailed report of the interview police had with him following his arrest in Pennsylvania at his parent’s home. We’ll go over that as well.
Cellular Data
It’s noted that he used his debit card to purchase an Amazon gift card which he then turned around and bought the knife, sheath, sharpener, and supplements with. On his parent’s Amazon account. The supplements were later recovered during a search of his car.
He went to great lengths to wipe his devices and internet searches as well as using a VPN. However, screenshots of news articles of covering the murders were found on his cellphone. Police also recovered a search BK did for a live feed of the Pullman fire & rescue audio feed. Lead detective, Darren Gilbertson, stated that not a lot was recovered from the phone. A lot of the information had already been obtained via warrants for his data or was not available due to use of VPNs and device wiping.
Records for Reddit were obtained and some messages were recovered where BK was posting to communities such as “r/Felons”. This was in part of his course work and similar to the questionnaire he had posted. Several similar Reddit communities were visited.
During a recent interview, one of the lead detectives, Darren Gilbertson, stated BK’s behavior changed greatly after the murders. He began using only cash. Wearing gloves majority of the time. Never returning to Moscow again after roughly 23 visits leading up to the murders and 1 final visit around 9am after the murders.
WSU Warrant
A warrant for information from WSU yielded screenshots of messages exchanged between professors. Some regarding him as a TA and others surrounding his behavior with female students.
Person 1: “Do you want to take Kohberger? He listed you and (redacted) as people he was interested in working with.”
Person 2: “If I must….”
Another exchange is regarding females on campus who raised concerns about BK.
Person 1: “(Redacted) tells me we need to do an intervention with Kohberger. She’s going to try to gather information but apparently he’s offended several of our female students. Assuming we get some details, how do you want to handle this?”
Person 2: “Let’s see when we have more info.”
Through warrants detectives also obtained course work that BK had done as a student, his campus health records, and interviewed other students who had interactions with him. Records included class details dating back to enrollment.
WSU Student Interview
One such student, K.C, who is referred to as “L”, told police he met BK while they were both TAs for the criminology program at WSU and the two shared an office. He considered BK a friend and thought he was very intelligent but also selfish at times. BK often misled “L” when it came to their shared work and would have “L” complete work meant for BK. He went on to say BK used his authority as a TA inappropriately in order to interact with female students. He felt BK wanted a girlfriend and that they had talked about BK wanting a girlfriend on many occasions. BK asked “L” for help in defending himself against an issue with Dr.(redacted) which may cause him to lose his TA position, “L” refused. “L” characterized BK as dishonest, to support this opinion he shared a time he spoke to BK and he informed “L” he was packing his bags to catch a flight back to Pennsylvania; however, “L” later learned that BK had been back in Pennsylvania for some time and drove back rather than fly. “L” also informed detectives of injuries he witnessed on BK’s face. He was unsure of the dates but believed it to be in October and November of 2022. Stating that one injury was a large scratch on BK’s face and that it looked like scratches from fingernails. “L” also observed wounds to BK’s knuckles on two separate occasions. When “L” asked about what happened, BK replied that he was in a car accident. When asked what the 2 students would talk about, “L” stated that BK liked to discuss his area of study which was criminal decision making and burglary.
Vehicle Search Warrant
During a search of BK’s white elantra, one item recovered was a shovel.
Several other items were recovered. Some items were matched to items purchased through Amazon. These items included supplements, and tools to repair or replace a flat tire.
Soil Testing
The shovel recovered from the elantra was sent to a lab for soil samples in order to try to determine where it could have been used. Soil samples were also collected from areas that may have been visited per BK’s photos and cellphone data.
The results of the soil testing on the shovel showed that the soil was consistent with soil in the Moscow area. The report also stated the soil was likely not from anywhere east of Moscow. This finding also excluded Pennsylvania as a likely source of the soil. The soil displayed characteristics of soil carried to the area via a water source. Though this could be recent or have been from any point in the area geologic history.
No soil samples collected from various areas were a match to the soil on the shovel.
An additional exam was done on the pollen findings in the soil on the shovel. The report states the shovel soil contained high amounts of pine pollen and “single pollen grains from plants that are not naturally distributed in Moscow Idaho area (basswood and red maple were found in the soil recovered from the shovel). Both are commonly planted ornamental species.
To date, police do not know where the shovel was used.
Inmate Transportation Video
Detectives obtained a video of an inmate transfer where BK was mentioned. A male inmate was speaking to a female inmate and shared he had been housed in “max” meaning maximum security. The other inmate replied “Oh. Were you in there with Kohberger?” and asked “how is he?” to which the male inmate replied “A fucking weirdo.” The female asked if the male inmate thought BK was guilty, and the male inmate responded that he thought he was a pretty good judge of character and said “his eyes tell a story”.
BK Interview After Arrest
The two lead detectives from Moscow were present in Pennsylvania for BK’s arrest. Documents detail their interview leading up to him requesting an attorney. They’re quite lengthy and the overall theme is that the murderer was trying to play games with detectives, typical since he thinks he’s of such high intelligence. His primary concern was his parents and dog. I’ve included the full document below.
Eventually detectives confirm that the murders in Moscow are why they’re there and ask if he’d like to talk about that. He replies:
“Well, I think I would need a lawyer.”
Spokane County Medical Examiner Meeting
On June 28th, 2023 several detectives including Dani Vargas, Jeff Nye, and Bill Thompson met with Dr. S(redecated). The doctor had pre-selected several photos of each victim to review with everyone present. While reviewing the photos the doctor described the shape of a weapon which would have caused the injuries. The doctor was then shown a Ka Bar knife. The doctor confirmed the size and shape was consistent as being the weapon which could have caused the injuries on all 4 victims.
Dr. S(redacted) further described how some of the wounds had 2 points on either end and how some wounds had a point on one end and a square shape at the other end. Further explaining how the Ka Bar knife could have created these wounds, depending on the depth of the injury. The tip of the knife, having sharp edges on either side, would show a wound with the points on either end. Also explaining that a deeper wound would show a point on one side and the square on the other, and how it matched the shape of the knife blade, having the single sharp edge on one side and a square edge on the other, below the tip. Dr. S(redacted) also pointed out that some wounds had a mark consistent with the guard of the Ka Bar knife. To think about this further- in order for a mark or wound to be created by the knife guard, the entire blade would have to be inserted into the victim first. The knife then stopping when flesh meets the guard. Dr. S(redacted) also described how the wounds could look different, depending on the skin stretching, dynamics of the situation at the time, the angle or position the knife was in when it was inserted and or removed, and how a victim was moving or not moving at the time. Dr. S(redacted) described that some injuries depicted that the strength of the weapon itself, and the force used, would have been great.
I’m going to end this article here. As you can imagine this is a lot to take in and since sentencing it seems there is a constant flood of information coming out. It’s disappointing that the documents are available and yet there are online creators still sharing false information and half truths.
I encourage you to download the documents yourself. Read them.
Please be kind to those around you, and especially online. Be considerate of the survivors and families. Imagine how difficult it is for them to be reading this at the same time as the public. Even if they don’t seek it out- it’s in their faces, online and on tv. Information they didn’t know. The horror of what their children and siblings went through.
This isn’t some binge-worthy tv show. This is real and raw for many people.
Please be kind and considerate. Think before you share information. Simply because an online creator says it, doesn’t mean it’s true.
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