Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger allegedly messaged one of the female victims weeks before the quadruple slaying – and sent more direct messages after she ignored him.
Speaking with PEOPLE, one police source said Kohberger, 28, reached out to one of the four University of Idaho students slain over Instagram repeatedly in an attempt to get her attention.
‘He slid into one of the girls’ DMs several times but she didn’t respond,’ the source told PEOPLE. ‘Basically, it was just him saying, “Hey, how are you?” But he did it again and again.’
It is unknow at this time which student Kohberger sent Instagram messages to or who the investigator ‘familiar with the case’ is that spoke to the magazine.
The source also didn’t say whether the woman Kohberger allegedly messaged deliberately ignored him, or if the message he sent went into her ‘requested’ folder from people she wasn’t friends with. Those messages don’t appear as alerts, and are harder to see.
Idaho victim Kaylee Goncalves is said to have complained of a stalker in the run-up to the killings, but it’s unclear if there’s any link between this and her murder.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, allegedly sent one of the victims messages via Instagram
Kohberger is charged with the murder of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20
Kohberger, a Ph.D. criminology student at Washington State University, was arrested at his family home in Allbrightsville, Pennsylvania on December 30.
He has maintained his innocence in the stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20.
Now, one local law enforcement official close to the case says the evidence against Kohberger is continuing to pile up.
The Instagram account in question was viewed by PEOPLE prior to it having been taken down.
Kohberger allegedly followed Mogen, Goncalves, and Kernodle.
He did not publicly interact with their accounts, otherwise, the outlet states.
In alleged messages sent from the now-deleted Instagram, Kohberger appeared to be hoping to get the attention of the victim he was targeting.
Kohberger, 28, was linked to the crime via DNA found on the a knife sheath at the scene
This is the Moscow, Idaho home where the four students were found murdered
The criminology student allegedly followed Mogen, Goncalves, and Kernodle on Instagram
It’s unclear which of the four victims Kohberger was allegedly messaging
Kohberger’s Instagram account has since been deleted
The victim, whose identity has not been confirmed, did not respond to the messages for unknown reasons.
The official who spoke with PEOPLE, however, asserted the victim may have completely missed them.
‘She may not have seen them, because they went into message requests,’ the source said of the messages.
The DMs were allegedly sent in October, just weeks before the November 13 murders.
When a person who an Instagram user does not follow back attempts to send a message, it goes to a designated folder called ‘message requests. ‘These requests are located in a different place than typical messages.
The investigator said they are ‘still trying to determine how aware the victims were of his existence.’
Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania on December 30 in Pennsylvania
The official who spoke with PEOPLE, however, asserted the victim may have completely missed them
‘There’s no indication that he was getting frustrated with her lack of response,’ the source said
It’s possible Kohberger may have become upset by the lack of response, but that is just theory of many presented by those who have been following the case.
The investigator who spoke with PEOPLE said there’s ‘no indication’ of that, however.
‘There’s no indication that he was getting frustrated with her lack of response,’ the source said.
Even without the indication of frustration, the source said Kohberger was ‘definitely persistent’ in the messages to the University of Idaho student.
Though it has not been confirmed by police, DailyMail.com in December reported that Goncalves in the weeks leading up to her death would beg friends to walk closely behind her at all times out of fear of a ‘stalker’ who would follow her around town.
It is still unknown if Goncalves was the one who Kohberger messaged or if he had stalked her in any capacity.
A motive in the case has yet to be formally shared by Moscow, Idaho police.
Even without the indication of frustration, the source said Kohberger was ‘definitely persistent’ in the messages to the University of Idaho student
DailyMail.com in December reported that Goncalves in the weeks leading up to her death would beg friends to walk closely behind her at all times out of fear of a ‘stalker’ who would follow her around town
One of the surviving roommates who was in the house on the night of the murders told police she saw ‘a figure clad in black clothing and a mask’ walking past her as they left the crime scene, according to the probable cause affidavit.
A knife sheath was recovered from the scene and tested against Kohberger’s father’s DNA, which linked the Washington State University student to the crime.
Investigators also traced his cellphone pings to a nearby tower in the weeks leading up to the brutal stabbings.
However, some experts have noted that the proximity of Kohberger’s school to the off-campus home where the victims lived as an explanation for the pings.
The arrest in December came after six weeks of investigating by local law enforcement
One of the surviving roommates who was in the house on the night of the murders told police she saw ‘a figure clad in black clothing and a mask’ walking past her as they left the crime scene, according to the probable cause affidavit
‘Moscow isn’t so far away from Washington State University, so it would be natural that there would be some of those towers that might ping,’ said David Wilson, a professor of criminology.
There are just eight miles between Washington State University’s campus in Pullman where Kohberger studied and Moscow, Idaho where the murders took place.
‘There will be a defense,’ Wilson said of the defense.
Kohberger has not entered a plea but has said he is ‘eager to be exonerated.’
His next hearing is scheduled in June. He is also facing one count of felony burglary.
The university where he worked was only a little over eight miles from the murder scene
