Police sought Byran Kohberger's online searches for knives as part of their investigation into the University of Idaho murders, newly released court documents show.
They also requested his online shopping records, viewing history, shopping wish list, payment information, emails and any other online information "in order to locate any materials referencing the planning or commission" of the killing of four students last year.
Investigators wanted his Amazon history to see if he had purchased knives. Police know the four students were stabbed to death with a knife, but they have not recovered the murder weapon, a vital piece of evidence in the case.
The Amazon warrant was uploaded to Kohberger's case docket this week. In addition to Kohberger's Amazon history, the update included warrants for Kohberger's Apple, Paypal/Venmo, Spotify and YouTube searches.
The investigating police in Latah County, Idaho, asked the court to order Amazon to provide "detailed customer click activity pertaining to knives and accessories" between March 20 and March 30, 2022, and Nov. 1 through Dec. 6 that same year, the search warrant shows. It appears that the tech company complied with the subsequent court order as it passed information over.
Police previously confirmed that the four victims: Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20 – were attacked with a knife. Police allegedly found Kohberger's DNA on a knife sheath. They are now hoping to find evidence that he purchased a large knife that would fit the sheath.
In the Apple search warrant served on Aug. 1, authorities requested detailed account information including emails and attachments, instant messages and iCloud storage, the document viewed by Newsweek showed.
The information was subsequently turned over to law enforcement on Aug. 9, according to the filing.
The Paypal/Venmo document asked for screen names, billing information and other data from specifically between June 22 and Dec. 31, 2022. The final date was just a day before Kohberger was arrested at his parents' Pennsylvania home.
Kohberger has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder. The suspect is originally from Pennsylvania, and he was a criminology student at Washington State University in Pullman at the time of the killings.
