Idaho
Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger penned essay showing he knew how to cover tracks
Idaho prosecutors have unveiled a college essay from student murders suspect Bryan Kohberger that shows he knows his way around a crime scene, new court filings reveal.
In the missive, written in 2020 during finals for a 300-level criminal justice course, Kohberger described how crime scene investigators use “fiber-free” overalls, gloves and booties to avoid contaminating the location with their own DNA and fingerprints.
At 1122 King Road, where he allegedly killed four University of Idaho undergrads in November 2022, police have revealed little evidence aside from a Ka-Bar knife sheath found under one of the victims that allegedly had Kohberger’s DNA on the snap.
Before the FBI identified him as a person of interest through investigative genetic genealogy, his name was unknown to detectives.
He went into other aspects of a crime scene investigation, but repeatedly referenced measures police should take to protect the location, shared his thoughts about circumstantial evidence, identified domestic partners as potential suspects and warned that crime scenes could be staged.
“Prosecutors are going to talk about this when they bring up the lack of forensic evidence left by the killer,” said Joseph Giacalone, a former NYPD cold case investigator and a criminal justice professor at Penn State-Lehigh Valley.
“They’re going to say, ‘Look how much he knew about this. He talks about fiber-free clothing.’”
Kohberger mentioned fiber-free overalls, shoe covers, gloves, hair nets and more when talking about protective gear an investigator should wear to avoid contaminating a scene.
“This is not helpful for him,” Giacalone said.
“The same way he talks about this fictitious cop about not leaving evidence behind…we might have a little insight into how, or at least an answer about, the lack of forensic evidence was left behind,” Giacalone told Fox News Digital. “He doesn’t mention it by name, but Locard’s Exchange Principle, the theory of transfer between all evidence, he does talk about transfer of evidence a number of times throughout this.”
But Kohberger also made some mistakes in the piece, Giacalone said.
“He said staging is common,” Giacalone told Fox News Digital. “It’s not common. You know, most of the things that happen at crime scenes are mistakes or just panic mode.”
He also doesn’t believe that Kohberger, if he committed the crimes as alleged, would have had time to stage the scene after killing four people in roughly 15 minutes, then running into an eyewitness on the way out, who he did not attack.
“I think there’s no way that he didn’t see her,” he said. “So the staging part of this, I don’t find it plausible for him in that scenario.”
Kohberger, who, through his attorneys, has argued there was blood and DNA evidence at the victims’ home that could point to potential alternate perpetrators, wrote in his essay that crime scene investigators don’t have the responsibility of vetting potentially planted evidence.
“Even if there was an item introduced to the scene by an offender to throw off investigators, it is not the job of the criminal investigator processing the crime scene to jump to conclusion,” Kohberger wrote.
Giacalone said if Kohberger turned in the paper for one of his classes, he’d probably give it a B.
“He knows a lot, but you can get this out of any academic book,” Giacalone said. “You can learn about this, but putting it into practice and doing it are two other things.”
Kohberger graduated from DeSales University with a master’s degree and then went on to Washington State University to pursue a Ph.D. in criminology.
The school is just 10 miles away from the University of Idaho, where he is accused of entering a house at 4 a.m. and killing four of the six students inside on Nov. 13, 2022.
The victims were Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
The three young women were all roommates. Chapin lived nearby and was dating Kernodle.
Kohberger’s trial on four charges of first-degree murder and another of burglary is set to begin on Aug. 11. Jury selection is scheduled for July 30.
A previous judge entered not-guilty pleas on Kohberger’s behalf at an arraignment in May 2023.
He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Another week of the 2025 Idaho high school football season has come and gone, andHigh School On SI has all of the latest rankings for each classification as of September 22.
High School On SI’s formula was created using its own linear algebra-based ranking algorithminspired by the Colley Bias-Free Ranking Method. Colley’s Method was created by Wes Colley, Ph.D., an astrophysicist at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. He devised his algorithm in order to help address the subjectivity and controversy regarding BCS college football selections in the 1990s and early 2000s, using a method that used no subjective variables.
Our computer rankings run parallel to High School On SI’s expert power rankings–the statewide Top 15— released early each week.
The No. 1-ranked team in the all-classification High School On SI Idaho Top 15 is also the No. 1-ranked team in our 6A computer rankings, Rocky Mountain.
Which teams took the top spot in each division? Here are High School On SI’s latest Idaho high school football computer rankings, as of September 22, 2025.
1. Garden Valley (4-0)
2. Wallace (4-0)
3. Genesee (4-0)
4. Carey (4-0)
5. Mackay (3-0)
6. Tri Valley (3-1)
7. Hansen (3-0)
8. Salmon River (3-1)
9. Coeur du Christ Academy (2-1)
10. Shoshone (2-1)
11. Council (2-1)
12. Rockland (3-1)
13. Dietrich (2-2)
14. Deary (2-2)
15. North Gem (3-2)
16. Richfield (2-2)
17. Clark Fork (1-2)
18. Lewis County Co-Op (2-3)
19. Castleford (1-2)
20. Cascade (1-2)
21. Timberline (0-4)
22. Horseshoe Bend (1-2)
23. Challis (1-3)
24. Watersprings (0-3)
25. Camas County (0-4)
View full Class 1A Rankings
1. Kamiah (4-0)
2. Grace (5-0)
3. Kendrick (4-0)
4. Potlatch (3-0)
5. Logos (3-1)
6. Raft River (3-1)
7. Prairie (3-1)
8. Idaho City (3-1)
9. Glenns Ferry (3-1)
10. Hagerman (2-2)
11. Valley (2-2)
12. Murtaugh (1-3)
13. Notus (1-3)
14. Centennial Baptist School (1-1)
15. Troy (1-3)
16. Rimrock (1-3)
17. Lapwai (0-5)
18. Lost Rivers (Butte County) (0-4)
19. Oakley (0-5)
20. Clearwater Valley (0-3)
21. Wilder (0-5)
View full Class 2A rankings
1. West Jefferson (4-0)
2. Ririe (5-0)
3. North Fremont (4-0)
4. Declo (3-2)
5. New Plymouth (3-2)
6. Marsing (2-2)
7. Nampa Christian (2-2)
8. Aberdeen (1-2)
9. Malad (1-2)
10. Kellogg (2-1)
11. St. Maries (2-2)
12. West Side (1-1)
13. Grangeville (2-3)
14. Soda Springs (1-3)
15. Priest River (2-3)
16. Salmon (2-2)
17. Parma (1-3)
18. Wendell (0-5)
19. Firth (1-3)
20. Melba (0-4)
21. Orofino (0-3)
View full Class 3A rankings
1. Fruitland (4-0)
2. Homedale (4-0)
3. American Falls (4-1)
4. Sugar-Salem (4-1)
5. Teton (2-2)
6. Moscow (4-1)
7. Buhl (3-1)
8. Bonners Ferry (3-2)
9. Filer (3-1)
10. Payette (3-1)
11. Gooding (3-1)
12. McCall-Donnelly (3-1)
13. Weiser (2-2)
14. Kimberly (2-3)
15. Snake River (2-3)
16. South Fremont (2-3)
17. Marsh Valley (0-2)
18. Timberlake (0-5)
19. Wood River (0-3)
20. Bear Lake (0-4)
View full Class 4A rankings
1. Bishop Kelly (4-0)
2. Hillcrest (4-0)
3. Lakeland (5-0)
4. Sandpoint (5-0)
5. Skyline (3-1)
6. Century (5-0)
7. Twin Falls (3-1)
8. Minico (3-1)
9. Ridgevue (3-1)
10. Columbia (3-1)
11. Emmett (3-2)
12. Lewiston (2-3)
13. Skyview (2-2)
14. Blackfoot (2-2)
15. Vallivue (2-2)
16. Bonneville (1-3)
17. Preston (2-3)
18. Pocatello (1-3)
19. Canyon Ridge (1-4)
20. Shelley (0-4)
21. Burley (0-3)
22. Jerome (0-4)
23. Caldwell (0-4)
24. Mountain Home (0-4)
25. Nampa (0-5)
View full Class 5A rankings
1. Rocky Mountain (4-0)
2. Timberline (4-0)
3. Eagle (4-0)
4. Highland (4-1)
5. Rigby (3-1)
6. Owyhee (4-0)
7. Coeur d’Alene (2-2)
8. Madison (3-2)
9. Post Falls (2-2)
10. Middleton (3-1)
11. Capital (2-2)
12. Mountain View (2-2)
13. Thunder Ridge (2-2)
14. Borah (1-3)
15. Boise (1-3)
16. Kuna (1-3)
17. Meridian (0-4)
18. Centennial (0-4)
19. Lake City (0-4)
View full Class 6A rankings
Create an account to get alerts for your favorite teams!
Get even closer to the action by creating a free account. Follow your favorite teams and get score updates, breaking news and alerts when new photo galleries are available. Sign up for free here
The wedding festivities, held last week at an exclusive club in Idaho, lasted three days. The couple’s wedding planner was a familiar name, though not from the event industry: supermodel Ashley Graham. It’s unclear what connection Graham has to wedding planning, beyond the fact that she’s married herself.
Champion revealed that many of the requests and planning actually came from the groom. “It’s funny, but he’s someone who loves flowers and small details, so he helped a lot, and I thought it was wonderful,” she said.
According to reports, a three-day event at the club starts at $20,000. The schedule was as follows: a rehearsal dinner on Thursday, Sept. 4; a Friday barbecue and “Wild West”-style party; and the wedding ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 6.
Among the guests were Schwarzenegger’s family members: his father Arnold, his mother Maria Shriver, his half-brother Christopher and his sister Katherine, who arrived with her husband, actor Chris Pratt.
Several of Schwarzenegger’s on-screen family members from “The White Lotus” also attended, including Jason Isaacs (who played father Timothy), Sam Nivola (brother Lachlan) and Sarah Catherine Hook (sister Piper). Notably absent was Parker Posey, who portrayed the mother, Victoria.
1 View gallery
Patrick Schwarzenegger and Abby Champion
(Photo: Instagram)
The newlyweds first met in 2015 through a mutual acquaintance. “He got my number, asked me out, and the rest is history,” Champion said. They became engaged two years ago during a morning walk on the Santa Monica beach. She recalled seeing a giant heart made of roses in the distance: “It was intimate, calm, and everything I had imagined,” she said.
Their engagement stretched over two years because, shortly after the proposal, Schwarzenegger was cast in “The White Lotus,” which required him to spend an extended period filming in Thailand. Now, Champion says, “I still can’t believe it’s behind us. Everything felt like a dream. I’m excited to start the next chapter of our lives.”
The 2025 Idaho high school football season continued Friday, and High School On SI has a list of final scores from Week 4.
American Falls 26, Malad 13
Bear Lake 6, Snake River 37
Bishop Kelly 29, Rigby 15
Blackfoot 41, Pocatello 12
Bonners Ferry 39, Northwest Christian School 42
Borah 7, Capital 55
Buhl 38, Declo 24
Camas County 14, Dietrich 42
Canyon Ridge 14, Mountain Home 7
Capital 55, Borah 7
Carey 58, Castleford 18
Cascade 8, Idaho City 34
Century 42, Idaho Falls 33
Clark Fork 12, Wallace 66
Clearwater Valley 56, Potlatch 58
Coeur d’Alene 37, Sunnyside 13
Cole Valley Christian 3, Nampa Christian 35
Columbia 28, Nampa 20
Davis 15, Sandpoint 45
Dietrich 42, Camas County 14
Eagle 41, Centennial 14
Emmett 27, Ridgevue 26
Enterprise 40, Garden Valley 42
Filer 63, Parma 0
Firth 8, Soda Springs 13
Garden Valley 42, Enterprise 40
Hagerman 78, Valley 32
Hansen 34, Richfield 20
Hillcrest 49, Thunder Ridge 28
Homedale 28, Kimberly 21
Horseshoe Bend 0, Rimrock 44
Idaho City 34, Cascade 8
Jerome 21, Minico 60
Kamiah 22, Logos 20
Kellogg 14, St. Maries 39
Kimberly 21, Homedale 28
Kuna 14, Middleton 28
Lapwai 14, Prairie 72
Lewiston 46, Clarkston 0
Lewis County Co-Op 12, Salmon River 40
Logos 20, Kamiah 22
Madison 27, Skyline 28
McCall-Donnelly 54, Timberlake 12
Melba 14, Weiser 32
Meridian 23, Owyhee 27
Middleton 28, Kuna 14
Minico 60, Jerome 21
Moscow 23, Pullman 13
Mountain View 21, Rocky Mountain 31
Murtaugh 42, Rockland 20
Nampa 20, Columbia 28
Nampa Christian 35, Cole Valley Christian 3
New Plymouth 30, Grangeville 20
Newport 35, Priest River 8
North Fremont 26, Teton 21
North Gem 36, Sho-Ban 14
Northwest Christian School 42, Bonners Ferry 39
Notus 24, Tri Valley 64
Nyssa 0, Payette 44
Oakley 32, Raft River 74
Ogden 24, Preston 0
Owyhee 27, Meridian 23
Parma 0, Filer 63
Payette 44, Nyssa 0
Pocatello 12, Blackfoot 41
Post Falls 22, Eastmont 21
Potlatch 58, Clearwater Valley 56
Prairie 72, Lapwai 14
Preston 0, Ogden 24
Priest River 8, Newport 35
Pullman 13, Moscow 23
Raft River 74, Oakley 32
Richfield 20, Hansen 34
Ridgevue 26, Emmett 27
Rigby 15, Bishop Kelly 29
Rimrock 44, Horseshoe Bend 0
Ririe 41, Marsing 0
Rockland 20, Murtaugh 42
Rocky Mountain 31, Mountain View 21
Salmon River 40, Lewis County Co-Op 12
Sandpoint 45, Davis 15
Sho-Ban 14, North Gem 36
Skyline 28, Madison 27
Snake River 37, Bear Lake 6
Soda Springs 13, Firth 8
South Fremont 28, West Jefferson 49
St. Maries 39, Kellogg 14
Star Valley 28, Sugar-Salem 21
Sugar-Salem 21, Star Valley 28
Sunnyside 13, Coeur d’Alene 37
Teton 21, North Fremont 26
Thunder Ridge 28, Hillcrest 49
Timberlake 12, McCall-Donnelly 54
Tri Valley 64, Notus 24
Valley 32, Hagerman 78
Vallivue 26, Skyview 6
Wallace 66, Clark Fork 12
Weiser 32, Melba 14
West Jefferson 49, South Fremont 28
Centennial Baptist School vs Grace, 7:00 PM
Glenns Ferry vs Wilder, 8:00 PM
West Side vs Marsh Valley, 8:00 PM
Wendell vs Aberdeen, 8:00 PM
Gooding vs Caldwell, 8:00 PM
West Valley vs Lakeland, 9:00 PM
Create an account to get alerts for your favorite teams!
Get even closer to the action by creating a free account. Follow your favorite teams and get score updates, breaking news and alerts when new photo galleries are available. Sign up for free here
Special Olympics Wyoming seeking volunteers for state fall tournament
Ripple Highlights Transatlantic Initiative as Blueprint for Global Crypto Regulation
Dividend Stability and Regional Strength: The Case for Truist Financial (TFC)
Donald Trump Fitness: Can His Golf Workouts Replace the Gym? Explore Trump’s Golf Exercise Routine and Health Benefits
They Call Him OG Movie Review: Action-packed yet narratively uneven gangster drama
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Read the Letter to the Inspectors General
GOP senator blasts Schumer, Dems as 'forcing' shutdown while demanding price tag report
Palestine as a state – what would that actually look like?
Farage refuses to criticise Trump over paracetamol despite health experts dismissing autism claims
House plans Thursday vote on government funding bill to extend spending through November
-
Finance1 week agoReimagining Finance: Derek Kudsee on Coda’s AI-Powered Future
-
World6 days agoSyria’s new president takes center stage at UNGA as concerns linger over terrorist past
-
North Dakota1 week agoBoard approves Brent Sanford as new ‘commissioner’ of North Dakota University System
-
Technology6 days agoThese earbuds include a tiny wired microphone you can hold
-
Culture6 days agoTest Your Memory of These Classic Books for Young Readers
-
Crypto6 days agoTexas brothers charged in cryptocurrency kidnapping, robbery in MN
-
Crypto1 week agoEU Enforcers Arrest 5 Over €100M Cryptocurrency Scam – Law360
-
Rhode Island1 week agoThe Ocean State’s Bond With Robert Redford