University of Idaho Stabbings

[Damaso Marte]

https://nypost.com/2022/11/18/roommates-of-slain-idaho-students-may-be-key-officials/

This weekend somebody got into a house in Moscow, Idaho where 6 college students lived together and stabbed 4 of them to death in apparently a very brutal fashion. Nobody knows who or why (or why the other 2 were not killed) and it's become the "it" crime mystery in the US media very quickly.

[Joshua Rogan]

Was just about to post about this. Horrific.
Shades of Bundy's Chi Omega rampage?

[Damaso Marte]

A mystery man spotted with the students that night is cooperating with police

https://nypost.com/2022/11/18/mystery-man-spotted-with-idaho-murder-victims-idd/

[rjpalmer]

This weekend somebody got into a house in Moscow, Idaho where 6 college students lived together and stabbed 4 of them to death in apparently a very brutal fashion. Nobody knows who or why (or why the other 2 were not killed) and it's become the "it" crime mystery in the US media very quickly.

Unrelated, but did you see that a former Idaho candidate for governor was recently found guilty of having brutally murdered a 12-year-old girl back in 1984?

Not surprising, perhaps, he ran on the 'law and order' and 'return to God' ticket.

Idaho’s Steve Pankey found guilty of murder of Colorado girl | Idaho Statesman

I once had to drive up into the Idaho panhandle. The place gave me the creeps. I normally don't believe in such things, but the feeling was visceral. Two or three of those small towns made my skin crawl.

[Abby Normal]

Was just about to post about this. Horrific.
Shades of Bundy's Chi Omega rampage?

gainesville ripper too.

btw. the other two female housemates were either drunk and passed out or had something to do with it. methinks probably the latter.

[erobitha]

With such few details, it's hard to gain a picture of what happened with much accuracy.

Unlike the Ted Bundy and the Omega Chi murders, which involved multiple sexual assaults, and long periods with the victims, this attack seemed to be quite targeted and relatively quick.

A few things which are telling:

1) The nature of the killings using a long knife. The attacker is most likely male statistically, and murders committed this violently using a knife by women are statistically rare. My money is on the killer being a male
2) The time of the murders being between 2am - 3am would suggest either the killer deliberately waited until the victims went to sleep or acted on impulse whilst probably under some form of intoxication. Hard to know that right now
3) If the killer wanted to kill everyone in the house they would have. Why did two people survive?
4) Why was the alarm not raised until mid-day on the Sunday when the attack took place 8+ hours before? Could the survivors really not hear any commotion and not wake up until mid-day?
5) They were all out that Saturday night but all back by 1.45 am. The attack did not take place too long after
6) Two of the victims had attended another frat party that night

Some scenarios:

1) Random attack or interrupted house invasion. I find these the most unlikely. If a burglar was interrupted and hid when the housemates all returned, and then they would have just quietly slipped away when they all fell asleep. If the burglar's intent was to kill then why even hide at all, which he must have had to do for them to fall asleep. The odds of a random killer passing the house not long after all the housemates returned from a night out and not killing or attempting to kill all of them seems rather strange behaviour from a random murderer
2) Someone followed them home and waited. This is the unknown element. There was one man on CCTV spotted with them but apparently ruled out, but it is not to say that the killer could still have been someone following them and took an issue or interest in them for some reason. Possible.
2) The victims knew their killer. I believe this to be the most likely and will explain why two of the housemates remained unharmed. I would at this stage wager the victims in some way slighted the killer (in the killer's mind at least) and under intoxication they wanted them to pay for that. As the other two housemates were not likely the targets we cannot rule out they were involved on some level. It is hard to believe they heard nothing and slept in until noon.

[Ms Diddles]

Unrelated, but did you see that a former Idaho candidate for governor was recently found guilty of having brutally murdered a 12-year-old girl back in 1984?

Not surprising, perhaps, he ran on the 'law and order' and 'return to God' ticket.

Idaho’s Steve Pankey found guilty of murder of Colorado girl | Idaho Statesman

I once had to drive up into the Idaho panhandle. The place gave me the creeps. I normally don't believe in such things, but the feeling was visceral. Two or three of those small towns made my skin crawl.

Do you mean there was a kind of "Deliverance" vibe to the Idaho panhandle area, Roger?

If so, I feel the same about Balloch just outside of Glasgow.

Obviously we don't have the guns here, but the locals were really hostile and had that weird inbred vibe about them.

[rjpalmer]

Do you mean there was a kind of "Deliverance" vibe to the Idaho panhandle area, Roger?

If so, I feel the same about Balloch just outside of Glasgow.

Obviously we don't have the guns here, but the locals were really hostile and had that weird inbred vibe about them.

Yes. ‘Deliverance,’ but also with a touch of the original ‘The Wickerman.’ The locals acted as if they had both expected your arrival, but also resented it! There was also this oppressive, irrational sense that if you were still in town after sunset you’d become the star attraction in a massive bonfire.

For years, this remote part of Idaho was the headquarters for a lot of strange religious sects, including the ‘Church of Aryan Nations,’ which worshipped both Jesus Christ and Adolph Hitler side-by-side. I felt a great relief when I was back on the main highway, heading south.

[Damaso Marte]

Apparently the two survivors lived on the first floor, the people killed lived above them. So the killer must have walked past the survivors twice without stopping to kill them.

[FISHY1118]

I only hope and pray for the families of these young people that the cowardly person/s responsible for this act are caught and punished soon.

I would hate to think we would be discussing this as a "unsloved mystery" in the months and years to come .

[Ms Diddles]

Yes. ‘Deliverance,’ but also with a touch of the original ‘The Wickerman.’ The locals acted as if they had both expected your arrival, but also resented it! There was also this oppressive, irrational sense that if you were still in town after sunset you’d become the star attraction in a massive bonfire.

For years, this remote part of Idaho was the headquarters for a lot of strange religious sects, including the ‘Church of Aryan Nations,’ which worshipped both Jesus Christ and Adolph Hitler side-by-side. I felt a great relief when I was back on the main highway, heading south.

Ugggggghhhh!

I can see how it would be wise to get out of Dodge!

Glad you made it out in one piece!

The Balloch thing was marginally less threatening, but equally surreal.

I recall men dressed only in y-fronts running around a park breaking branches off trees, a bearded lady shouting "WTF do you think you're looking at?" as we were watching the river with our backs to her, completely oblivious to her approach and a bar manager who seemed to take mortal offence when we asked to see a cocktail menu shouting at us "We don't do cocktails!!!" despite a ten foot neon palm tree "cocktails" sign standing in the garden outside.

I swore I'd never go back but foolishly capitulated twenty years later.

Within seconds of disembarking from the train, I spotted a dead crab tied with string to the branches of a fir tree.

Never again!!!

[Abby Normal]

Apparently the two survivors lived on the first floor, the people killed lived above them. So the killer must have walked past the survivors twice without stopping to kill them.

yup. very odd. but the latest is the police dont consider them suspects any more.

[Abby Normal]

ive been all over the US including going on an epic cross country camping trip which included staying in many remote areas and towns. no where gave me the creeps and Americans are generally very friendly and welcoming to everyone ive found. the only place that gave the creeps is Tanger Island. Its a small island/ town in the middle of the Chesapeake thats slowly sinking into the sea.the people were friendly enough but the place just gave me the willies for some reason. i couldnt wait to get off that god forsaken place.

[Joshua Rogan]

Apparently the two survivors lived on the first floor, the people killed lived above them. So the killer must have walked past the survivors twice without stopping to kill them.

I've heard that the killer is thought to have entered (and presumably left) via the sliding glass doors on the second floor, so would likely have missed out the 1st floor altogether. Perhaps assuming it was only a basement.

[Dickere]

Ugggggghhhh!

I can see how it would be wise to get out of Dodge!

Glad you made it out in one piece!

The Balloch thing was marginally less threatening, but equally surreal.

I recall men dressed only in y-fronts running around a park breaking branches off trees, a bearded lady shouting "WTF do you think you're looking at?" as we were watching the river with our backs to her, completely oblivious to her approach and a bar manager who seemed to take mortal offence when we asked to see a cocktail menu shouting at us "We don't do cocktails!!!" despite a ten foot neon palm tree "cocktails" sign standing in the garden outside.

I swore I'd never go back but foolishly capitulated twenty years later.

Within seconds of disembarking from the train, I spotted a dead crab tied with string to the branches of a fir tree.

Never again!!!

Balloch - Scotland in miniature.