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'Job well done': Police hailed for keeping 'key witness' Dylan Mortensen under wraps and safe from killer

Cops 'withheld information that needed to be withheld and protected as many people as they could'

This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently.

MOSCOW IDAHO: The probable cause affidavit filed against Idaho murder suspect Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, has revealed some important details about the case. However, the one piece of information that has left the internet shocked is that the quadruple-murder accused was ‘seen’ by one of the survivors. According to the affidavit, surviving housemate Dylan Mortensen is the 'key witness' who saw the killer. The recent developments have prompted internet users to commend the law enforcement for their investigation, especially for not revealing details about the key witness, pointing out that "Kohberger knew where she lived".

The affidavit also contains other details, such as the phone data which shows that Kohberger was in the area of the murders at least 12 times before the killings and that the suspect left behind a knife sheath with his DNA on it. Meanwhile, Kohberger was denied bail in his first appearance at an Idaho court on Thursday, January 5. Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 20, and Madison Mogen, 20, were stabbed to death on November 13 on the second and third floors of their off-campus rental home on King Road. Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen were the two roommates who survived. 

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A Twitter user applauded the law enforcement (LE) for not revealing the fact that one of the roommates was a witness. "Can you imagine the fear Dylan Mortensen had knowing #BryanKohberger was still out there and she was face to face with him? He knew who she was and where she lived. The horror she’s been through. I’m glad LE said neither roommate was a witness. Great call," the user wrote.

Another user agreed and wrote, "They really protected her. Amazing police work. I am haunted by the fact he may have come in again looking for the sheath. She was in shock. The first call was to 911 about an unconscious person. That was Dylon. Locked in her room. Frozen in fear and cognitive dissonance."

Even a reddit user questioned, "Why did LE say roommates were likely killed in their sleep where it's obvious that at least half of them weren't? Was it intentionally to not tip off the killer that there's a witness (in case he hasn't noticed her)?" speculating that the details of the case were not revealed in order to protect the witness.

Another user appreciated the LE for keeping the eyewitness hidden. "That they kept the eyewitness bit out of the public sphere until today is phenomenal. They were very disciplined about only putting our car info and keeping the whole suspect description part completely under wraps," wrote the user.

"Agree. The strategic dissemination of information about both surviving roommates being asleep on floor 1 and not waking up until later in the morning in order to protect them was extremely smart and admirable," added a user.

A user came forward and praised the LE for their overall investigation, saying they 'withheld information that needed to be withheld and protected as many people as they could'. "They are professionals and were completely disrespected, doubted and referred to as Keystone Cops. Seems to me they handled the scene properly, collected evidence and set to work investigating and analyzing data as it returned. They withheld information that needed to be withheld and protected as many people as they could that needed to be protected. They asked for information from the public as they needed it. They assembled the puzzle pieces, waited on the verification of the DNA while keeping the suspect under surveillance then made their move when DNA confirmed. They did an awesome job overall and I for one feel they should all be commended. This wasn’t an episode of CSI, this was real crime in real time. Kudos to all involved in the investigation. Job well done," wrote the user.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online