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Idaho State Police have released hundreds of photos from their investigation into the University of Idaho student murders and their perpetrator, Bryan Kohberger – including images that show the former criminology Ph.D. student’s infamous white Hyundai Elantra after it was seized from his parents’ driveway in Pennsylvania.
While the exterior appears to be filthy, images from inside appear to show a white substance covering the steering wheel, dashboard, center console and other parts of the interior.
Experts say it could be soap or bleach if Kohberger attempted to clean up evidence from inside the vehicle or residue left over from fingerprinting or other crime lab testing.
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“The Locard’s Exchange Principle, the theory of transfer between objects, is something that every criminal justice student knows about,” Joseph Giacalone, a former NYPD cold case investigator and a criminal justice professor at Penn State Lehigh Valley, told Fox News Digital. “I find it difficult to believe that Kohberger wouldn’t have prepared his vehicle ahead of time to minimize the chance of it. I don’t care if he was wearing a suit of armor, he would have had evidence on his outermost garments.”
Since the photos were taken after the driver’s seat and door panel were removed, the substance could also have been left by investigators. If police didn’t put it there, the crime lab would have tested the substance to be sure, he said.
State police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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“The only thing is, why would you be dusting fingerprints in his car?” asked Carlos Pantoja, a former NYPD crime scene investigator. “I could see for blood, yes, we would swab a car for DNA.”
Investigators ultimately did not find DNA from any of the victims inside the vehicle, according to previously released court documents.
Another blue substance photographed inside the house appears to be Amino Black, he said, which police use to find fingerprints and blood without damaging underlying DNA.
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Other images include scenes from inside and outside the crime scene at 1122 King Road, which was a six-bedroom, off-campus rental house. It was torn down.
Kohberger killed four people inside: 21-year-old best friends Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, and 20-year-olds Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, who were dating.
The state police photos show a typical off-campus residence – albeit a little on the unkempt side, with cases of alcohol littering the common areas, a folding table set up for beer pong, and empty cans on the floor.
On the floor next to the table is a med kit, left by someone from the Moscow Police Department.
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The murders happened around 4 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022 – shortly before the Thanksgiving break and hours after the roommates came home from nights spent drinking heavily with friends.
Hand prints on the windows were not connected to the case, authorities said previously.
On top of the microwave is a half-eaten box of fries from Jack in the Box. Nearby is a bag from a delivery order addressed to “Xana.”
In the living room, next to a wall covered in string lights, there’s a flag on the wall that says “Saturdays are for the girls.”
The photos do not show rooms where the murders took place. Mogen’s mom and both of Chapin’s parents have asked a judge to block the release of images from inside the bedrooms, and the court issued a temporary restraining order.
A hearing on the matter scheduled for Thursday has been pushed back to next week.
Kohberger is serving four consecutive life prison sentences plus another 10 years at the Idaho Maximum Security Institute, where he has been complaining about the food and alleged harassment from other inmates.
Fox News’ Jamie Vera contributed to this report.
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