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Bryan Kohberger bought knife and sheath online in months before Idaho student murders, prosecutors say

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Bryan Kohberger bought knife and sheath online in months before Idaho student murders, prosecutors say


Prosecutors say they have evidence that the man charged in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students bought a knife and knife sheath online in the months before the killings, newly released court documents show.

Prosecutors in Bryan Kohberger’s trial filed a motion asking a judge to allow them to present his Amazon shopping activity as evidence during trial.

They also sought permission to show that a housemate of the victims saw a man with bushy eyebrows wearing a ski mask in the house in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022, when the killings took place. In a court filing, prosecutors said they would present a photograph of Kohberger taken from his phone hours after the killings and let the jury decide whether he has bushy eyebrows.

Kohberger is charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. The students were killed in the early morning at a rental home near their school’s campus in Moscow, Idaho.

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Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger Attends Pre-Trial Hearing In Idaho

Bryan Kohberger, accused of murder, arrives for a hearing on cameras in the courtroom in Latah County District Court on September 13, 2023 in Moscow, Idaho.

Pool / Getty Images


 A judge previously entered a not-guilty plea on Kohberger’s behalf. Kohberger’s trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 11 and expected to last more than three months. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted.

Prosecutors have said they matched “touch DNA” found on a knife sheath near one of the victims to DNA taken from Kohberger. A defense attorney pushed to have the DNA evidence thrown out, but Judge Steven Hippler denied that request last month.

Court documents filed Monday said the state obtained a search warrant for Kohberger’s Amazon activity pertaining to knives and accessories, his payment methods and details of items he added and removed from his cart.

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Prosecutors said that search warrant was narrowly tailored to March 20 to March 30, 2022, the time they said Kohberger was known to have bought a Ka-Bar knife with sheath and sharpener from Amazon, and between Nov. 1 and Dec. 6 that year, dates falling weeks before and after the killings.

In arguing the judge should admit the evidence, prosecutors said Kohberger’s Amazon activity showing the purchase of a Ka-Bar knife and sheath before the homicides made it more probable that the Ka-Bar sheath found at the crime scene was his.

Another new posting involves a map of all the times prosecutors say Kohberger’s car was spotted on surveillance video near the crime scene before the murders.

Thousands of pages of court documents have been filed in the complicated case as attorneys on both sides attempt to set the ground rules for what will and won’t be presented to jurors, but many of the court documents detailing both sides’ plans for expert witnesses have been sealed.

So it’s not currently possible to confirm an assertion by prosecutors that Kohberger’s defense team will argue that someone else could have planted the sheath.

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Charges dropped against BYU-Idaho student accused of kidnapping baby at Costco – East Idaho News

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Charges dropped against BYU-Idaho student accused of kidnapping baby at Costco – East Idaho News


Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal describes a new video from Costco over the incident involving an alleged kidnapping prior to Thanksgiving. | Daniel V. Ramirez, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS — Weeks after a BYU-Idaho student was accused of kidnapping a baby from Costco, the Bonneville County Prosecutor announced Thursday afternoon that charges will be dismissed.

During a news conference, Prosecutor Randy Neal showed three videos from inside Costco during the alleged incident on Nov. 24, which led to Michael Raine, 24, being charged with felony second-degree kidnapping.

According to court documents, Raine was looking at books inside the store and a cart with a baby was nearby.

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RELATED | BYU-Idaho student accused of kidnapping 4-week-old baby in Costco

The document states that Raine “looked around” and then grabbed the cart and walked away.

The issue for officials was what occurred once Raine rounded the corner with the cart and the baby.

Neal said the new video shows Raine walking away with the cart, and the baby’s mother finding him almost immediately. The prosecutor explained that when pursuing cases, a prosecutor reviews the evidence and determines whether, beyond a reasonable doubt, the action was a crime.

“For a prosecutor, the analysis is whether there is a rational basis for someone to conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that they are to a moral certainty, that this is a crime? I don’t think that we can say that,” Neal said.

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Neal said the surveillance videos from Costco show that Raine had no intention of running away with that cart.

WATCH COSTCO SURVEILLANCE VIDEO HERE:

The other aspect is that Raine didn’t leave the store after the incident, which, according to the documents, indicates the student had purchased items and eaten at the food court.

Looking at the reasons for Raine’s arrest, Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson said at the time, there was only one single video, and based on what was seen, Raine’s actions were found to be suspicious.

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Another factor that influenced Raine’s arrest was his trip to the United States Marine Corps Recruiting station in Boise on Nov. 25.

“The detectives were consulting with the prosecutors and made the proper decision at that time in the interest of public safety, based on probable cause, to make that arrest,” Johnson said. “That just doesn’t end the case. There’s a requirement to keep on going.”

Johnson and Neal discussed how detectives met with the mother of the baby and went over the events in a cognitive interview. Neal said this type of interview is a narrative recount of the events by the victim, without any questions being asked.

“Often, the mind will just start filling in pieces in order to make it make sense to them,” Neal said.

Detectives worked on recreating the incident at Costco with the mother, but Neal said some of the mother’s version of events were inaccurate in terms of the cart placement and other minor details.

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Neal said Natalie Millett was told charges have been dropped.

Victim Impact Statement from Natalie Millett. | Courtesy Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney

In a statement to the media, Millett said the event has caused the emotional pain that words can’t describe and will impact her for life.

“I believe it was miraculous that I ran in the right direction and recovered my baby swiftly, but the outcome could have been so different had I not listened to my intuition and impressions that day,” Millett said.

After being informed that the charges against Raine would be dismissed, Millett stated that she does feel at peace because she has done everything in her power.

One of the major talking points of the conference and in Millett’s statement is the reaction and comments from social media that have attacked her and made egregious remarks about people involved.

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“To sit in your basement and write poison is just really disgusting. It’s just inappropriate,” Neal said.

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Drivers urged to exercise caution amid potential flooding in North Idaho

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Drivers urged to exercise caution amid potential flooding in North Idaho


The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is warning drivers in North Idaho to be vigilant as rising water levels from recent rainfall and runoff may lead to roadway flooding and washouts.

ITD crews are actively monitoring the situation and are prepared to respond as conditions change. Drivers are advised to exercise extra caution, particularly in lowland areas, where conditions can shift rapidly. ITD strongly recommends against driving through standing water, as it can be difficult to gauge its depth or identify hidden hazards. Water intake can also cause significant damage to vehicles. For updates on detours and road closures, drivers are encouraged to visit Idaho 511.



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Notre Dame pulls away from Idaho, wins 80-65 despite missing leading scorer Markus Burton

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Notre Dame pulls away from Idaho, wins 80-65 despite missing leading scorer Markus Burton


SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Jalen Haralson scored 20 points, Carson Towt had 19 points and 15 rebounds and Notre Dame pulled away late to beat Idaho 80-65 despite playing without leading scorer Markus Burton on Wednesday night.

Burton, who leads the Fighting Irish at 18.5 ppg, was to have had surgery Wednesday on his left ankle after suffering an injury in Notre Dame’s previous game, an 87-85 overtime win over TCU. He is expected to be out “for the foreseeable future,” according to the school.

Haralson was 8-of-16 shooting and Towt was 9 of 12 in collecting his third double-double this season. Cole Certa had a trio of 3-pointers and 15 points and Braeden Shrewsberry made four 3s and scored 14. The Irish (8-3) shot 52% and made 9 of 14 from the arc in winning their third straight game and improving to 6-0 at home.

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Biko Johnson made three 3s and scored 19 points and Jackson Rasmussen added 16 points though the pair combined for only eight second-half points for Idaho (6-4). Brody Rowbury added 11 points. The Vandals shot 40% and made 10 of 24 3-pointers.

Tied 33-all at halftime, Notre Dame never trailed in the second half, going up 61-51 with nine minutes to go after Certa scored the first seven points in an 11-2 run. The Vandals got back within four with six minutes left on a Johnson 3-pointer but that was their final field goal. Shrewsberry and Certa hit 3-pointers in a game-ending 12-1 run.

Up next

Idaho is home against Evergreen State on Sunday.

Notre Dame is home against Evansville on Sunday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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