The empty knife sheath found at the scene of the University of Idaho murders might have been more than a mistake—it could have been a deliberate message left behind by the suspect, according to experts weighing in on a recent TV special.
During a “Dr. Phil” episode that aired Friday, former FBI agent Jonathan Gilliam and trial attorney Mercedes Colwin suggested that Bryan Kohberger, 28, may have intentionally left the sheath as a so-called “calling card” to prove he was there. The sheath was discovered in the room where best friends Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen were stabbed to death on Nov.
13, along with roommates Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
Gilliam told Fox News he believes investigators will eventually find the murder weapon, because like Kohberger’s car, the knife was reportedly part of his “operational tools.” Colwin added that leaving the sheath behind could signal arrogance. “It’s almost as if—and we’ve seen this with other killers—it’s their calling card, ‘I got this,'” she said during the special.
The panel also explored the possibility that this wasn’t Kohberger’s first violent act. Gilliam said he thinks the suspect may have killed before, likely stalking and targeting women. “Not four people, but I think he’s probably stalked and potentially killed females before,” he noted.
Colwin agreed, pointing to the extreme brutality of the crime. “If he’s the killer, this viciousness, the brutality, and the butchering of these four individuals, I can’t imagine this is the first time,” she said.
Forensics expert Joseph Scott offered a slightly different take, saying it could be Kohberger’s first murder but certainly not his first attempt to get away with wrongdoing. When asked if it was his first murder, Scott replied, “Murder? Possibly.
Bad act? No.”
Kohberger, a doctoral student in criminal justice at Washington State University—just 10 miles from the University of Idaho—has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. His arrest on Dec. 30 ended a seven-week nationwide manhunt.
A motive or any connection between Kohberger and the victims has not yet been established, according to court documents.
His preliminary status hearing is scheduled for June 26. As the case unfolds, one question lingers: if the sheath was indeed a calling card, what else might it reveal about the suspect’s state of mind?
