Criminal experts reveal three key missteps in Idaho murders investigation

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Experts have pointed out a series of missteps in the investigation into the murders of four University of Idaho students.

The brutal stabbings have garnered national attention as the local police department in Moscow, which had its last homicide in 2015 before the quadruple tragedy on 13 November, scrambles to piece together the evidence.

More than 10 days after the brutal stabbings of Xana Kernodle, 20, Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Moge, 21, no arrests have been made in the case and suspects have yet to be identified.

More details are expected to be revealed during a press conference on Wednesday.

While the public and grieving families have grown frustrated over the lack of information being released and the conspiracy theories fueled by internet sleuths, respectively, a retired NYPD sergeant told Fox that Moscow Police have revealed plenty.

“Investigators have given out too much information,” Joseph Giacalone, a 20-year police veteran and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice told the network.

Mr Giacalone went on to criticise Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt, who appeared in several interviews with media outlets across the nation and divulged what Mr Giacalone described as speculation.

Ms Mabbutt called the murders “personal” after performing the autopsies, and revealed that the victims were found in their beds and were likely sleeping when they were attacked. She added that the weapon used was a “large knife.”

“It was not only surprising but aggravating,” Mr Giacalone told Fox. “It is not her place to investigate this thing on TV and speculate.”

Another source of controversy in the handling of the investigation has been Moscow Police Chief Jame Fry’s initial assessment reassuring the community in the small college town that there was no ongoing threat three days after the violent murders.

He later backtracked from those remarks, asking residents to remain vigilant and cautious of their surroundings.

“They don’t have an identified suspect, and they still don’t have a motive, so until you have those two extremely vital pieces you can’t set the public’s mind at ease,” Mr Giacalone told Fox.

On Wednesday, Moscow Police said the crime scene had been expanded to cover the parking lot, but just a day earlier an Idaho State Police spokesperson had told The Independent that was not the case and that the boundary tape had been moved because “detectives needed extra space to work.”

After the murders, Moscow Mayor Art Bettge offered a premature evaluation of the murders, calling them “a crime of passion.” Mr Bettge does not appear to have a background in criminology, according to the city’s website.

Herman Weisberg, who is also a retired NYPD officer, told Fox that although the department is swamped with requests from news channels, the integrity of the investigation must remain the top priority.

“I personally cringe when I see the media and the public’s demands for information outweigh the need to preserve the integrity of the investigation,” Mr Weisberg stated “This is all because of the armchair detectives out there on social media.”