Prosecutor Bill Thompson from Idaho mentioned that there’s a possibility Bryan Kohberger might have used a second weapon during the murders of the four University of Idaho students and suggested the killer might have spared surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen due to panic and fleeing, as he told the Idaho Statesman in an interview.
Thompson pointed out that certain injuries on victim Kaylee Goncalves, 21, seemed to be inflicted by something other than the knife used in the attack, although he didn’t confirm a second weapon was involved.
“There were injuries that appeared to have been caused by something other than the knife, although it could have been the knife,” Thompson stated to the Statesman. “I don’t think we can exclude the possibility that there was an additional weapon involved.”
Court documents detailed the severity of the November 2022 attack on Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. Recently released documents from the Moscow Police Department revealed that Goncalves sustained “more than 20 stab wounds,” along with blunt-force trauma.
Mortensen informed authorities that on the night of the attack at 1122 King Road in Moscow, she saw an intruder with “bushy eyebrows” who claimed he was “here to help.”
James Fry, the chief of the Moscow Police Department at the time, told ABC News there are several theories about why Mortensen survived, including the possibility that Kohberger was exhausted from committing the quadruple murders.
“I don’t know, only he has that answer,” Fry told the outlet.
Thompson also emphasized the critical role DNA evidence played in solving the case.
“From our perspective as prosecutors, the DNA was critical to the strength of the case for trial purposes,” he said.
Without the DNA linking Kohberger to the knife sheath, securing a conviction might have been “insurmountable,” Thompson told the Statesman.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office for comment.
