One of the key aspects of the University of Idaho murder investigation is the veil of silence over it. The Moscow Police Department chose to keep everything about the case secret — right up until they made an arrest six weeks in. And since then, apart from the probable cause affidavit, there’s been more silence. There’s even a gag order on all law enforcement right now.
But it’s possible the killer didn’t get that memo. The murderer may have been communicating details about the crime on the internet…
We should preface by saying this is 100% a conspiracy theory from internet sleuths and not based on any information from law enforcement or legal sources. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong, either. Worth looking into? We’ll let the cops decide…
Related: Was Maddie Mogen The True Target Of The Idaho Killer??
In the weeks following the murders of Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, true crime enthusiasts were digging into every detail, discussing possibilities of the how, the why, and the who. Sometimes internet sleuths got into trouble going overboard with their guesses. But a couple got things pretty spot-on. Maybe they were a little too accurate?
That’s right, the theory is that one of these true crime posters was the actual killer! Is it possible they were hanging out in discussion groups about the crime, relishing reliving it for people?
Pappa Rodgers
Pappa Rodgers was a poster in the “University of Idaho Murders — Case Discussion” group on Facebook. He was removed from the group for posting “some really creepy stuff” that went too far for everyone. One thing he got right way in advance? Some evidence that was found. He posted way back on November 30 that he believed they found a knife sheath — several weeks before the affidavit confirmed the existence of a sheath:
“Of the evidence released, the murder weapon has been consistent as a large fixed-blade knife. This leads me to believe they found the sheath. This evidence was released prior to autopsies.”
They did indeed say they were looking for a “Rambo-style” combat knife. The assumption of a sheath is a leap — but does it actually make sense? They knew the knife they were looking for before the coroner report, therefore they must have had some way to know exactly what shape without knowing specifics about the wounds? It’s pretty Sherlock of this guy, considering… unless the poster knew he left his sheath behind…
Related: Kohberger ‘Confident’ He’ll Be ‘Exonerated’
But Rodgers got into arguments with other members, leading one to ask:
“Why do you communicate like a serial killer?”
Eventually he was kicked out, with group administrator Kristine Cameron explaining to the US Sun:
“Pappa Rodgers was NEVER a mod or admin in this group. He was on here and argued incessantly with people and said some really creepy stuff.”
Interestingly, after his removal, Rodgers created his own group — but then disappeared. On December 30. The day suspect Brian Kohberger was arrested. Cameron told the outlet:
“We removed Pappa Rodgers at 7:10 the evening before Bryan’s arrest. He created a group page and had 6 people in it. No one has heard from Pappa Rodgers since the arrest.”
Creepy… But again, it’s possible this was just a very smart — if not very personable — true crime aficionado.
InsideLooking
Over on Reddit there was another true crime poster who was a little too accurate for everyone’s liking. In the r/MoscowMurders subreddit, a user called InsideLooking apparently pinpointed the reason for the search for a white Hyundai Elantra AND knew about shoe prints! He wrote:
“Speculation: killer parked behind the house. Approached property through tree line. Entered sliding door and left it open… Committed murders and exited sliding door. One knife according to coroners statement. Time of murder approximately 3:20am — 3:40am according to car fleeing scene and on camera on highway 8 approximately 3:45am. Vehicle left skid marks upon exit.”
If anyone reading finds that chilling, you aren’t alone. One user responded:
“Dude is solving his own crime…Psycho.”
Were either of these actually the killer? It would make sense for both a murderer and/or a criminology PhD student to have an interest in the true crime community’s assessment of the case. However, it’s still pretty thin. There was a lot of speculation, and some of it was bound to be right, right?
What do YOU think of this theory, Perezcious readers??
[Image via Law&Crime Network/4 News Now/YouTube.]