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The DNA collected from a knife sheath found at the scene of the quadruple murder of four University of Idaho students last fall is a “statistical match” to accused killer Bryan Kohberger, prosecutors say.
In a June 16 motion for a protective order, Idaho prosecutors revealed that a “STR” DNA comparison was performed between a cheek swab collected from 28-year-old Kohberger and the sheath found “face down and partially under” one of the four murder victims. The DNA was “at least 5.37 octillion times more likely” to belong to Kohberger than an “unrelated individually randomly selected from the general population,” prosecutors said.
The motion seeks to protect some of the investigation, including raw DNA data, lab notes, the names and personal information of Kohberger’s relatives, and names that were matched against the DNA from genealogy services. The DNA link is the latest development in the closely watched case, and provides new details into how investigators used genetic genealogy to identify Kohberger as their prime suspect.