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Amid the ongoing investigation into the quadruple homicide in Moscow, Idaho, some have recently posed theories that the perpetrator was inside the home before the victims arrived, waiting for them.
On Thursday, Kenneth Mains, a former law enforcement official and founder of the American Investigative Society of Cold Cases, interviewed a convicted murderer on death row in San Quentin, California, who offered a new theory on the fatal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
"I believe that the killer was inside the house already," death row inmate William Noguera said during the interview, which aired on Mains' YouTube channel, Unsolved No More. "I believe that the person was already in the house when the kids arrived...he took advantage that they were not home."
The comments by Noguera come amid the ongoing investigation into the quadruple homicide, which occurred on November 13, at a residence located near the University of Idaho.
The Moscow Police Department said that all four victims were fatally stabbed and some appeared to have defensive wounds. However, police have not said which victim was attacked first.
No suspect or person of interest has been identified in the crime as of Thursday.
Following the interview, Newsweek reached out to Mains for further comment on the theory posed.
"I understand where he is coming from with saying the offender was in the house already. It does have merit. Yet, I would not make that conclusion based on what I have seen. It is certainly possible," Mains told Newsweek.
Jennifer Coffindaffer, a former FBI agent, also spoke to Newsweek about the theory that the killer could have been in the home prior to the victims' arrival and offered a somewhat different take.
Coffindaffer said that it's a "possibility" that the perpetrator was inside the house prior to the victims arriving but said that she thinks it could be an individual "on the peripheral that could be in this party house and just not left."
"I think it's safe to say...it would be more likely someone would have been there, possibly, in plain sight, at least initially," Coffindaffer told Newsweek. "And then just didn't leave and [the victims] thought they left."
Former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole also spoke to Newsweek about the offender being inside the home prior to the victims arriving and said, "It is certainly a possibility that cannot be eliminated at this point."
According to O'Toole, if the offender was in the house beforehand and made a noise that alerted the victims when they returned, it could have permanently interrupted the crime; however, she noted that "it increases the offender's risk level to hide out in the home before the students came home. But this offender is a risk-taker anyway."
"Nonetheless, the bottom line is that, yes, it is possible that the offender was already in the home when the students returned. At this point, this theory cannot be disputed until forensics dispute it, and/or until the offender is apprehended and gives a confession about what happened that night," O'Toole told Newsweek.
According to police, Goncalves and Mogen are believed to have returned to their residence at 1122 King Road at around 1:56 a.m. local time. Chapin and Kernodle are believed to have returned home at around 1:45 a.m. local time.
The murders are believed to have been committed between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time.
Newsweek previously reached out to the Moscow Police Department for comment.
About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more