(PatriotWise.com) – Bill Thompson, the prosecutor for Latah County, reported that his office has more than 50 search warrants in its possession as part of its investigation into the brutal killings of four University of Idaho college students.
Thompson stated that the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office is currently offering legal counsel to law enforcement officers looking into the quadruple murder and working “as a team” with the investigators.
The prosecutor emphasized the importance of striking a balance between disclosing information to the public and not jeopardizing the case, so he withheld further details regarding the nature of the search warrants, such as whether they were for in-person searches or for requesting sensitive data from social media accounts, for example.
When a suspect or suspects are brought to trial, Thompson stated there are concerns about finding an impartial jury because the Moscow community is so small, with only 25,000 residents and students.
Thompson said there’s always a worry, especially in smaller communities, that they need to be responsible with what information is made available to the public so they “don’t run the risk of tainting the potential jury pool.”
They want to be able to select an impartial jury from within the community, assuming they can file a case and it goes to trial.
The search for a suspect in the deaths of students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle has entered its fourth week.
The owner of a 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra without a license plate seen driving near the King Street residence in the early hours of November 13 has been identified as Moscow police’s first publicly disclosed lead in the investigation.
The case has received attention from the national media and is now the focus of online rumors and speculation.
While Chapin was visiting Kernodle on November 13, the bodies of the four students—Goncalves, Mogen, and Kernodle—were discovered in the rental house where three of them—Goncalves, Mogen, and Kernodle—lived. According to the Latah County coroner, they were probably killed by stabbing while asleep.
Thompson states, “we’ve never seen this level of media attention, including the national media attention, but I understand this is a very serious case.” “The public is interested in learning as much as they can about what is happening because it is so tragic,” he said.
To maintain the investigation’s integrity, police stated that investigators would continue to provide only limited information.
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