Could the suspect for the University of Idaho murders be linked to other unsolved cases? That’s what investigators in Pennsylvania have been trying to figure out!
Ever since Bryan Kohberger was arrested for the brutal murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin two months ago, one of the biggest questions on people’s minds has been: has he allegedly committed a crime like this before? Given the evidence against the suspect, including the fact that he stalked the female victims, experts think there is a good chance that this was not the first time he killed someone. And now, it looks like authorities in at least two counties in Pennsylvania where Bryan attended college are searching through cold case files for potential connections to him.
Related: Idaho Murder Suspect Was Fired Just Before Arrest Due To ‘Sexist Attitude’!
In case you didn’t know, the 28-year-old alleged killer went to Northampton Community College and DeSales University – both of which are in Pennsylvania. So following his arrest, Northampton County District Attorney Terence Houck didn’t hesitate to order his staff to look into whether the alleged killer had links to any of the unsolved cases in his jurisdiction. He told KING 5 News:
“Your natural question is to start wondering, ‘is this guy wanted?’ Is his name out there? Did he do anything here in (my) county?”
While law enforcement previously said Bryan did not have a prior criminal record, Houck still had staff deep dive into their local cold cases since he was a student at Northampton Community College and possibly attended classes at a satellite campus in Monroe County. Northampton County police used a crime information center to search the records of old cases using Bryan’s height, weight, method of operation, and other characteristics that could have linked him to an unsolved crime. However, they never found any connections to him. Houck said:
“In fact, nothing with respect to Kohberger has come about in our investigations of cold cases or unsolved cases to this point, but we always continue to investigate and pursue leads.”
Houck wasn’t the only one who combed through cold cases. Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin took a peek into old records too since his jurisdiction covered the DeSales University area:
“The first thing I did [after Kohberger’s arrest] was ask the director of the [Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center] to see if we had any contact with Mr. Kohberger.”
But just like Houck, he didn’t find any links to Bryan and any unsolved crime. According to Martin, the only thing that came up from the probe was a 911 call the suspect placed when his car was locked behind a parked gate on a bike trail. He added:
“And there was a response from him thanking the police and apologizing for the inconvenience.”
Martin also noted the county doesn’t have any unsolved murders that come close to the MO of the murders in Idaho. At this time, Monroe County District Attorney E. David Christine Jr. hasn’t mentioned if they’re looking into previous cases for connections to Bryan, who lived with his parents in Monroe County for years. But we wouldn’t be surprised if other counties started to double-check, especially since experts feel this isn’t the first time he committed a heinous crime.
Bryan is currently facing four counts of homicide and one count of first-degree burglary. He will be due back in court on June 26. Reactions to the latest in the case, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image via Law&Crime/YouTube, Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram]
