Idaho Killer Had to Have Knowledge of Home to Commit 'Quick' Murders

The individual who fatally stabbed four University of Idaho students this month likely had knowledge of the home in order to commit the crime "quickly," according to a former FBI profiler.

"This is an offender who has been inside of other people's homes before, for whatever reasons, not invited...they are just comfortable breaking into somebody's home and being inside there," Mary Ellen O'Toole, a former FBI profiler, told Newsweek. "Secondly, this is somebody that was likely in that home before."

Although O'Toole said the killer had likely been inside the home in the past, she added, "there's nothing to suggest by what the police have said thus far that this offender spent hours inside that house."

"When you murder four people, you're gonna get in and out pretty quickly, and so in order to do that, and lowering your own risk level, you have to have some knowledge of that place," O'Toole added.

The remarks by O'Toole come amid the ongoing investigation into the fatal stabbing of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. On November 13, officers with the Moscow Police Department discovered the four deceased individuals at a residence located at 1122 King Road, which is nearby the University of Idaho.

Police have yet to identify a suspect in the crime and a weapon has not been found. However, police have revealed that they are actively searching for a "fixed-blade knife" that they believe was used in the crime.

"The coroner stated the four victims were likely asleep, some had defensive wounds, and each was stabbed multiple times. There was no sign of sexual assault," the Moscow Police Department said in a press release.

While speaking with Newsweek, O'Toole also explained that it is likely this offender has "criminal behavior in their background."

"The criminal behavior, I think includes being inside of other people's homes when they shouldn't be," O'Toole said. "This is a very violent person and so there's gonna be violence in their background, and the violence could be towards other people, it could be towards animals, it could be domestic violence, but this is not the first time this person has acted out violently."

As police continue to investigate the incident, they have asked the public for help with tips and any information they might have. According to police, over 100 pieces of evidence have been recovered from the crime scene and over 200 "digital media submissions by community members" have been received by detectives.

Newsweek reached out to the Moscow Police Department for updated information.