BOISE, Idaho — The law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation into , the man convicted of killing four University of Idaho students, addressed the press after .
Moscow Police Department Chief Anthony Dahlinger, about a year-and-a-half after the murders, praised the work of the agencies involved and acknowledged that the pain isn’t over for the families.
“For the families, friends and loved ones for these four young people, the grief does not end, because the losses are permanent, and the pain remains,” Dahlinger said.
Dahlinger said Moscow police records on this case would be available later Wednesday afternoon.
When investigators were asked if they knew who Kohberger was targeting, they said they had reason to believe the house on King Road was targeted, but they’re not sure why.
Investigators also dispelled a popular rumor that a social media account was identified that belonged to Kohberger.
At no point in the hearing was a motive acknowledged. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson and the investigators noted that it’s likely the only person who knows why Kohberger committed the crimes is Kohberger himself, and that there wouldn’t be a legal benefit to knowing the motive.
Investigators also said that there was evidence that Kohberger had wiped some of his digital devices.
They also conceded that they never found any connection between Kohberger and his victims.
Thompson said he would have preferred to be in Latah County for the sentencing. The trial was moved to Ada County after the defense argued Latah County wouldn’t be able to field an impartial jury.
Thompson again defended his decision to accept the plea agreement, reiterating that some of the families of the victims agreed with the decision.
The conference followed a press conference given by the family of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the four victims, in which the .
“As I said in court today, we reached out to the families, we asked their thoughts, we listened to what they had to say,” Thompson said. “We made what we thought was the most appropriate decision under the law and under the facts to give this case closure in a sense that would never be realized otherwise.”
When asked why he didn’t require Kohberger to explain why he committed the murders are part of the agreement, Thompson pointed back to the statements made by Judge Steven Hippler in the courtroom just hours earlier.
“Judge Hippler addresses everything very well,” Thompson said. “I don’t believe there’s anything that would come out of his mouth that would be the truth. I don’t believe there’s anything that could come out of his mouth that would be anything other than self-serving. I don’t think there would come out of his mouth that would not further victimize the families.”
Thompson also praised the collaboration between agencies, highlighting the work done by Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador’s office and by former U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit, who joined Thompson’s office to assist on this case.
