Police in Washington have released documents detailing an unresolved home invasion that occurred a few miles from the Idaho student murder scene. The report describes an intruder wearing a ski mask and holding a knife.
The victim stated she was asleep in a basement bedroom, and the door was open when she noticed the intruder. According to the police report, she recalled the suspect raised the knife. “I kicked and kicked them out of my stomach and screamed. They went back to my closet, ran up the stairs, and ran through my door,” she recounted to the responding officer.
Once the police confirmed that the intruder had fled, they advised her and her roommate to remain in their vehicle. “This isn’t what happens in Pullman,” an officer mentioned during the response, pointing out that such incidents are quite rare in the area.
Meanwhile, the Pullman Police Department is continuing its investigation a year after Brian Coberger’s arrest in the Idaho student murder case, which remains open. Following the conclusion of the gag order, police files are now accessible to the public.
The suspect was described as being between five feet three inches and five feet five inches tall and wearing a maroon mask. Though there were initial suspicions regarding a neighbor, police later excluded them from the investigation, labeling it as “inactive,” primarily because there was no evidence linking anyone to the home invasion.
This incident took place around 3:30 a.m. in October 2021. Interestingly, Coberger had moved to Pullman to attend Washington State University to obtain a PhD in criminology for the fall semester of 2022. The town is near Moscow, Idaho, where he infamously murdered four students in November 2022.
After his arrest, connections were drawn between the two cases due to similarities in the home intrusions. In the end, investigators found no links to the earlier incident, ruling Coberger out. The victim during the invasion was not a WSU student at the time but did have connections to the university, having worked in the same restaurant as two of the Idaho victims.
Another neighbor, identified as Jose Anibal Cruz, who had a questionable alibi, faced scrutiny, though he was not arrested. There were some similarities in the way the home invasions unfolded, such as the victims expressing concern that they could be seen from their bedroom windows.
Two days following the Pullman incident, other residents reported seeing a masked man near a student’s window, which added to the tension. Reports indicate that doors and windows were often found unlocked after both invasions, raising safety concerns.
Coberger, who had a master’s degree in criminal justice, seemingly had a deep understanding of crime scene management. However, he left behind crucial evidence—a knife sheath with DNA linked to him—at the Idaho crime scene.
Law enforcement suspected him thanks to advanced genetic genealogy technology, leading to his identification. Despite having not appeared on campus during relevant times, investigators noted that travel records might ultimately reveal his whereabouts during the break-ins.
Currently, Coberger has been sentenced to four consecutive prison terms without the possibility of parole, in a plea deal that spared him the death penalty, although he is appealing and has waived his right to seek a reduced sentence.
