Who is J Reuben Appelman? Private investigator to release a book detailing tragic Idaho murder victims' lives
MOSCOW, IDAHO: In the wake of a shocking tragedy that shook the community of Moscow, Idaho, true crime writer and private investigator J Reuben Appelman felt compelled to know more about the chilling case of four students of the University of Idaho who were brutally murdered.
Including Netflix-streamed documentaries, Appelman has worked on several film projects apart from his publishing true crime books.
Known for his true crime memoir 'The Kill Jar', the Boise-based author is set to release his latest book on the Idaho murders that took place in November 2022.
What is J Reuben Appelman's book on Idaho murders titled?
Appelman's book on the lives of Idaho murder victims and the chilling case in which Bryan Korberger, a former graduate student in criminology at the nearby Washington State University is charged with four counts of murder is titled 'While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four Idaho Students'.
The book for which he spent six months researching and writing is set to be released on October 3.
Talking about how he began his research, Appelman told Newsweek, "I was following the case like everybody else. I just went there and I rented a motel room and I started talking to people."
J Reuben Appelman shines light on lives of Idaho murder victims
On November 13, 2022, Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kernodle's boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20 were killed in a gruesome murder in their off-campus residence.
"I'm not somebody who jumps on the next murder beat, so to speak. I just worry about things happening in my backyard and this case is deeply rooted in the community that I've spent 25 years in," he said.
Following Kohberger's arrest in Pennsylvania, Appelman was in the middle of writing a proposal for his book.
With less emphasis on Kohberger, Appelman focused more on the brutal nature of the murders and vividly portraying the lives of the victims.
"I wanted to elevate the memory of the victims," said Appelman.
"I felt like I'm going to write the story that I know that I can write, and I hope that they'll want to participate and some of them did, but it really took a lot of precaution to not invade their privacy or their mourning... and I think that they will be happy with the book because the book in many ways memorializes their kids," he added.
