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In their first press conference after the November 13th murders, police stated they believed the attack was targeted. They had not determined whether the target was the house or the victims. To this day, the general public has not received any clarification on this. Like most aspects of this case, every answer begs another question.
Ted Bundy’s Chi Omega murders were tagged a “random targeted attack.” That means there was no personal connection between Bundy and his victims but that they were assaulted for a specific reason, ie, they were women.
Is that the case for the Idaho Murders?
Ann Taylor wrote in a court document that there was no connection between Brian Kohberger and the victims. Whether or not this is definitive hasn’t been determined. Yet there didn’t appear to be any forced entry into the home. Does that indicate the suspect was given access prior, or was the door simply unlocked? (Kaylee’s family makes mention of this being the case.) Why these kids, and why this house?
Let’s first review the three main criteria a suspect uses to determine their target.
Accessibility - How easy it is to access their target is an important factor in deciding when and where to strike. Locks, security systems, cameras. These are all things taken into consideration. From what we’ve learned, the King Road house had none of these things. If they did, they weren’t utilized at the time.
Vulnerability - In this regard, the suspect weighs whether or not the target will be easy to dominate and overpower. Will they be home alone or somewhere secluded where no one will see or hear them? If we’re talking about a location, is there something about it - say, a broken lock - that would give them entrance to the premises?
Desirability - Something about the victim or location appeals to the suspect or provides them an opportunity to carry out a personal goal or vendetta.
Now, let’s discuss what aspects of the crime scene might give clues as to who (or what) was the target.
The number of victims - When law enforcement arrived, they found four victims and two survivors. Six people were home at the time of the murders. Had there only been one or two victims, that might point to the attack being personal. Four victims hint at the attack being more of a rampage.
The location of the victims - Had all of the victims been found in the same general vicinity, police might assume the crime was the result of a confrontation. In this case, the suspect made an intentional journey from one floor to the next and from one end of the house to the other. This is especially notable because the suspect had the ability to remain upstairs until the house was still and swiftly exited through the kitchen and out the sliding back door. I struggle with the idea he came down the stairs and ran into Xana. According to the PCA, Dylan heard someone say, “Someone’s here,” then got up, opened her door, and looked around but didn’t see anyone. Hearing only a female’s voice or activity upstairs would not indicate someone other than the roommates was inside the residence. Something else had to have occurred for someone to make such a statement.
Where the crime occurred - It’s not unusual for a killer to hunt for their victims before carrying out the assault. That hunting ground is usually a space that falls within the suspect’s comfort zone.
There dare a couple of scenarios to explain this:
* The Door Dash driver had arrived, rang the doorbell, and one of the roommates called up/downstairs to let someone know there was someone at the door.
* Someone crept into Maddie’s room, and a startled Kaylee or Maddie called out for help.
* Someone passed or went into the kitchen and noticed the slider door was open.
* Murphy was barking.
The PCA stated that, while Dylan thought it was Kaylee she heard, it also could have been Xana saying someone was in the house since the download of her phone confirmed she was active on Tiktok at 4:12 am.
My question: If, in fact, it was Xana who believed a stranger was in the house, she would have been just a few feet from Dylan’s bedroom door. Why didn’t Dylan see her? To me, that says Xana wasn’t in or near the kitchen at that time and likely had made her way back to her bedroom. This speculation falls in line with the killings being more of a rampage than targeting just one victim.
The state of the victims - Each was in a bedroom. We know two were in bed, presumably asleep. All we know about Ethan and Xana is that Xana was found on the floor, and Ethan was also in the room. They were not found in positions that suggested there was a confrontation or that the suspect was provoked in some way.
The lack of forced entry - James Fry said that the back slider door was open when they arrived on the scene. This data point could indicate the suspect had access to the home or was let in. Also, consider that slider doors are alarmingly easy to lift off the track, and apparently, there was no dowel in place securing the door. The suspect may not have needed to be let in.
The brutality of the crime - We don’t know much about the crime scene other than there was a great deal of blood. That tracks considering the number of victims. That can also be indicative of a frenzied attack.
What I consider most telling is that - to this day - we still don’t have an answer. Could that be because the prosecution still doesn’t have any definitive proof the suspect had a pre-existing connection to the victims?
Of the many mysteries surrounding this case, I think this will be one that goes unanswered.
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