Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, was previously investigated for a 2021 home invasion in Pullman, Washington, near the Idaho crime scene. However, authorities have confirmed he is no longer a suspect in that case.
According to ABC News, the home invasion happened about a year before the Idaho killings, less than 10 miles from where the four students—Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20—were fatally stabbed in November 2022. Bodycam footage from the Pullman Police shows a woman claiming that a masked intruder broke into her home around 3:30 a.m., carrying a knife... Continue reading here ▶
“I heard my door open,” the woman said in the video. “I saw someone wearing a ski mask holding a knife. I kicked them and screamed, and they ran into my closet before fleeing out the door.”
The police report states that the suspect remained silent during the incident. Although one of the woman’s roommates quickly called the police, no evidence or suspects were found.
On December 30, 2022, Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania for the Idaho murders. According to court documents, the killings likely occurred between 4:00 and 4:25 a.m., and a knife sheath was left at the crime scene. One surviving roommate said she saw someone dressed in black with a mask leave the house.
Authorities later named Kohberger as a person of interest in the 2021 Pullman break-in, but discrepancies in the description of the suspect ruled him out.
The victim had described the intruder as 5’3” to 5’5” tall, while Kohberger is 6 feet tall. Additionally, Kohberger, a Pennsylvania resident at the time, had not yet enrolled or visited Washington State University.
The Pullman Police have since closed the case, stating, “We have no reason or evidence to believe he was involved in this burglary.”
In May 2023, a grand jury indicted Kohberger for the Idaho murders. Although Kohberger remained silent when asked for his plea, the judge entered a “not guilty” plea on his behalf. His trial is scheduled for August 2025.
Some legal analysts believe Kohberger’s defense team may try to use the Pullman home invasion to raise doubts about his involvement in the Idaho killings.
