ID - 4 University of Idaho Students Murdered - Moscow #3

[CityKid]

Right. Mine would run up and show the stranger his toy. IMO the dog wasn't there, and I'm just saying it because all of this is already so awful, I can't bear the thought.

A question about the crime scene. <modsnip> Has any info been released indicating that it looked clean up, or info indicating it was not? I have been following pretty closely and most info is quite vague.

Tying together dogs and crime scenes, most dogs I know would have "cleaned up" (i.e., destroyed) some of the blood evidence.

 

[margarita25]

Don’t they usually do large community wide sweeps? Or is that just on tv. Either way you’d think it would be reported on if it happened.

I’m sure they’ve done, and continue to do, meticulous grid searches within the perimeter and other possible areas of interest.

I also saw they’ve even brought a team to go through the house again, fresh eyes, to see if anything is missed.

Also, confirmation per this video that FBI BAU is assisting, but that was a given.

 

[Cedarsage]

Did they confirm the knife was a Kabar knife or just something similar? It looks like a survivalist knife. Would a knife like that be used to cut rope? I know the vicims werent tied up, but the knife could be used in others ways involving other crimes.

 

[jjenny]

What upsets me is that if this case goes unsolved, these vague accusatory statements will be a possible burden to these survivors going forward. That is grossly unfair IMO.

I know. There have been a bunch of confusing statements made already.

 

[Warwick7]

I’m sure they’ve done, and continue to do, meticulous grid searches within the perimeter and other possible areas of interest.

I also saw they’ve even brought a team to go through the house again, fresh eyes, to see if anything is missed.

Also, confirmation per this video that FBI BAU is assisting, but that was a given.

Bam!! Fresh eyes!

 

[1mtroyal]

I tend to say "Oh..NO!! " When I read that someone was killed after visiting a bar.

 

[drama_farmer]

Calling someone's number several times in quick succession is what I do when a friend tells me they've lost their phone in my vicinity/home.

We'd need to know the length of the calls to determine if this may be the scenario that led to 6 calls to the same number early in the morning.

Maybe the owner of the "lost" phone was at the house earlier, and returned in the early morning hours to retrieve it... Or not, IMO

 

[huskyvandal]

Tying together dogs and crime scenes, most dogs I know would have "cleaned up" (i.e., destroyed) some of the blood evidence.

Oh gosh I didn't even think of that, but of course they would. I love dogs but they are gross.

I'm guessing there's a lot of specific and gruesome details about this crime scene that won't be released for a while.
(Edited to fix typo)

 

[SunnyBooBoo]

If there was an emergency why would she not have called 911?

Maybe she heard suspicious noises but wasn't sure it warranted a 911 call but still wanted to be on the phone with someone at the time? If the place was known for parties, perhaps there were under 21 year olds known to be drinking there and she didn't want to call the cops just yet and get them in trouble. MOO.

When people have the do not disturb setting on their phone, a caller can get through if they make at least 3 repeated calls within x amount of minutes (that's how it works on several phones I've owned). Maybe she was trying that. People here mentioned why she wouldn't have left a message but maybe she tried, but his VM was full?

 

[Emj]

I've worked in that industry, so this is just my experience; I've never worked for DM. DM most likely approached him; he didn't go to them. DM has a lot of U.S. staffers and a deep reach, so it wouldn't surprise me if they had people angling for this before the small local outlets did. "Exclusive" in this context means DM was the first with the story, not that he can't speak to others if he wants or all future interviews (if any; I agree it's weird and terrible for a prosecutor to talk to the press when the local police, by their own admission, has not clues) need to be given to DM.
Edited to add: A reporter calls you first and you answer a question or two (enough to write a story around), you can call that an exclusive. Local outlets don't always have the staff to call over and over until the right person answers, but DM does.

It seemed to me that DM is basically calling this an "Exclusive" when in reality it's just that he was speaking to them and not speaking to a pool of reporters. So they were the only reporter he was speaking to at that exact time. Couldn't they technically claim it an "exclusive interview" if it's a phone call with just him and them?

 

[Emerald1328]

A couple of new tidbits in this article. It’s confirmed the victims were on the 2nd and 3rd floors and at least one victim had what were possibly defensive wounds on their hands:

The victims were found on the second and third floors of the home, Idaho State Police Communications Director Aaron Snell told CNN Friday.

<snip>

Stab wounds on the hands of at least one victim appear to be defensive wounds, according to Mabbutt.

University of Idaho students were 'likely asleep' before being attacked, police say as search for answers intensifies | CNN

The four University of Idaho students who were found stabbed multiple times in their off-campus home were "likely asleep," before they were attacked, Moscow, Idaho, police said in a Friday evening update.

www.cnn.com

 

[CityKid]

It seemed to me that DM is basically calling this an "Exclusive" when in reality it's just that he was speaking to them and not speaking to a pool of reporters. So they were the only reporter he was speaking to at that exact time. Couldn't they technically claim it an "exclusive interview" if it's a phone call with just him and them?

Yes, and I'm sure that's what happened. It wasn't a pool call or press conference. Dm cold-called, got him to talk and now DM can call this an exclusive.

 

[MassGuy]

This shoots down a rumor that I'm sure some of you have seen:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1593711666696683520

 

[Angelwatch]

Regarding the 6 calls, no one at this time can say if they were made by KG (unless she left a VM). We only know that 6 calls were made from the phone.

Have also drunk dialed in my youth. That doesn't seem strange at all to me.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

It would be interesting to know if Xana and Ethan went anywhere else after the party before they arrived back to the Xana’s place.

To me, this does currently look confusing, and I hope LE will clarify.
The "time line map" indicates that X and E only spent one hour at the fraternity party. But that they were home as of 1:45, which does not account for a couple of hours.

 

[Emj]

Even a prosecutor who should know better can be easily flattered by attention from a widely read newspaper, especially one that focuses on sensational stories. He has probably never dealt with a case like this and this is his "15 minutes of fame" moment.

On the other hand, there has been pressure from the families and the public to be "transparent" and to share whatever the authorities know, so maybe he is trying to respond to the pressure. He is damned if he does talk and damned if he doesn't. Also as others have noted, there seems to be no one person in charge of communicating with the press and public, so individuals and agencies are going it on their own. It's a mess.

I'm not as preoccupied with the fact that he's speaking to press than I am with the fact that he's giving "exclusives." Speaking to a pool of reporters in these circumstances is crucial because you want a consistent message to go out to the public across all media. These ad-hoc interviews create a chance for discrepancies and contradictions in the public record. That's not good for investigators and not good for a public who fears they might be in danger.
It's just my opinion but -- absent a strategic reason this prosecutor might want a specific news outlet to be disseminating specific information -- I would MUCH rather these officials be giving pool reports so the information is consistent among all outlets. When I look at all the repetition of mis-reported information repeated in this thread, I can only imagine how bad it is among the people in Moscow trying to remain safe and the families of these victims who desperately want to know what happened.

 

[Stratford258]

The comments about the other 2 housemates are really rubbing me the wrong way.

It would be easy enough to say "we will not discuss the other 2 housemates at this time."

To say "perhaps they are victims, perhaps they are witnesses, perhaps they are the key to this whole thing" is a VERY, VERY strange thing to say in this circumstance.

I hope those two have the support they need right now.

 

[Forgotten Credentials]

To me, this does currently look confusing, and I hope LE will clarify.
The "time line map" indicates that X and E only spent one hour at the fraternity party. But that they were home as of 1:45, which does not account for a couple of hours.

I know MSM has reported both groups arrived home around 1:45am, but has LE explained how they know this for Ethan/Xana?

 

[Curiosa20]

My apologies, if this has been discussed already. Did they Uber home or walk home from the Grub Truck?

Uber.
But we haven’t heard how X and E got home or how anyone knows they were also there by 1:45, except maybe from the statement of Xana’s father that they were home at 12 chilling out when he last heard from her.

 

[Warwick7]

"Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt told CNN she saw "lots of blood on the wall" when she arrived at the scene. She confirmed there were multiple stab wounds on each body -- likely from the same weapon..."

I can see this if a vein was cut/slashed. It will and does squirts a long way...

The blood dripping outside the house too comes into play.

It reminds me of when LE and FBI went into Kelsey Berreths apt and lifted up the floor boards...

University of Idaho students were 'likely asleep' before being attacked, police say as search for answers intensifies

The four University of Idaho students who were found stabbed multiple times in their off-campus home were "likely asleep," before they were attacked, Moscow, Idaho, police said in a Friday evening update.

amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org