Idaho student murders: Former officer claims he found glove at crime scene
Rachel Schilke
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A former Moscow police officer is claiming he found a glove at the crime scene where four University of Idaho students were murdered a month ago.
Students Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were killed in bed and stabbed in the chest and upper body with a large knife between 3 and 4 a.m. on Nov. 13.
IDAHO STUDENT MURDERS: ALL THE CLUES, EVIDENCE, AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Former homicide detective Chris McDonough said in a video posted to The Interview Room’s YouTube channel that he pointed out the glove to detectives on the scene in late November.
“I actually found the glove,” he said. “I pointed it out to the officer who was there securing the scene and they came and collected it.”
“The officer that was there, obviously, they didn’t know about it because he came over and photographed it,” McDonough continued. “They came out and got it.”
He added that he wasn’t sure if the glove was there the night of the crime scene or if someone had missed the trash can when they were walking by.
This evidence has not yet been confirmed by Moscow police in their press releases. Authorities for the investigation continue to ask the public to rely on their updates, and not speculation or unvetted information in the media, for accurate information.
Moscow police did not respond to the Washington Examiner for comment on why McDonough no longer works for the investigation or the validity of his claims.
The new piece of evidence comes after a retired Moscow captain, who worked homicide cases for 20 years, stated that the murders may have been committed by someone who was looking for revenge.
Retired Capt. Paul Kwaitkowski, 64, believes that the killer responsible for the deaths knew at least one of the victims.
“When you use the word ‘targeted,’ it means somewhere along the line we met,” Kwaitkowski said. “Somewhere along the line, something bad happened, something that pi***d someone off enough to go after these people.”
Officials in Moscow have gone back and forth on whether the homicides were targeted attacks, backtracking at one point and stating that it was a “miscommunication” to say they were targeted. Police then soon clarified that they “remain consistent” in their belief that it was targeted but are unsure if it was the victims or the location.
Limited evidence and information on the state of the victims’ bodies have been provided by authorities. However, Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee, has not been silent on the nature of his daughter’s death.
He claims her wounds are “inconsistent” with the publicly declared manner of death but did not provide any evidence to support his theory. He said Mabbutt told him the “stabs” were more like “tears” in the skin, and it was a quick death — there would have been no time to call 911.
So far, no suspect has been identified or arrested, per Moscow police. A weapon, presumed to be a fixed-blade knife, has not been recovered.
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Some had defensive wounds, and each was stabbed multiple times, Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt previously confirmed.
Mabbutt told Fox News on Monday that investigators bagged their hands as part of crime scene preservation. Forensic experts believe it is possible that any of the four victims may have touched DNA if they made physical contact with the killer, which could lead to identifying a suspect.