ID - 4 University of Idaho Students Murdered - Moscow # 31

[Lalalacasbah]

I'm still in awe that gas station footage wasn't found or asked for by LE in the early days. I have a few thoughts:

1. This tells me that possibly LE wasn't scrambling doing foot work because they had an idea who did it and just had to do evidence collecting and build a solid case (maybe rested on their laurels thinking slam dunk?)
2. But then maybe a wrench in their plan (alibi, no DNA left or something didn't match up with their theory) so then they had to ask public to submit footage OR
3. They are short resources and didn't have the manpower to do the foot work and go from house to house, business to business in a general vicinity around the area
4. They knew of the white car in early days so no outside footage needed of car and this is strategy to put pressure on killer that "they were seen by others"

MOO, pondering as so odd that footage wasn't

 

[imma]

Is there a comprehensive recap of what we know, what’s been dismissed as unrelated? If so, I’d be very grateful if I could be pointed in that direction.

 

[layer]

I think they actually have, but aren’t announcing it just yet. I think they had something very compelling initially which they were following up on when they put up those coordinates. Tips and video that came in after that appeal may have enabled them to determine the white Elantra was very possibly involved. They probably worked that for a while, but weren’t able to identify it or it’s owner, so they put out the public request. We don‘t know if the white car in the Troy Rd video is involved, but LE has recently obtained tapes from at least 2 businesses up on Hwy 8. There are probably more.
I sure hope they checked the video from that Walmart seen in the attachment. Walmart is a must stop for killers.

Do you still have the feeling that the killer was headed south?

 

[detectivewannab]

I think they actually have, but aren’t announcing it just yet. I think they had something very compelling initially which they were following up on when they put up those coordinates. Tips and video that came in after that appeal may have enabled them to determine the white Elantra was very possibly involved. They probably worked that for a while, but weren’t able to identify it or it’s owner, so they put out the public request. We don‘t know if the white car in the Troy Rd video is involved, but LE has recently obtained tapes from at least 2 businesses up on Hwy 8. There are probably more.
I sure hope they checked the video from that Walmart seen in the attachment. Walmart is a must stop for killers.

I SO agree with the Walmart quote. They all get caught on Walmart surveillance.

 

[Strong1]

I'm still in awe that gas station footage wasn't found or asked for by LE in the early days. I have a few thoughts:

1. This tells me that possibly LE wasn't scrambling doing foot work because they had an idea who did it and just had to do evidence collecting and build a solid case (maybe rested on their laurels thinking slam dunk?)
2. But then maybe a wrench in their plan (alibi, no DNA left or something didn't match up with their theory) so then they had to ask public to submit footage OR
3. They are short resources and didn't have the manpower to do the foot work and go from house to house, business to business in a general vicinity around the area
4. They knew of the white car in early days so no outside footage needed of car and this is strategy to put pressure on killer that "they were seen by others"

MOO, pondering as so odd that footage wasn't

To me there is no excuse for not getting any video footage that was available as quickly as possible. Mainly due to the time of day. Being that early in the morning there surely wasn't that much traffic so I would think the LE would be interested in any vehicles on the road at that time.

 

[OldCop]

1. This tells me that possibly LE wasn't scrambling doing foot work because they had an idea who did it and just had to do evidence collecting and build a solid case (maybe rested on their laurels thinking slam dunk?)

I have not seen one iota of information that would lead me to believe that LE was resting on their laurels at any point since this investigation started.

 

[Shadowtrix]

I'm still in awe that gas station footage wasn't found or asked for by LE in the early days. I have a few thoughts:

1. This tells me that possibly LE wasn't scrambling doing foot work because they had an idea who did it and just had to do evidence collecting and build a solid case (maybe rested on their laurels thinking slam dunk?)
2. But then maybe a wrench in their plan (alibi, no DNA left or something didn't match up with their theory) so then they had to ask public to submit footage OR
3. They are short resources and didn't have the manpower to do the foot work and go from house to house, business to business in a general vicinity around the area
4. They knew of the white car in early days so no outside footage needed of car and this is strategy to put pressure on killer that "they were seen by others"

MOO, pondering as so odd that footage wasn't

I've been wondering much of the same. If they thought the perp traveled to the house on foot and didn't drive for whatever reason, perhaps they didn't immediately think it was necessary to pull surveillance from surrounding businesses? Seems like standard protocol concerning a crime of this magnitude but...

 

[cabot123]

Edit: I'm trying to quote the post asking if people with LE experience would tell a family facts of an alibi but I am new at websluths and can't figure it out.

Former prosecutor - it would depend a lot on the facts of the case, but generally, I was taught to provide the bare minimum information to victims/families. I frequently withheld important information because it would be more powerful if a witness found out about it during the trial.

If I had a victim's family member disclosing sensitive information to the media (especially pre-arrest), they would be cut off.

I would let the victims/witnesses sit down with me after a case was closed and ask whatever they wanted (and I would answer if it wasn't something I was legally forbidden from disclosing). But my job was to figure out the truth about what happened and, if appropriate, get a conviction. Helping victims heal was of significantly lower priority than the conviction (and usually didn't happen because the system is inherently deeply re-traumatizing, hence former prosecutor).

 

[Ghostwheel]

I find it hard to believe that LE doesn't have some kind of information on this car by now. It's not as if this is a small story where people aren't hearing anything. Surely someone, if not the occupants, or someone aware of the car have come forward. If the occupants have direct knowledge of the crime, unless they were involved, you would think they would have come forward. If they were involved, then someone who knows them would have come forward with knowledge of the car?

They have 22,000 registered cars to go through. Anyone who owns one and knows THEY weren't involved is probably not coming forward because why give extra work when you know you aren't involved. Anyone who was involved is not coming forward. Anyone who knows someone who might have been involved is probably too scared to come forward, at least right now. Anyone who might have been in the area in this car and was not involved may well not come forward because they are concerned that they will be arrested for something they didn't do. They will get through those 22,000 cars eventually.

 

[OrangeRhyme]

Replying to myself. Patterns, I wonder if that means this car was circling the block, must’ve been something that tweaked the interest of the police. Just my opinion.

In the Sarah Everard case the car was spotted driving around looking for a victim.
I know they found more pertinent footage from a bus to catch her killer though.

I think they've narrowed in on thus car due to various data points.

Maybe it's been spotted outside the house few times.

If someone was parked in car park of apartments behind the house, sitting in the car watching the house, would that be noticed? Hard to know

 

[Ur728]

Idaho murders unrelated to Pullman Police SWAT activity near Washington campus, cops say

Police in Washington descended upon a neighborhood just miles from the Moscow, Idaho, crime scene for what police are describing as an unrelated incident.

www.foxnews.com

Le says not related. Looks like an Elantra next to a red car covered w snow

The fact that they were so quick to clear this situation tells me that they already know who it is JMO

 

[Lalalacasbah]

To me there is no excuse for not getting any video footage that was available as quickly as possible. Mainly due to the time of day. Being that early in the morning there surely wasn't that much traffic so I would think the LE would be interested in any vehicles on the road at that time.

Exactly, it seems police work 101 to canvas all gas stations/biz cam footage in a large general area... how and why in the world was that overlooked?

I have to think there was a reason is all. No idea what that reason is though lol

 

[Twistinginthewind]

I think it is very case specific and fact specific. If the police see the hoodie guy on camera somewhere else at the time of the murder, they may tell the family that. But if hoodie guy talks to police and says "hey me and my gf were in bed at that time, and here is the proof" I think LE just tells the family, "we have determined hoodie guy was somewhere else at the time. Victim family isn't entitled to know that person's private details.

Thank you! It seems like it may be this (it's specific to the case & facts) that is a kind of 'grey area' regarding what information LE shares. But the bottom line for LE is protecting the integrity of the investigation and succeeding in capturing and convicting the criminal(s), not information dissemination.
JMO

 

[Lalalacasbah]

I have not seen one iota of information that would lead me to believe that LE was resting on their laurels at any point since this investigation started.

I'm not trying to sound facetious by any means in regards to LE, but I can't see how this was overlooked unless a reason, strategy or they thought they had loads of evidence to work with already (which they stated about how much evidence they gathered).

 

[Ghostwheel]

I'm still in awe that gas station footage wasn't found or asked for by LE in the early days. I have a few thoughts:

1. This tells me that possibly LE wasn't scrambling doing foot work because they had an idea who did it and just had to do evidence collecting and build a solid case (maybe rested on their laurels thinking slam dunk?)
2. But then maybe a wrench in their plan (alibi, no DNA left or something didn't match up with their theory) so then they had to ask public to submit footage OR
3. They are short resources and didn't have the manpower to do the foot work and go from house to house, business to business in a general vicinity around the area
4. They knew of the white car in early days so no outside footage needed of car and this is strategy to put pressure on killer that "they were seen by others"

MOO, pondering as so odd that footage wasn't

Also consider that this was outside of the area they were looking at. LE asked people for footage way back when, but for only a certain area. If outside of that area, maybe a business or house didn't bother to look.

The very fact that they had to ask everyone to check any video they had kind of says lack of manpower to check every residence,/business in that area to me. That would be a lot of shoe leather.

As another possibility, maybe someone else from the gas station did look at the footage and said "Nah, this isn't an Elantra" and moved on. You never know.

 

[layer]

Exactly, it seems police work 101 to canvas all gas stations/biz cam footage in a large general area... how and why in the world was that overlooked?

I have to think there was a reason is all. No idea what that reason is though lol

As I understand it, police work 101 is to start at the crime scene and expand out where the investigation leads as more evidence is gathered.

<modsnip>

 

[al66pine]

MPD "Pulling Back"? Or Correcting Stmts by Others?

When exactly? I promise you won't find 'many things' that were recanted, pulled back, or reworded by MPD. People do like to say MPD has done those things - seems to me that they are mistaking what other people say as having come from MPD.

I can think of only one instance where MPD contradicted themselves - the badly written 'clarification' statements in response to the prosecutor's interview. I don't know what went wrong there. Maybe they felt the need to put a statement out quickly and the person who usually writes the statements was off that day? I think MPD deserves a pass - those statements were only necessary because the prosecutor gave an interview outside approved communication channels.

@lucidium Yes, agreeing w you that MPD has not pulled back MANY stmts. at least, not many of their own. As you said, the prosoecutor's stmt.

Nov. 16 story quoted MAYOR Art Bettge as saying it appears to be a "ONE-OFF CRIME" that was "VERY FOCUSED and DOESN'T INVOLVE other students or the PUBLIC in general at all." (caps by me)

_____________________________________

4 Idaho college students killed in 'targeted attack,' no suspects in custody

Four University of Idaho students were found dead on Sunday, officials said.

abcnews.go.com

 

[Down To Earth]

Gas station clerk on December 13 who found the white Hyundai footage:
"I had a weird feeling to get on the cameras."

I wonder if the weird feeling had anything to do with the Moscow PD press release on December 7 when they asked for the public's help in finding any info or tips on the white Hyundai?

I understand the criticism toward LE about the footage not being obtained earlier, but I think the video released today addresses that pretty well. We all know CCTV-type footage needs to be obtained quickly before it gets erased, but I think it's an oversight if anyone thinks the gas station footage was brought to LE attention by any other means than LE's work to make it publicly known they what they were looking for. There's room for argument of course, I'm just sharing my opinion, which can always change as things unfold.

 

[Cindizzi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1603461337778388994

 

[Ur728]

Just bringing this back up because I'm seeing alot of posts stating that they were not looking for video surveillance at the beginning, but he state's that they were in the attached video.