Four University of Idaho students found dead in an off-campus home were targeted, and the killer or killers used a knife or other “edged weapon” in the attack, police said Tuesday.
www.fox13now.com
From the article: "Four University of Idaho students
found dead in an off-campus home were targeted, and the killer or killers used a knife or other “edged weapon” in the attack, police said Tuesday..."
Police have stated that they believe the four students were "targeted" and that the murder weapon was a "knife" or other "edged weapon" (which could mean a hatchet, machete, etc.)
Those facts stand out to me.
According to FBI data, murder with a knife is relatively unusual in the U.S., comprising about 10-11% of murders.
Since four people were killed, this case also constitutes a case of mass murder, defined as,
"...the killing of three or more people at one time and in one location."
I don't know of any data on mass murder
by weapon, but the available information on mass murder in the United States indicates that guns (handguns, rifles, shotguns) are by far the most common means of committing mass murder in the U.S. In contrast, in countries that have strict gun controls,
mass stabbings are probably more common, though mass stabbings are very rare anywhere in the world.
So this case is very unusual because of: 1) the number killed; 2) the weapon; 3) the "targeting".
I think the apparent identity of the victims and the location of the crime also seem unusual: four seemingly upper-middle class students (judging by their Instagram profiles and feeds) in a far west college town with
a relatively low rate of violent crime.
Based on those facts, my guess is that this was a crime of passion rather than a robbery gone bad.
