Idaho murders: Ex-CIA officer says Bryan Kohberger 'honed in' on 'target' victim after being ignored online
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently.
MOSCOW, IDAHO: A former CIA officer said that Bryan Kohberger relentlessly messaged one of his victims suggested he "honed in" on them, and eventually decided to make them his target. The 28-year-old suspect is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in connection with the Idaho murders.
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, both 21, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, both 20, were found dead in a rented home near the University of Idaho on November 13. Authorities arrested Kohberger at his parents' house late last month in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. The suspect, a PhD student of criminology at Washington State University, is yet to enter a plea, but his public defender in Pennsylvania earlier said he was "eager to be exonerated" of the charges.
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People reported on January 17 that Kohberger's Instagram account, which has been taken down, had followed Goncalves, Mogen, and Kernodle. According to the magazine, the suspect allegedly sent a series of messages to one of the women on Instagram but did not receive any response. An investigator familiar with the case told the outlet that the account allegedly belonging to Kohberger sent a greeting to the unnamed victim in late October 2022. However, after being ignored, he allegedly sent several more messages. "Basically, it was just him saying, 'Hey, how are you?' But he did it again and again," the source said.
Former CIA officer Tracy Walder said it "falls in line" with the theory that Kohberger may have targeted one victim in particular. "Him following them, I think it could really explain the fact that he did run into them at that Mad Greek restaurant," she told NewsNation. The suspect ate at the Mad Greek restaurant where Mogen and Kernodle worked as servers, a former employee told People. "It wouldn't have surprised me. Obviously, we know Xana and Maddie worked there, but Kaylee could have been there at the same time. So it wouldn't surprise me if he followed them," Walder continued. She further added, "But him messaging one of them, in particular, tells me that he had really honed in on one of those victims and decided to make them his target."
A former employee at the Mad Greek restaurant in Moscow stated #BryanChristopherKohberger came in at least twice to grab vegan pizza, weeks prior to the murders. LE was aware and collected surveillance video from the restaurant and surrounding businesses. #idaho4 #BryanKohberger pic.twitter.com/r3vdzK88Wl
— DeL2000 (@DeL2000) January 20, 2023
It's worth noting that Jackie Fischer, owner of the Mad Greek, has strongly denied the report that an ex-employee had spoken to the press. "This will be my only response to this story from People… It is not true," she posted on Facebook. Fischer added, "I also have not forbidden employees from speaking to reporters. We all decided collectively to support the families and not share anything that could potentially harm the investigation or cause the families more stress."
According to Walder, Fischer may, be denying the report due to a gag order issued in Kohberger's case. "I think the biggest reason that the owner is denying it is really because of the gag order," she told NewsNation. Walder added, "They do not want to have penalties for someone having violated that gag order and they don't want to be responsible for anything that really impedes the prosecution of the case."
Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued an order earlier this month barring attorneys, law enforcement agencies, and others associated with the case from discussing the case in public. She broadened the order on Thursday, January 19, to prohibit any attorneys representing survivors, witnesses, or the victims' family members from talking or writing about the case. That said, a five-day preliminary hearing is scheduled to commence on June 26, Newsweek reported.