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By Jenna Sundel
News Reporter
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DeSales University responded to a paper Bryan Kohberger wrote that prosecutors intend to introduce as evidence during his murder trial.
The assignment, a 12-page paper entitled "Crime-scene Scenario Final," was included as an exhibit in a reply filed by the prosecution on Monday.
"As far as I know, this was a typical assignment for students enrolled in the course," Carolyn Steigleman, vice president of marketing and communications at DeSales University, told Newsweek.
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Why It Matters
Kohberger, 30, is accused of killing University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho, in 2022.
He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
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What To Know
The paper details how to process a crime scene, starting with a section entitled "arriving at the crime-scene."
"The first thing to be done is to block off the crime-scene in order to avoid crime-scene contamination," the assignment reads.
The assignment features Kohberger's name in the header. It is dated May 5, 2020.
The header also contains the class code CJ 361, which is identified as Forensic Investigation on the DeSales University website. The professor of the course is listed as Dave Seip.
"I can confirm that Dave Seip retired from his role at the end of the 2023-24 academic year," Steigleman said.
The paper describes a "crime toolkit" that should be used during the investigation of the scene, including gloves and face masks.
"Anything that is fiber-free and covers the mouth, hair, and overall body would be helpful in avoiding crime-scene contamination since hair, saliva, skin cells, and other bodily fluid or cells may be added to the scene, thus contaminating it," the essay states.
Senior deputy prosecutor Ashley Jennings said the state is seeking admission of the document into evidence to "show Defendant's knowledge of crime scenes."
The filing comes after Kohberger's defense team asked prosecutors to be more specific about the evidence it intends to introduce from his DeSales student records.
"This disclosure is thousands of pages of documents that are not organized in any fashion," defense attorney Anne Taylor said in a March 17 objection.
Who is Bryan Kohberger?
Kohberger, a Pennsylvania native, received his bachelor's and master's degrees from DeSales University. He was pursuing a PhD in criminology at Washington State University at the time of the killings.
Bryan Kohberger Trial: What We Know
Jury selection for the trial is expected to begin in late July. The trial is scheduled to start on August 11.
What People Are Saying
Taylor, in a March 17 objection: "The State has not specified what out of this extensive and disorganized information it intends to use, how records contained in Mr. Kohberger's personal school Google account are a business record kept in the ordinary course by DeSales, how these privacy protected education records are admissible in court."
What Happens Next
Kohberger is expected to appear in court for a hearing on April 9.
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