Warning: The following contains details that may be graphic in nature.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Ka-Bar-style knife-wielding police are looking for four University of Idaho students in connection with their violent slayings. force is necessary, said the expert.
Police say they have been searching for a “fixed knife” believed to have been used in the Nov. 13 quadruple murder since the beginning of the investigation. The Idaho Statesman spoke with the manager of a Moscow building supply store earlier this month, who said police asked if the business sold Ka-Bar knives. The store does not sell them.
Jonathan Gilliam, a former FBI special agent and law enforcement officer, said the type of knife involved in the crime sheds light on how the attack may have proceeded.
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Police suspect a Ka-Bar knife may have been used in the killing of four University of Idaho students. Caution tape surrounds a house near campus where students were killed.
(Credit: Ka-Bar I for Derek Shook)
Gilliam, also a former U.S. Navy SEAL, said he has personal experience with Ka-Bar knives, which dull quickly and are often used for survival-oriented activities, such as stripping tree bark, digging holes, etc. or cutting the skin.
“It’s not as thin and cutting as other knives,” he said. “And when you sharpen it, it dulls again because it’s a greasy knife.”
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According to him, the tip of the knife is known to break. Ka-Bar blades are often used for cuts that involve pushing motions instead of smoother motions, Gilliam explained.
“Standing is more of a physical activity,” he added. “And so the more you do it, the more tired you get.”
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Ethan Chapin, 20, Hana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and two other female roommates in Kaylee Goncalves’ last Instagram post were the day before the murder.
(@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
Gilliam added that he expected the killer to show signs of bruising or trauma to the lower arm.
As the blade dulls, it also gets smoother, he said.
State Police Forensic Team Moscow, Idaho, November 21, 2022. Four University of Idaho students were killed in this home on November 13th.
(for Derek Shook)
“That’s a lot of effort you’re putting into knowingly killing,” he said.
Gilliam told Dr. Phil on Monday that when a killer attacks, investigators can see “smaller and smaller wounds develop” on the victims, which can become more physical with each person.
Victims of the bloodbath at the University of Idaho on November 13.
(Instagram @xanakernodle / @maddiemogen / @kayleegoncalves)
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Tuesday marks one month since Ethan Chapin and Hana Kernodle, 20 and 21, were found stabbed to death in their off-campus home, along with Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen.
The bodies of the victims were found before noon on November 13. The house at 1122 King Road is just one block from the University of Idaho campus and near the fraternity houses.
Officials said the victims were asleep when they were attacked between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Each victim was stabbed multiple times and some showed signs of trying to defend themselves.
The murder was committed on the second and third floors. Two other roommates were downstairs in the home and were unharmed, police said.
Moscow police officers responded to a report of an “unconscious person” at the address around 11:58 a.m., but by the time police arrived, several people had gathered at the crime scene, officials said.
The 911 call “originated from inside the residence” and came from the cell phone of one of the surviving roommates, police said. Several people were said to have spoken to the dispatcher before officers arrived.
Police are analyzing 113 pieces of physical evidence and about 4,000 photographs taken from the scene. They also received more than 2,645 emails and 2,770 calls to a Moscow city phone number, police said. The FBI received more than 1,084 digital media submissions.
Last week, police said they received tips and advice about a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra near the crime scene in the early hours of Nov. 13. They want to talk to the person or people inside the vehicle. is asking for any information from the public.
The Moscow Police Department is calling on the public to come forward with any images or information they believe may be important or helpful to the investigation. The public can do so by calling 208-883-7180, sending tips to tipline@ci.moscow.id.us or sending digital media. Here.
The government also created custom web page In relation to the King Road attack.