Bryan Kohberger trial: Idaho weather from night of student murders clouds ‘moon and stars’ alibi

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Prosecutors have built a ‘rock solid’ case against University of Idaho suspect Kohberger, Ted Williams explains

Fox News contributor and former D.C. homicide Det. Ted Williams analyzes three legal cases on ‘Fox News Live.’

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It was a dark and cloudy night.

Bryan Kohberger, 30, was a Ph.D. student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, Nov. 13, 2022, when prosecutors allege he took a short drive to the neighboring University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, and killed four students in a 4 a.m. home invasion stabbing.

His defense says he was just out for a drive and didn’t go to the students’ apartment.

National Weather Service records Idaho prosecutors plan to introduce during his upcoming trial show fog, reduced visibility and low clouds at the time, according to Andrew Wulfeck, a FOX Weather meteorologist and digital producer. 

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Prosecutors allege Bryan Kohberger took this selfie at 10:31 a.m. Nov. 13, 2022, about 6 hours after the murders of four University of Idaho students he is accused of killing. (Ada County Court)

It was not immediately clear why prosecutors wanted to introduce weather records in court filings, but it could be to dispute Kohberger’s purported alibi, that he “was out driving in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022; as he often did to hike and run and/or see the moon and stars.”

Prosecutors, who separately asked the court to throw that alibi out, have asked to introduce NWS records from Nov. 12 and 13, 2022, which show clouds, fog and below-average temperatures for the area.

Wulfeck said the fog didn’t appear dense enough to affect travel at the time but would have made “an unpleasant-looking evening.”

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The former rental house at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, Nov. 16, 2022.  (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

“In addition to the fog, the cloud deck appeared to be fairly low, which again likely contributed to it not being the greatest night for types of activities such as stargazing, if you weren’t able to find a break in the clouds,” he added.

He pulled the records himself and said he found notable points.

“Temperatures on both dates were either below or significantly below seasonal averages, which was likely due to a ridge of high pressure that had settled over the Mountain West,” he told Fox News Digital. “Data from weather observation sites provide a wealth of information, ranging from temperatures and wind speeds to sky conditions and even the typical times of sunrise and sunset.”

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Madison Mogen, top left, smiles on the shoulders of her best friend, Kaylee Goncalves, as they pose with Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and two other housemates in Goncalves’ final Instagram post, shared the day before the four students were stabbed to death. (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)

The nearest observation site is at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, which is about halfway between Kohberger’s former apartment at Washington State University and the crime scene just steps off of the University of Idaho campus across the state line. 

“It reported reduced visibility during the night of Nov. 12 and the morning of Nov. 13 due to fog, but the fog did not reach a level that would trigger alerts,” Wulfeck said. “Fog forms when the air temperature and dew point are at nearly identical values, which is common in eastern Washington and western Idaho during November.”

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Bryan Kohberger appears in court in Moscow, Idaho, Oct. 26, 2023. (Kai Eiselein/Pool)

Fog and clouds were in the forecast ahead of time, which meteorologists now know turned out to be accurate, he said. 

While normal features may have been visible in the sky that night, he added, there was nothing remarkable like an eclipse or supermoon that a typical stargazer would be on the hunt for.

Kohberger’s team has asked the court to keep the weather records out of his upcoming trial, along with his Amazon shopping history and other key evidence. 

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Exterior evening shot of the rear sliding door of the former off-campus rental house at 1122 King Road in November 2022. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

“[This is] another piece of information that does not appear to be shaping up in Kohberger’s favor,” said Boise defense attorney Edwina Elcox, who has been following the case. Last week, she said the revelation in court documents that Kohberger allegedly purchased a Ka-Bar knife and sheath set on Amazon was “catastrophic” to his defense.

The November 2022 slayings killed Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. Under Mogen’s remains, police found a leather Ka-Bar sheath that prosecutors allege had Kohberger’s DNA on the snap.

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Jury selection is scheduled for July 30, with an official start date of Aug. 11. 

A previous judge entered not guilty pleas on Kohberger’s behalf at an arraignment in May 2023. He could face the death penalty if convicted.