Suspect in student massacre 'tricked colleague to install cameras in her pad'

21 May 2023 , 15:41

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The suspect in the brutal Idaho university murders allegedly broke into a female colleague's apartment to get her to ask for his help before installing security cameras to spy just months before the murders.

28-year-old criminology student Bryan Kohberger allegedly broke into the woman's apartment and moved things around in order to get her to ask for his help.

He had befriended the woman at Washington State University, in Pullman, Washington.

The alleged incident took place mere months before the slaying of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapain, 20 which happened on November 13 last year, according to Dateline.

After allegedly breaking into the woman's apartment in the incident before the murders, she was said to have asked Kohberger to come over and help.

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Suspect in student massacre 'tricked colleague to install cameras in her pad'

The final photo of the victims, taken just hours before they were killed: Madison Mogen, 21, top left, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, bottom left, Ethan Chapin, 20, center, and Xana Kernodle, 20, right.

He then reportedly suggested she install a surveillance system in her home.

He offered to put in the video network, Dateline claims, which the unidentified woman agreed to.

However, authorities now believe he could have accessed it remotely as he knew her Wi-Fi password, effectively spying on her.

Former FBI profiler Greg Cooper claims the alleged incident was a "step in the progression" of Kohberger's offending, indicating he was "upping the ante" in the run up to the murders.

Kohberger has been indicted for the murders and is set to be arraigned (Ted S Warren/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Speaking to Dateline, he claimed: "I would expect that he orchestrated the whole thing, he was not looking at her as a potential victim necessarily.

"But he orchestrated it so that she would come to him and that he would be able to help her."

Mr Cooper also claimed: "It is another level of power and domination and control over another person.

"The hero image that he can portray - 'you've got this problem, I'm here to solve the problem for you and make it better for you'."

Bryan Kohberger allegedly broke into a woman's apartment so he could portray a 'hero' image said an expert (Matt Rourke/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

The Dateline special from NBC also claimed Kohberger had reportedly bought a K-Bar Knife and Sheath in April before moving to Washington to attend the university.

He was still studying at DeSales University in Pennsylvania, but Dateline says he bought the knife and took it with him when he moved.

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The knife he bought is reportedly the murder weapon allegedly used to kill the four students.

"He had a fantasy of thinking about committing crimes for a long time with that knife," claimed Mr Cooper, "and he had to become familiar with it, feel at ease with it."

A private security officer sits in front of the house in Moscow, Idaho where four University of Idaho students were killed in November, 2022 (Ted S Warren/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Others claim Kohberger could have been to the property where the students were killed when they weren't even there.

Police were apparently called repeatedly to the Moscow house, which was known as a 'party house'.

Mr Cooper claimed Kohberger would have "entered in a group of people" so he could "watch and monitor and imagine" as well as scoping out the property and figuring out where each person slept.

Kohberger is accused of sneaking into the off-campus rental home the students shared at around 4am, before butchering the four young people.