In Jan. 2024, Bryan Kohberger was set to stand trial for the brutal murder of four University of Idaho students in their off-campus home. In Dec. 2023, TikToker and true crime expert Casey Lytle, an adjunct psychology and sociology instructor at Centralia College in Washington, weighed in on Kohberger’s guilt.
Shortly after Kohberger’s Dec. 2022 arrest for a crime that shocked the nation, discussions started on Reddit and social media about whether Kohberger did it. Among other evidence, DNA found on a knife sheath was declared likely to belong to Kohberger, according to the investigation. Meanwhile, some think Kohberger’s DNA was planted at the scene.
Kohberger, with no known connection to the victims in the case, is accused of killing Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Maddie Mogen in an early morning knife attack. Kohberger, a Ph.D. student at Washington State University near Moscow, Idaho, “stood silent” in court. The judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
Kohberger was held without bail
While explaining his rationale for thinking Kohberger is guilty, TikToker Casey Lytle, a true-crime author and expert, explained that when Kohberger was arrested, he was held without bail. As far as innocent until proven guilty, when defendants are held without bail, “that whole thing is out the door. The only real question is what’s your punishment going to be unless your defense can get you out of it,” Lytle said.
All the evidence points to Kohberger
Meanwhile, Lytle says all the evidence in the case says Kohberger did it, and no evidence has emerged that anyone else might have been involved. The Idaho 4 had housemates at home when Kohberger allegedly stabbed and killed the victims, and since their deaths, some think those acquaintances who were unharmed could know more than they’ve said.
According to online conspiracy theories, other possible culprits include a DoorDash driver, and some think there may be a drug connection. “The reason that any of that looks suspicious,” Lytle told TikTok, “is because we don’t have all the data that the police have. We just have what has been released to the general public.”
If the Idaho 4 case goes to trial, Lytle added, we’ll have all the evidence linking Kohberger to the crime, “and we’ll see why those things aren’t mysterious.”
Referring to the DNA evidence against Kohberger, his defense team has said:
“Presumably, the defense is expected to accept at face value that the sheath had touch DNA just waiting for testing by all the FBI’s myriad resources. Additionally, the defense is to guess whether the state focused its investigation on Mr. Kohberger via bizarrely complex DNA tree experiment or through its faulty identification of the vehicle involved in this case.”
via Fox 10 Phoenix
The death penalty is on the table
In Lytle’s opinion, prosecutors in the Kohberger case would also not have sought the death penalty, as they have, unless the case was, in their view, open-and-shut. Meanwhile, Lytle said Kohberger’s defense has acted as if they represent a guilty person. According to Lytle, Kohberger’s defense would have petitioned the court to set bail if there was “bombshell” evidence.
On Kohberger’s alibi, or some other revelation proving he didn’t do it, Kohberger’s defense team has stated:
“Evidence corroborating Mr. Kohberger being at a location other than the [murder scene] address will be disclosed pursuant to discovery and evidentiary rules as well as statutory requirements. It is anticipated this evidence may be offered by way of cross-examination of witnesses produced by the State as well as calling expert witnesses.”
via Fox 10 Phoenix
Did Kohberger have a partner?
One popular theory related to Kohberger is that he had a partner in the gruesome string of murders, and on that topic, Lytle said, based on what we know about Kohberger, he is “not the type to play with others.”
On the multiple suspect theory, however, Porkncheeseblonde wrote on Reddit:
“As far as I’m concerned, [Kohberger’s] innocent until they disclose the second suspect that is likely being concealed due to his employment with the university … The employee was killed by SWAT in December, the same day BK [Kohberger] took off for PA and they began following him, so until all is on the table, nobody should be in custody.
“The only reason we aren’t hearing about the potential (to be proper) second suspect is because 1) he’s deceased and 2) to relieve the university of liability and business interruption which, is not a valid excuse IMO. So, I’ll wait for everybody to start being honest before pointing fingers at anyone.”
via Why Bryan Kohberger Is Not Guilty/Reddit
In Dec. 2022, about a month after the U of I murders, Spokane, Washington news outlet KHQ.com reported that 36-year-old Brent Kopacka was shot and killed by officers after an hours-long standoff near the Washington State University campus, where Kohberger was enrolled in a doctorate program in criminology. Authorities said at the time that Kopacka was not involved in the Moscow case.
On the topic of multiple suspects, however, Lytle told TikTok, “That’s been debunked long ago because when you think about that, who would have been around to hear that, and would it have been a person who passed that on to media?”
Before the murders, Kohberger had recently moved into the Moscow, Idaho area, Lytle added, and the “Kohberger-type would not have hooked up with anyone else to carry out anything like this,” he said.