Murders in Moscow

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0:00 What's up guys thanks for tuning in to Crime Time Snacks, the true crime podcast. The case we're diving into today is the case of Brian Coburger and the Idaho College Murders. This case shocked the nation in November 2022 when four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death in their off-campus home. The case has continued to develop, with the most recent update being the release of the 911 call audio that was made when the bodies were discovered. This episode is going to walk you through the entire timeline of this

0:31 horrific case from the night of the murders all the way to the newest developments including that 911 call. We'll cover the victims, the investigation, the arrest of Brian Coburger and where the case stands today as it heads toward trial. So let's get into it. Our story begins in Moscow, Idaho, a small college town that's home to the University of Idaho. On the night of November 12th 2022, four students were enjoying their Saturday night like many college students do. Kaylee and Madison, both 21 years old, spent the evening at a local bar called the Corner Club.

1:10 They were there between 10 p.m. and 1 30 a.m. and then headed to a food truck at around 1 40 a.m. before returning to their off-campus home. Meanwhile, Ethan 20 and his girlfriend, Zana Cronodal, 20, attended a party at the Sigma Chi Fraternity House between 8 and 9 p.m. They returned to the girls off-campus residence at around 1 45 a.m. Zana was a roommate of Kaylee and Madison while Ethan was staying over that night. The house also had two other roommates who remarkably were not attacked and reportedly slept through the entire incident. This detail

1:45 would later become crucial to the investigation. According to the Leyta County Coroner's Office, the four victims were likely asleep when they were attacked with a large knife. Some had defensive wounds indicating they woke up during the attack and tried to fight off their attacker. Investigators believe the homicides occurred between 4 a.m. and 4 25 a.m. The next morning, on Sunday, November 13, 2022, at 11.58 a.m., police received a 911 call reporting an unconscious person at the residence. The call came from one of the

2:22 surviving roommates' phones. In the recently released 911 call audio from March 2025, we can hear the confusion and distress as the callers realized something was terribly wrong. A woman called 911 sounding very upset saying, something happened in our house. She was crying while giving the address and then another woman took the phone. The second woman told the dispatcher, one of the roommates who's passed out and she was drunk last night and she's not waking up. She also mentioned and they saw some

2:54 man in their house last night. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered the four students dead on the second and third floors of the home. They had been brutally stabbed to death. The Moscow Police Department quickly issued a statement saying an edged weapon, such as a knife, was used in the killings, though no murder weapon was found at the scene. On November 16, three days after the murders, Moscow Police Chief James Fry held a press conference stating that the killings were a targeted attack. However, he admitted,

3:25 we do not have a suspect at this time and that individual is still out there. This statement sent shockwaves through the community. A quadruple homicide in a small college town with no suspect in custody created widespread fear and anxiety. As the investigation progressed, police began to piece together the victim's final movements. They released an aerial map showing the times and locations where the victims were on the night of November 12th and in the early hours of November 13, investigators cleared

3:55 several individuals from suspicion early on. They announced they did not believe the driver who brought Kaylee and Madison home was involved. They also stated that the surviving roommates and friends visiting the house at the time of the murders were not considered suspects. There were rumors that one of the victims, Kaylee, had a stalker. Investigators looked extensively into this possibility but were unable to verify or identify any stalker. By November 25th, investigators had collected 113 pieces of physical evidence and sent it to the

4:27 Idaho State Police Crime Lab. Idaho Governor Brad Little directed up to $1 million in funds for the ongoing investigation, showing the state's commitment to solving this case. On November 30th, the University of Idaho held a vigil in honor of the murdered students. Stacey Chapin, the mother of victim Ethan Chapin, told those who gathered the most important message that we have for you and your families is to spend as much time as possible with those people. On December 7th, 2022, police announced they were interested in speaking with

5:01 the driver of a white 2011 to 2013 Hyundai Elantra that was spotted near the crime scene at the time of the murders. The search was later expanded to include Elantras from 2011 to 2016. What's interesting is that on December 15th, the troopers' body cam captured a white Hyundai Elantra being stopped twice in Indiana for driving violations. The driver was 28-year-old Brian Coburger, who was accompanied by his father. They were driving home from Washington State University for winter break to the family's home in Pennsylvania. At this point, Coburger

5:37 wasn't publicly identified as a suspect, but this traffic stop would later become a significant piece of the timeline. On December 30th, 2022, police announced Brian Coburger's arrest in Albright ville, Pennsylvania for the murders of the University of Idaho students. He was charged with burglary and four counts of first-degree murder. Coburger was a PhD student at Washington State University, which is located roughly eight miles from the murder scene in Moscow, Idaho. Law enforcement said they were able to use forensic analysis to connect Coburger to the

6:12 crime scene. On January 3rd, 2023, Coburger appeared at an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania, where he waived his extradition to Moscow, Idaho. The next day, he was brought to Idaho, and the judge issued a gag order which prohibited officials and others involved in the case from speaking about it. On January 5th, 2023, public officials released an affidavit in the case against Brian Coburger. The findings were significant. A witness claimed she saw a figure of 5'10 or taller, male, not very muscular, dressed in black clothing in a mask on the night of the

6:51 murders. She said the masked figure walked toward the black sliding glass door, and she locked herself in her room. DNA found on the button snap of a leather knife sheath at the crime scene appeared to be a strong match with DNA found in the trash at the Coburger family residence in Albrightville, Pennsylvania. Investigators checked the movements of Coburger's phone and found it stopped reporting a signal at 2.47 a.m. and appeared to turn back on at 4.48 a.m. This means the phone may have been in an area without cell coverage or the phone was turned off during the

7:27 time of the murders. Another interesting detail that came to light on May 5th, 2023 was that Coburger had been pulled over by campus police at Washington State University for allegedly running a red light about a month before the killings on October 14th, 2022. The officer eventually let him go with a warning. On May 17th, 2023, a grand jury indicted Brian Coburger on four counts of first degree murder and felony burglary for his alleged involvement in the killings. At his arraignment on

8:01 May 22nd, 2023, a judge entered a not guilty plea on Coburger's behalf after Coburger did not respond in court when the judge asked him how he pleaded to the charges. On June 21st, 2023, court documents revealed that a DNA sample taken from Brian Coburger showed a near exact match to the DNA found on a knife sheath at the scene of the quadruple murder. DNA found on the sheath was initially compared to DNA from trash recovered outside the Coburger family home in Pennsylvania. A cheek swab taken from Coburger allowed for another more direct DNA comparison.

8:41 On June 26th, 2023, prosecutors announced they would pursue the death penalty for Brian Coburger convicted. On August 3rd, 2023, Coburger's defense team claimed he was going for a routine drive when the killings took place. In court filings, his attorney stated, Mr. Coburger has long had a habit of going for drives alone, and that he did so on the night and morning of the brutal killings. They claimed witnesses may be able to testify he wasn't at the scene of the crime. On August 18th, 2023, at a court hearing, Coburger's defense questioned the validity of DNA found on a

9:19 knife sheath at the crime scene that authorities alleged connected him to the four murders. Defense attorneys demanded more information from prosecutors about the DNA, but prosecutors countered that they had handed over what they had. On August 23rd, 2023, it was announced that Coburger's trial would not happen as scheduled on October 2nd. Coburger waved his right to a speedy trial during an appearance in Lattacounty Court. On June 27th, 2024, a district court judge set a June 2025 start date for Brian Coburger's criminal trial. Both the defense

9:59 and prosecuting attorneys agreed to the court's proposed trial schedule. The judge anticipated the trial would last three months, accounting for two weeks of jury selection, eight weeks of the trial itself, and another two weeks for the verdict, sentencing, and anything else remaining. However, on October 10th, 2024, the trial date was delayed until August 11th, 2025, according to a scheduling order issued by the state of Idaho. Most recently, on November 19th, 2024, Coburger's defense team had sought to remove the death penalty as a possible punishment

10:36 should he be convicted. But Ada County Judge Stephen Hippler denied their motions in his ruling. The prosecution has said it intends to seek the death penalty if Coburger is convicted. And just this month, in March 2025, the audio of the 911 call made on the day of the murders was released, giving us new insight into those chaotic first moments when the bodies were discovered. This case has captivated the nation not only because of its brutality, but also because of the seemingly random nature of the attack and the methodical investigation that led to Coburger's

11:12 arrest. As we wait for the trial to begin, many questions remain. What was the motive? Why were these four students targeted? And will the evidence be enough to convict Brian Coburger? We'll continue to follow this case and provide updates as new information becomes available. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Crime Time Snacks. If you found this informative, please subscribe and share with others who might be interested. Until next time, stay safe and stay informed.