'Not a deal-breaker': Absence of murder weapon won't hamper case against Idaho suspect Bryan Kohberger, experts say
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently.
MOSCOW, IDAHO: A preliminary hearing into the Idaho quadruple murder case is expected to start in June after a suspect was arrested in December 2022. Bryan Kohberger is the sole accused in the November 13 murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin.
The 28-year-old is now facing four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary charges. He has not made an official plea yet but his ex-lawyer Jason LaBar earlier claimed that he is “eager to be exonerated.” Besides, the weapon Bryan allegedly used to murder the four students is still not found.
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‘There is so much evidence already’
However, many experts claim that the lack of a murder weapon will not hamper the case. “The murder weapon would be nice to have, but not necessary. For me, the most important evidence was what they found in his apartment and the vehicle,” Joseph Giacalone, adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told Newsweek.
The retired NYPD sergeant added, “We know they have recovered human hair and an animal hair. If they come back to the victims and/or the dog, that will be a home run for the prosecution. If they have that, I don't care if they never find the knife.”
Ex-federal prosecutor Duncan Levin agrees. He said, “The weapon itself would undoubtedly help the prosecution's case, but there is so much evidence already in this case, it's likely not to matter at all.” Referring to the knife sheath found at the horror house, Levin stated that it “is part of the murder weapon and it bears what prosecutors allege to be a DNA match with Kohberger,” which is “much stronger crime scene evidence than investigators usually are able to get.”
“Coupled with the overwhelming forensic, cell phone, and video evidence, the missing knife is probably not going to affect things,” he asserted.
Why does the weapon matter?
Michael McAuliffe, former federal prosecutor and elected State Attorney, said the murder weapon is vital for the case but also mentioned, “Having more physical evidence––including a murder weapon––can help prove how and when a homicide was committed. If the weapon can be connected to a perpetrator, that is a significant part of the government's proof. Even if not, it can establish that the death was a homicide.”
Besides, Joseph Scott Morgan, a distinguished scholar of applied forensics at Jacksonville State University, told the publication, “In my opinion, the absence of the knife will NOT make or break the case. Unlike a firearm, there are no 'ballistic matches' for edged weapons. With that said, a forensic pathologist could examine the knife and make a determination that it is within a reasonable scientific certainty that a knife such as the K-BAR could have generated these injuries.”
“There is an outside possibility that the knife may have [left] trace elements of metal fragments within the wound tracks. If those fragments could be recovered and subjected to metallurgical testing, they could be compared to chemical composition associated with K-BAR knives,” Morgan explained.
Neama Rahmani, president and co-founder of West Coast Trial Lawyers, also reportedly agreed with Morgan as he remarked, “The murder weapon will be helpful if law enforcement can find it, but it's not a deal breaker. They're probably looking for it in bodies of water along Kohberger's path of travel back to Washington after the murders.”
He went on to point to the knife sheath and called it “good evidence” but also added that Bryan’s lawyers “will argue that it's only a single source of DNA and that it was either transferred or planted,” and “with a crime scene that bloody, you would expect more DNA. And the house was reportedly a 'party house,' so there is likely a lot of DNA from other people the defense will raise.”