美国国家公共电台 NPR--Court documents reveal details about the killings of 4 University of Idaho students

Court documents reveal details about the killings¹ of 4 University of Idaho students

Transcript²

Suspect Bryan Kohberger made his first court Thursday in Moscow, Idaho. He faces murder charges for the killings of four University of Idaho students in November.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

We're learning new details about the brutal³ killings of four University of Idaho students in November. Court documents indicate one of the surviving roommates saw someone wearing a mask inside the house in Moscow, Idaho, on the morning of the attack. The suspect, Bryan Kohberger, has yet to enter a plea. NPR's law enforcement correspondent Martin Kaste says police already had an idea of who the suspect could be early into the investigation⁴.

MARTIN KASTE, BYLINE⁵: When Kohberger was charged, we got a look at an affidavit⁶ that lays out how they identified him and their reasons for arresting him now. It turns out that back in November, they'd already identified a white sedan from surveillance video. This was a car that was captured by security cameras driving around in the middle of the night in the area of the killings. Less than two weeks after the murders, a campus officer at Washington State University found the same kind of car there. WSU is about 20 minutes away across the state line from the University of Idaho. And that car was Bryan Kohberger's.

MART?NEZ: Wow. What other evidence do they have against him?

KASTE: Well, the car seems to be what brought him to their attention. But they took their time to build up other evidence. They say they have some cellphone location records showing his phone on the move that night until about an hour before the crime. It stops pinging towers, then starts again after the crime with a location south of Moscow. And police say that would be consistent with somebody turning off his phone to avoid leaving a trail. Also, perhaps most significantly for a potential trial, the police say they have DNA⁷. They say they found male DNA on an empty leather sheath for a knife found at the scene. They say that DNA shows strong family ties to another sample that they got from the garbage outside his family's home in Pennsylvania, presumably a sample from his father. Now that he's in custody⁸, though, Bryan Kohberger, they'll likely want to test him directly, take a sample directly, and make sure that's a match.

MART?NEZ: OK. Now, the suspect, Bryan Kohberger, he was a student, right?

KASTE: Yes, but not at the same university as the victims. He just moved to Pullman, Wash., where he was starting a Ph.D. program in criminology at Washington State University. That's a short drive away. He was a teaching assistant there. He had an interest in forensics. The faculty⁹ there have not commented so far about their experience with him. And we have no real information about anything out of the ordinary in terms of his academic career there.

MART?NEZ: All right. So Kohberger has been extradited. He's in jail in Moscow. What's the reaction there been?

KASTE: Well, relief, of course, that there is a suspect in custody. This is a place where murders are extremely rare. And people were afraid. One of the things we learned from this affidavit is that one of the surviving roommates in that house says she heard crying and a thud from the victim's rooms. She didn't realize what was happening. And then she opened her door. And she saw someone dressed in black with a mask on leaving the house. So this was a terrifying experience in this community. And, I think, now that he's in custody, facing trial and the possibility even of the death penalty, because it's Idaho, the students in this community are more likely to feel at least a little bit safer now coming back to classes.

MART?NEZ: That's NPR's law enforcement correspondent Martin Kaste. Martin, thanks.

KASTE: You're welcome.

1 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 affidavit   

n.宣誓书

参考例句：

• I gave an affidavit to the judge about the accident I witnessed.我向法官提交了一份关于我目击的事故的证词。
• The affidavit was formally read to the court.书面证词正式向出席法庭的人宣读了。

7 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

8 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

9 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。