ID - 4 University of Idaho Students Murdered - Moscow # 12

[ohiobuckeyegirl]

I always assumed the two survivors were on the top floor. That made sense to me why they would have been left alive. I read an update on Fox News a little while ago. Their report said the survivors were on the first floor. That doesn't make sense to me. Wouldn't there be more of a chance that the killer would have been seen by them? Why leave them alive but kill the other four on the top two levels? I had been thinking the two girls had been the targets and the couple were just collateral damage but if this update is true, I'm wondering if all four were targets? Now I'm really reconsidering my initial theory.

 

[Raptors001]

You forgot crazy.

Crazy = psychopath to me…

 

[Emerald1328]

It has been established by the police that although a surviving housemates’ phone was used to call 911, it was not one of the surviving housemates who called 911. MOO

Actually they wouldn’t confirm if it was or wasn’t a surviving roommate that made the call.

From the 11/20 press conference:

Reporter - I know you've said you're not going to release who the 911 caller was, but was the killer the 911 caller?

Chief - I will tell you, no.

Reporter - Can you clarify - you said it was made from the roommates phone but you didn't think a roommate made the call, so did the roommate make the call on the other roommates phone? Or can you clarify that it was another individual who made the call?

Chief - So what I'll say to that is - it was made from the roommates phone and we're not going to divulge who made that call. It's part of our investigation still and when we get ready to release that, we will.

Reporter - Just following up on the 911 call, you said that you don't believe that's the killer. Can you conclusively rule out the person that called 911, from inside the home, as a suspect in this case?

Chief - Can you go ahead and ask that one more time please?

Reporter - The person that was inside the home that called 911 that was not one of the roommates. Can you conclusively rule that person out as a suspect at this point?

Chief - I don't think I said that it wasn't one of the roommates. I said that it was used with the roommates phone.

Reporter - I believe somebody asked if that was the killer and you said no.

Chief - That's correct.

Reporter - Was there someone there, other than the two roommates when police responded to the home?

Chief - Will you clarify that for me?

Reporter - You're not confirming a roommate called 911 but they used the roommates phone. So, was there someone else at the home other than those two roommates?

Chief - There was other friends that had arrived at the location.

Reporter - How many?

Chief - Honestly, I'm not quite sure at this time, to be quite honest.

Post in thread 'ID - 4 University of Idaho Students Murdered - Moscow # 6'
ID - 4 University of Idaho Students Murdered - Moscow # 6

 

[Charlot123]

X’s father stated in an interview that his daughter fought like hell against her attacker. He stated that she was strong and that she was a fighter.
For this reason I believe the attacker sustained some injuries. They may have been more or less superficial, but they may be enough to have left behind some solid DNA. It could be in the form of skin cells under her nails or a droplet of blood from a scratch.
Several posters are naysaying the idea that the killer sustained any injuries, however, in a case like this, the most minute piece of evidence can be what breaks the case wide open.
Another poster has suggested that defensive wounds are passive injuries. I see it differently. If you put up your hands or arms to shield yourself from grievous injury, you are not being passive; you are aggressively defending yourself. You would be passive if you just laid there and took the blows.
MOO

The book "When the dogs don't bark" by Angela Gallop describes this situation. She thinks it is very hard for the murderer not to cut himself in the process of using a knife on someone else. The admixture of criminal's DNA on the CS is minimal and can be amplified by PCR reaction. However, she described the situation when the lab "over-amplified" all DNA and initially lost the drop of the criminal's one in the ocean of the victim's, to simplify what happened. They later found it.

I am thinking of a bigger wound. Someone appearing with a trauma to the knee, limping for a couple of day, "my meniscus acting out again", or such.

 

[Trouble1321075]

Something that just occurred to me about how diabolical the killer was/is.

He chose to do this on a Saturday night. If these girls were all drinkers I wonder if he knew that and planned to strike when they were at their most vulnerable, drunk and asleep. Whoever did this is pure evil.

 

[drmrgrl]

I dont know, i just have a feeling the killer was in the house before they fell asleep, maybe hidden in one of the empty rooms

That could very well be-very chilling

 

[mom2chloe]

If it is so dark, how did the killer see to get around esp in a wooded area where walking is difficult.

it would seem that having a light would not be something a stealth killer would have on

Night goggles readily available via Amazon. Even next day delivery. It really is that simple and heartbreaking.

 

[LAhiker]

I always assumed the two survivors were on the top floor. That made sense to me why they would have been left alive. I read an update on Fox News a little while ago. Their report said the survivors were on the first floor. That doesn't make sense to me. Wouldn't there be more of a chance that the killer would have been seen by them? Why leave them alive but kill the other four on the top two levels? I had been thinking the two girls had been the targets and the couple were just collateral damage but if this update is true, I'm wondering if all four were targets? Now I'm really reconsidering my initial theory.

If the two surviving roommates were indeed on the first floor, then they were in the "basement walkout" apartment at the front of the house which had a separate exit. The killer, if they were not in the house already, could have entered and exited through the sliding patio door in the back that went to the 2nd floor.

(If one of the surviving roommates was actually on the 2nd floor, which has been suggested, that would of course change things.)

JMO

 

[Friday Fan]

You very well could be right! And I’m sure everything plays apart on why they are so sure it was “ targeted “ but from what I’ve gathered, Ethan and Xana lived on the second floor in apartment 2B. From recent pictures , it appears as if surviving Roommate D lived in room 2A on the same floor. The idea had been that both surviving roommates had been on the first floor and therefore could simply been overlooked by the killer. But a roommate being present on the SAME floor as the murder, I think changes ALOT MOO

Snell is the Communications Director for the Idaho State Police. Those are HIS words, not mine.

He also said that in an interview today, but I can't find the video.

 

[Angelcat13]

Beautiful.

So beautiful, yet so heartbreaking. When my oldest son died, the only thing that kept me going was my younger two kids.

 

[ohiobuckeyegirl]

If the two surviving roommates were indeed on the first floor, then they were in the "basement walkout" apartment at the front of the house which had a separate exit. The killer, if they were not in the house already, could have entered and exited through the sliding patio door in the back that went to the 2nd floor.

(If one of the surviving roommates was actually on the 2nd floor, which has been suggested, that would of course change things.)

JMO

This house plan confuses the heck out of me!

 

[LAhiker]

To follow-up on on of my earlier posts, I still have absolutely no strong opinions on who exactly could have done this, but have a lot of theories. Some points:

1) The killer could have been solo, or there could have possibly been 2 people. But, I lean more towards a solo killer. It would have been a lot easier for one person to have done this quickly, left the house, and then subsequently left the area without attracting any/a lot of attention - than for 2 people to have done this. It's also a lot easier for one person to do a crime like this & keep their mouth shut - than for 2 people to keep quiet about this.

2) I lean towards the killer being male, but am open to the possibility of a female. Whether male or female, I strongly suspect the person was physically powerful/strong.

3) I don't believe the killer/killers knew about the 2 surviving victims on the bottom floor. Or, if they did know about the 2 survivors, they were rushed and didn't have time for them. Or, maybe they tried the door & since it was locked, didn't want to take the time/energy to break down the door (which would cause a lot of noise)/pick the lock and risk the 2 waking up & being able to fight back, etc. But, I'm leaning toward the idea that they were unaware these 2 were in the house.

4) As far as who did this & what the motive was?! I have no single, definitive theory. It's possible that this was:

a) Someone known to one or more of the 4 in the group, who was enraged about a real or perceived slight/insult/rejection/etc. Maybe they were fuming about this for a long time, until they finally exploded.

b) Going along with the above: The killer could have been a stalker of one (or more) of the girls, that escalated to murder.

c) Or, it's possible they were not known to anyone in the group. They could have been a local person/persons in the town/area who were angry/jealous about these attractive young people with seemingly bright futures, and decided to lash out.

d) However, it's also possible this was a beginning?! serial killer/killers who did know who lived in the house but may never have met any of them & didn't have anything against any of them specifically. They may have just decided to assault the 4 just because they are a malicious psychopath/psychopaths.

e) They may have been a local. Or, they may have been a drifter/drifters who was/were passing through town & maybe stayed for a brief period.

In other words, IMHO this could have been anyone.

Excellent analysis and listing of possibilities.

 

[isabella88]

Crazy = psychopath to me…

Actually, there's a huge difference. But I realize that what you said is the feeling of the general public.

 

[Raptors001]

2 person mission to kill… hmm interesting… you got to trust your ‘partner in crime’. So I lean more to 1 person, … ‘there are no secrets, only secrets that keep themselves’

 

[Emerald1328]

I’m sorry! I had been trying to be careful how I worded things stating that I read it or what have You-
I’ll be more careful. Not sure how I had worded that post tbh. Thanks!

Use “in my opinion”, “I think”, “I’m guessing”, “I’ve been wondering”, a lot and you should be good!

 

[Angelcat13]

Car keys by the bed and hit the Panic button. Criminals don't like alarms and things that attract attention to them.

Also, use a ROUND stick/bar in the groove of sliding doors as opposed to a square or rectangle shape - it’s harder to grip/displace.

 

[Zella]

I’m sorry! I had been trying to be careful how I worded things stating that I read it or what have You-
I’ll be more careful. Not sure how I had worded that post tbh. Thanks!

Another way to handle this unique to Websleuths, as far as I know, is to preface speculation with MOO. (My Opinion Only).

 

[Sillybilly]

Please move on over to Thread #13.

This thread will close in about 5 minutes.

 

[DatelineFan]

I haven’t caught up yet, but I wanted to share something. Years ago, I was a survivor in a high-profile case. It took a few years to find the killer, and over the course of those years the media absolutely stalked me. It was an already traumatic time, and worsened by media showing up at my school (college), place of employment, family, family friends, etc. It was a nightmare for me. I only spoke with the media once, very early on while I was in shock. After that it was scrubbed from the internet (the FBI was involved) and I never spoke to the media again. But they tried constantly, even after the trial. This was right as Facebook was starting so luckily I didn't have to deal with social media, too. But my heart goes out to the survivors. I hope the DA and their team is doing all they can to protect those kids. They don't owe the public anything.

One thing I will add: I wasn't supposed to discuss the details with ANYONE. Particularly anyone else who was directly involved. This was to protect the integrity of the case. They didn't want any chance that someone would say we had discussed our testimonies prior to trial etc. This is how it was ~18 years ago so I can only imagine how they've implored these kids not to speak about it. I hope they have excellent therapy resources.

Edit to add: the public didn't know much about my "involvement" until trial, since I wasn't speaking with the media and social media wasn't really a thing back then. But I worry about those roommates

 

[ohiobuckeyegirl]

Alright all, I'm dog tired (couldn't resist) Thanks for bringing a bit of humor into this terrible case. I really needed that. Nite all

I think it was much needed. This case is so sad. Let's hope there is some good news soon. Good night!