Following the tragic murder of a student in Idaho, Brian Koberger was captured on surveillance video shopping and using a self-checkout hours after the event.
Police in Moscow, Idaho, disclosed extensive surveillance footage that the 30-year-old former criminology student might use in his upcoming trial. Interestingly, he did not enter a guilty plea at the last moment to steer clear of facing the death penalty.
This video illustrates how investigators tracked his movements, even when his cell phone was off during the time of the murder. It also shows Koberger attempting to enter a Costco but being turned away for not having a membership card.
On November 13, 2022, Koberger broke into a rental residence and killed four out of the six students present: Madison Morgen (21), Kaylee Gonsalves (21), Zana Kernodle (20), and Ethan Chapin (20). Most of them were likely asleep when the incident began, which occurred early in the morning. The killings were committed with a Ka-Bar knife.
The murder weapon was never found; however, a knife sheath was discovered near Morgen’s body, which contained Koberger’s DNA.
Following the press conference after his sentencing in July—the first since Koberger’s arrest on December 30, 2022—detectives expressed the belief that they could have identified Koberger sooner if they had focused on his vehicle, thanks to the sheath.
The footage includes clips from various surveillance cameras along the routes taken to and from the crime scene, depicting what seems to be Koberger’s white Hyundai Elantra at multiple points before and after the crime.
Although he had only been a student at Washington State University for a short time, Koberger had several minor encounters with law enforcement in Moscow and nearby Pullman, Washington, prior to the killings. Investigators linked him to the vehicle after police body camera footage recorded a traffic stop.
He even changed his vehicle’s license plate post-murder, moving from a Pennsylvania plate to a local one.
Koberger is currently serving four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional ten years. His plea agreement included waiving any rights to appeal or seek sentence reductions.
