PULLMAN, Wash. — The University of Idaho murders investigation is officially closed, but the case represents a pivotal moment in the careers of every police officer who worked it.
For the first time, officers are sharing their stories about a case that changed everybody who worked it and will stay with these police officers for a long, long time.
WSU Police Chief Gary Jenkins has a unique connection to the case. Months before he became chief of WSU Police, Jenkins worked for Pullman Police, where he interviewed Bryan Kohberger for an internship with the department. Kohberger did not get the internship. Just months later, he would carry out the most appalling murders Chief Jenkins would ever investigate.
“The first 33 years of my career were in Southern California and Los Angeles County. And even after working there, this is the most horrific crime that I’ve been involved in or that I’ve seen,” Jenkins said.
When asked what he remembered most about that interview, Jenkins said: “You know, there wasn’t really anything significant that stood out. No red flags. I felt he was probably uncomfortable in social situations. He didn’t have a real fluid way of communicating.”
Jenkins’ team was instrumental in identifying Kohberger’s car in a WSU parking lot, later determined to be the Hyundai Elantra seen leaving the crime scene.
For the officers who worked the day-to-day details, this case definitely left its mark.
ABC News correspondent Kayna Whitworth sat down with former Chief James Fry to discuss the investigation.
When asked what kind of person has the ability to commit such crimes, Fry said: “Someone who is cold, filled with rage, angry, very angry.”
Fry described the breakthrough moment in the investigation. When asked to give his “aha moment,” Fry said: “Video of the car and stuff, but really it was when the DNA came back and that was the first real like, ‘okay, now we’re there.'”
The full-circle moment for Fry came in court Wednesday, face-to-face with Kohberger for the first time, two-and-a-half years after the murders. Not exactly closure, but the punctuation of his police work.
When asked what he would say to Kohberger, Fry said: “Just be ashamed of what he did. He destroyed lives, families, and communities. Changed everybody that ever worked that case changed my university, the things that it’s not human.”
More documents and more information will likely come to light, but many questions may never be answered.
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