Bryan Kohberger’s small-town police ‘assumption’ backfired after Idaho murders

Brian Kohberger wanted to research how small-town police conduct digital investigations, claiming they were “inadequately trained” without realizing that a private forensic lab would soon expose its attempts to cover its tracks in the Idaho student murder case, according to his own project proposals, which the Idaho State Police released with a public records request.

The professor summoned him after he confirmed that.”Local police departments “They are not trained enough,” he asked in the margin. “Assumption or fact?” — a remark that now reads as eerily prophetic.

“Little did he know that in his case, people with decades of experience and training would work on his case and find the truth no matter how hard he tried to hide it,” said Heather and Jared Barnhart, who worked on the case on behalf of Cellebrite, a major digital forensics company.

Idaho Police release investigative photos of Kohberger’s car and the crime scene where four students died

Left: Police in Pullman, Washington, respond to a roadblock incident on December 15, 2022 in Pullman, Washington. Brian Kohberger, right, was studying at Washington State University in the city pursuing his Ph.D. in criminology, in a research proposal, claimed that “local police officers are not adequately trained,” prompting one professor to ask, “Assumption or fact?” (Derek Schock for Fox News Digital, AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)

In Kohberger’s case, dogged local investigators worked alongside state and federal agencies, and private laboratories such as Outram and Celebrite, to piece together evidence he thought he kept clear.

They all played a role in identifying him as a mass murderer who killed four University of Idaho Students in a home invasion attack at 4 a.m. on November 13, 2022.

“It’s interesting to read this proposal specifically calls out digital evidence — for what we know now,” Barnharts said. “As we have observed all along, [Kohberger] Know how to prepare and try to prevent a digital footprint. “It was clear that he had conducted research into digital forensics, and ironically, even in all of his research, he left a devastating digital footprint.”

Although Kohberger made efforts to erase his computer’s hard drive and hide his phone data, Cellebrite’s forensic analysts were able to piece together a chain of events from the remaining evidence.

Read Kohberger’s book Proposals:

“His specific explanation of the evidence of guilt and innocence really caught our attention,” Barnharts told Fox News Digital. “He did his best not to create anything, but in the end the void he created with his efforts ended up as incriminating evidence.”

In particular, he turned off his phone during the murders. The Cellebrite team realized it had powered down the device 100%, eliminating the potential excuse that its battery had died. Then they delved into his digital records.

“If his device was doing normal things and had no data void at the exact time those four precious lives were taken, his device would not have much significance in this case,” they told Fox News Digital. “But instead, this data void screamed, ‘Everyone, look here!’ and helped build a strong case.”

Idaho Police Chief reveals new details about the investigation into the murder of student Brian Koberger

Madison Mugen, top left, smiles on the shoulders of her best friend, Kylie Goncalves, as she poses with Ethan Chapin, Zana Kernodle, and two housemates in Goncalves’ latest Instagram post, shared the day before the four students were stabbed to death. (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)

Even in the hours before his arrest on Dec. 30, 2022, Kohberger was researching news coverage of the case, according to Barnhart’s family.

He searched for the terms “eavesdropping” and “paranoid psychopaths.” He read news articles about the interstate search for a suspect. View the latest press releases from the Moscow Police Department website. And try shopping online for a replacement car.

“Training is an important part for digital forensic examiners and those examining phones must be trained because they must testify in court on the evidence,” Barnharts added. “Digital forensics is a science that is changing faster than any other type of science in criminal justice, and training is not only essential to understanding the data—it is often the primary focus of any public safety agency.”

Idaho homicide documents reveal victim’s fears of stalking and Koberger’s inappropriate behavior at school

Barnhart’s family said he appeared to have no contact with friends, and that the main people he communicated with by phone were his parents, whom he referred to as mother and father. If his mother did not respond immediately, he would tease his father about her silence. According to their analysis, he was on the phone with his mother at the time police claim he returned to the crime scene for a final look, five hours after the murder.

Surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen, center, and other University of Idaho students wait to speak with police outside the 1122 King Road crime scene on Nov. 13, 2022. (Moscow Police Department)

if Kohberger did not admit guilt To avoid the death penalty, Cellebrite was called to testify about how he tried to hide his movements by turning off his phone with 100% battery while driving to and from the crime scene — which appeared to be an obvious attempt to try and hide his movements.

“All I can say is a graduate student writes in for an internship at the police department and pitches that he’s going to teach them how to do investigations, and that might be the quickest path to the shredder I’ve ever heard,” said Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor.

Brian Kohberger was caught on camera calmly shopping in stores hours after a student was killed in Idaho

Forensic analysts also recovered these shirtless selfies from convicted killer Brian Kohberger’s phone after his arrest. (Brian Kohberger)

Of the four victims, only 20-year-old Zanna Kernodle was awake when she was killed. The others were stabbed in bed, prosecutors said. They were her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, also 20, and her roommates, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogin, 21. Kuhberger is serving four consecutive life sentences without parole, plus another 10 years, for four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.

The other topic he pursued for his Ph.D. The research could have focused on how thieves weigh risks versus rewards. He wrote that he planned to personally interview prisoners for the project.

“Arrogance is what led to his arrest,” said Joseph Giacalone, a criminal justice professor at Penn State Lehigh Valley and a retired NYPD sergeant. “He thought he was the smartest person in the room and was well spoken. Now, he will spend his days thinking about the mistakes he made, not the lives he took of four innocent children.”

In other articles, he praised progressive prosecutors, condemned the death penalty and asserted that local police were poorly trained.

Surveillance video shows Brian Coberger’s car roaring away after a student was killed in Idaho

State police search for evidence in Moscow, Idaho on Monday, November 21, 2022. Four University of Idaho students were murdered on November 13 in this home. (Derek Schock for Fox News Digital)

The concept was criticized Plea deals The death penalty, which he described as “society’s desire for revenge.” In the same paragraph, he assumed that citizens would resort to vigilante justice if they lost confidence in the criminal justice system.

Kohberger is now fighting court-ordered restitution as he serves four consecutive life sentences, plus another 10 years.

He pleaded guilty in July, after prosecutors overcame his defense’s efforts to overturn the death penalty and threw key evidence out of court before trial. He admitted to the murders but offered no explanation or indication of motive.

Although he turned off his phone during the murders, police were able to track Brian Kohberger’s movements on the morning of November 13, after he killed four University of Idaho students in their home. (Google Earth/Fox News Digital)

“I find it interesting that he wrote about false confessions of guilt and what that could lead to what he wrote about, which is reliance on expert testimony,” Giacalone said. “His case relied on a lot of potential expert witnesses. According to his findings, experts account for 45% of false convictions. And then, all of a sudden, he pleads guilty? This has fueled speculation that there was another reason behind his plea, which we will never know for sure.”

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Kohberger waived his right to appeal and seek a future sentence reduction under the terms of the plea deal, which spared him from a potential death penalty. He was not required to explain himself.

He is being held at Idaho Maximum Security Institution.