ID - 4 University of Idaho Students Murdered - Moscow # 34

[OrlandoJames]

<Mod Note: Please note that the following is member opinion>

the killer wanted the least resistance and so wanted to commit the crime when victims were asleep. I venture to guess the killer knows the area, or is acquainted with the area at some point in their life. Either they had gone to idaho college before and lived on the outside campus, or has surveyed the area several times to gain familiarity (with the houses and/or the victims). This was a killer who has a understanding of the layout of the house, knowing which rooms to go to and the staircase that would lead him to the third floor. He knew where and how to get into the house, and after commiting his crime, already mapped out his exit - his prior reconnaisance of the area.

this was personal, a vendetta of some sort, a violent jealous rage. The killings were savage, quick, and done with a hunting style knife. and so i do not believe this was a sexually motivated crime. he would have toyed with his victims otherwise and exert more control.

possible motives: a) stalker b) incel c) jealousy

suspect could be a complete stranger, but had probably met in brief passing several or some of the victims via at the workplace, idaho university, one of these house parties, or the corner club.

one witness said that that night was "unusually quiet" because he was use to the fact that there are often house parties blasting music. creepy to think that the killer waited for this "unusually quiet" night to commit his murder spree.

Do they already know who the suspect is? Are they just trying to collect evidence at this point? I'm still waiting on news from the forensics lab about some dna unrelated to the victims. Plus the murder weapon is still missing.

My problem with the theory that it was ‘personal’ is that it seems to have been extremely well planned and executed. Whoever did it spent a lot of time thinking about every detail. Would a killer driven by a vendetta or jealousy be so cold-blooded and organised? And what could four college kids have done to cause somebody to plan and execute a crime on this scale? Is there any precedent for such a crime? It sounds like an episode of CSI, but I’m not convinced this is CSI: Moscow, Idaho.

I also disagree with your suggestion that if it was a sexually motivated crime, the killer would have ‘toyed’ with his victims. It is common for serial killers, including sexual psychopaths, to commit their crimes very quickly and efficiently, and get out. They’ve thought about it all in advance because it is a fantasy they want to make real - and they have no intention if getting caught.

 

[Kittycat40]

 

[drmrgrl]

Maybe somebody posted a photo of this car on another true crime site and said where it was.

I think the car owner took their own sweet time to take care of the issue with the car. IMO, I am guessing that the car sat there for awhile, before owner was contacted by LE who demanded that it be moved.

 

[drmrgrl]

There is a VIN (vehicle identification number) on every single vehicle manufactured. The VIN number follows the vehicle through it's history, sales, repos, transfers etc. The VIN number is stamped in several places throughout the vehicle. The license plate only tells us the current registered operator/owner of the vehicle not it's history. Even a vehicle without license plates can be "investigated" with the VIN number. IMO

Well said

 

[katydid23]

I don't remembering reading anything about a near decapitation.

 

[drmrgrl]

For those who think this killing was either an act of rage by an acquaintance or a chemically fueled event, what's your take on LE's persistent focus on the white Elantra? Was the Elantra instrumental to the murders, and if so, how?

Possible witness

 

[Jdianeg]

I think it's possible the killer never intended to kill four people. His intent wasn't cemented in stone when he entered the house that he was going to kill Kaylee. I think we might be talking about someone on the verge of a psychotic break with his disordered thinking and suppressed rage. He brought the knife so he's thinking about it but he makes the decision when he encounters his first triggers that cause the total break with reality. Either it's the suppressed rage at Kaylee & Maddie is a witness, and then EC wakes up and he and Xani are killed on the way out...or he encounters them on the way in, is recognized...and he's loses it.
Strange as it may sound he may have been able to accomplish more on autopilot in the throws of complete break
Just a theory that he may never have killed animals or humans before.

I think about either couple being killed because they witnessed something (to me that makes most sense), however, all reports say all four were killed in their sleep. Doesn’t that mean they were all in bed? If they were killed for being a witness, I’d assume they’d be in a hallway or doorway?

 

[Mark4]

I think about either couple being killed because they witnessed something (to me that makes most sense), however, all reports say all four were killed in their sleep. Doesn’t that mean they were all in bed? If they were killed for being a witness, I’d assume they’d be in a hallway or doorway?

Possible the killer was just a bit paranoid and thought they heard something up/downstairs, went into the other pair’s room to check and thought they might be pretending to be asleep? Or possible someone did hear/see something and did pretend to be asleep with the intention of alerting emergency services once it was safe thinking the attack was targeting specific victims? I don’t think we know enough, or will know enough before the crime is solved, to say what the motivation for all the murders was and whether it was the same motive for all of the victims, just saying I think there’s plenty of plausible explanations.

 

[CeeMDubs]

I’m almost positive the car on the gas station footage is a second or third generation Toyota Prius. If this is the car police have been looking for, it’s the wrong make & model. The back rear window is a giveaway. IMO

 

[CrownCowboy1]

Yes but, there was a mass exodus from Moscow after the killings, there could be a chance that the killer took part in the exodus.

Perhaps but whether he's still in town or not the killer has ties to the area or surrounding areas just for the fact of being there and also the fact remains that he has so far gotten away with a mass killing that would have been hard to pull off without leaving more identifying evidence in my opinion. Of course we don't know all that was left for sure.

All my opinion.

 

[femto]

If the killer is semi-local, has friends and a busy life and the car isn't a burner car - then someone would notice that so and so is suddenly without wheels (to get to work, go to socialize, go to gym/hobbies, pick up so and so) and hopefully call in a tip.

What makes you think the person stopped driving the car? I doubt the first person thinks "My friend drives an Elantra, so he must be the killer. I better call him in". Most would just ignore it. I would imagine most people need quite a bit of convincing before deciding to turn their friend or family in over to the police. That's besides the point that not everyone is following the news about this case. They released the information about the Elantra way too late - by the time they did news on this case weren't on the forefront. Should have been done in the first few days at best.

The killer is more than likely just a normal guy like the rest of us and he wouldn't create any kind of suspicion around him for people to notice stuff like this. Very rare are the killers who actually raise red flags and those are more than often very easily caught because of it. The fact that this guy is running a month later free tells me there's nothing really remarkable about him. He's a student, a worker, a friend, a boyfriend, a son, etc. If he is caught (I hope he is) I expected to hear the usual "what, he was such a good friend and neighbor, so quiet and nice, I would never have expected this"

Problem is, the descriptions of how this was done that we have are not using a manner that is normally used for animals or for quick murder.
To me this means they had some understanding of the human body, and what may happen if a person was stabbed quickly deep into the chest.
I have knowledge of human anatomy/physiology but could not guess how a person would respond during or after such a stabbing- I’ve not seen it
If each of these four victims were killed using the same sort of few quick stabs to vitals, I would guess this person had seen what would happen, and what happened was what they expected- little resistance from the victim.

I disagree with that. You don't need to be a genius to know that a quick stab to the neck, lungs or heart would basically incapacitate the victim, unable to scream or generate any kind of fight that would be a problem. And he had that free shot on the first victim. The most likely scenario with the victims upstairs is that the killer stabbed the first victim in the neck or lungs/heart and then quickly blitzed the other before she knew what was going on. This is why their deaths are described per Kaylee's father as somewhat quick. They didn't have a big struggle with the killer nor managed to even defend themselves. Keep in mind that most of Idaho is filled with hunters, even the students are. It's not New York, after all.

The interesting part for mecomes from the second floor where the killer was either caught or fumbled in some way as there is not only blood leaking from the house down to the pipes, which would suggest that at least one of the victims didn't die in their bed, but also there was some struggle suggested by both the parents of Kaylee and Xana. And we can at least believe some of that because Kaylee's family received some info from the coroner herself. There's also something I've noticed is that the investigators spend far more time in the living room/Xana's room than they did upstairs which would suggest to me that's where most of the evidence is and that sometihng went there at least that didn't go exactly according to plan.

 

[LiverpoolUK2222]

I want to like this but don’t want to get put on his list.

It’s a good job we are anonymous. Haha.

 

[Kittycat40]

 

[Trino]

My problem with the theory that it was ‘personal’ is that it seems to have been extremely well planned and executed. Whoever did it spent a lot of time thinking about every detail. Would a killer driven by a vendetta or jealousy be so cold-blooded and organised? And what could four college kids have done to cause somebody to plan and execute a crime on this scale? Is there any precedent for such a crime? It sounds like an episode of CSI, but I’m not convinced this is CSI: Moscow, Idaho.

I also disagree with your suggestion that if it was a sexually motivated crime, the killer would have ‘toyed’ with his victims. It is common for serial killers, including sexual psychopaths, to commit their crimes very quickly and efficiently, and get out. They’ve thought about it all in advance because it is a fantasy they want to make real - and they have no intention if getting caught.

Why is the number one question on everyone's minds. What does personal mean when there were 4 victims? Doubtful there was a vendetta against all 4. Possible this crazed killed knew none of them. My verdict is planned.

 

[303gmf]

There are photos floating around online that were taken previously before the plate was removed, that show it with a Colorado license plate.

I find interesting that the homeowner is also Colorado based

 

[Trino]

Possible the killer scoped out the house before the attack. The house seemed to have easy access - could have gotten in when no one was present and knew the layout well by the night of the attack.

 

[annpats]

I find interesting that the homeowner is also Colorado based

Absolutely! I can't decide if that's just too much of a coincidence or not.
But it certainly is both interesting and odd!

 

[LAHOLLA]

It could also be someone who did work in the home at some point- plumber, handyman, appliance repairman, pest control, etc etc etc.

They are used to wearing coveralls and shoe covers and could have easily encountered one or more of the roommates and developed an unhealthy fixation...

ETA they would/could also be familiar with the layout.

 

[NuttMegg]

Sorry, I have forgotten who posted this yesterday, thanks for doing so. Interesting, clientele shifts drastically after happy hour, roughly at 9 pm. Before 9, locals. After 9, college kids.

I still tend to believe that it is a local, (but not a townie) rather someone rural and familiar with animal anatomy, used to killing, butchering.

Also still think that fringe groups may be instrumental in turning this guy in, should the investigation start, or continue to poke too close to home.

Bartenders used to serving that shift change, ie 8-10 should be quizzed, are there guys who seem to be hanging around after happy hour, hoping to hook up with college girls. Big guy, chip on shoulder, who may have been overtly rejected and laughed at by others in the bar. Maybe someone who has been tagged with that reputation: loser with the college girls. Someone who denigrates college girls as being loose, and interprets common flirting as taunting.

Finding America's Best Sports Bars: Idaho's Corner Club Has Nailed the Formula | Sports Illustrated

 

[sunshineray]

Idaho murders: Tips reach 10,000 as police comb through 'hours and hours of digital content'

About 10,000 tips have been submitted so far in the unsolved murders of four University of Idaho students, police said Monday, but they still don't have a suspect.

abcnews.go.com

About 10,000 tips have been submitted so far in the unsolved murders of four University of Idaho students, police said Monday, but investigators still don't have a suspect.

I think they most likely have presently or have had a suspect or even multiple ones, JMO