Warning: The following contains details that could be considered graphic in nature.
MOSCOW, Idaho – The Ka-Bar-style fixed-blade knife police are seeking in connection with the violent murders of four University of Idaho students is known to dull rapidly and likely would have caused physical injuries to the attacker. strength is required, an expert told Fox News Digital.
Police have said from the beginning of the investigation that they are looking for a “fixed blade knife” believed to have been used in the Nov. 13 quadruple homicide. The Idaho Statesman spoke with the manager of a Moscow construction-supply store earlier this month, who said police had asked if the business sold Ka-Bar knives. The store does not sell them.
Jonathan Gilliam, a former FBI special agent and law enforcement officer, told Fox News Digital that the type of knife involved in the crime sheds light on how the attack might have progressed.
SCHEDULE OF MURDERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO: WHAT WE KNOW
Police suspect a Ka-Bar knife may have been used in the murders of four University of Idaho students, inset. Warning tape surrounds the house near the campus where the students were killed.
(Credit: Ka-Bar I Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Gilliam, also a former US Navy SEAL, said he personally has experience with Ka-Bar knives, which he said wear out quickly and are often used for survival-focused activities like barking. from a tree, dig a hole or cut leather. .
“It’s not going to be as thin and capable of cutting” as other knives, he said. “And when you sharpen it, it’ll dull again due to the nature of the fact that it’s kind of a fat blade.”
MURDERS IN IDAHO: PLAN SHOWS HOUSE WHERE 4 COLLEGE STUDENTS WERE MYSTERIOUSLY MURDERED A MONTH AGO
The tip of the knife, he said, has been known to break off. Ka-Bar knives are most often used for cuts that involve pushing motions, rather than smoother motions, Gilliam explained.
“A push is much more of a physical activity,” he added. “So the more you do that, the more tired you’ll be.”
IDAHO MURDERS: CAPTAIN RECALLS FINDING CRYING FRIENDS AND FAMILY AT ‘GRADING’ CRIME SCENE
Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, along with the two other roommates of the women in Kaylee Goncalves’ latest Instagram post, shared the day before the murders.
(@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
Gilliam added that he hoped the killer had shown signs of bruising or cuts on the underside of his hand.
And as the blade becomes duller, it also becomes more slippery, he said.
A State Police forensics team searches for clues in Moscow, Idaho, on November 21, 2022. Four University of Idaho students who were murdered on November 13 in this home.
(Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
“It’s an enormous amount of effort that you’re knowingly putting in for the purpose of killing,” he said.
Gilliam told Dr. Phil on Monday that investigators would likely see “a progression of smaller and smaller wounds” on the victims as the killer carried out the attack, which likely became more physical with each person.
Victims of the November 13 massacre at the University of Idaho.
(Instagram @xanakernodle / @maddiemogen / @kayleegoncalves)
MURDERS IN IDAHO: GROUP SEEN WALKING IN BACKGROUND OF BODYCAM VIDEO TAKEN NEAR CRIME SCENE AT 3 AM
Tuesday marked a month since Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, both 20, and Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, 21, were discovered fatally stabbed inside the girls’ off-campus home.
The bodies of the victims were discovered shortly before noon on November 13. The house at 1122 King Road is located just a block from the University of Idaho campus and near a few frat houses.
Authorities have said they believe the victims were asleep when they were attacked between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Each victim suffered multiple stab wounds and some showed signs of trying to fight back.
The homicides were carried out on the second and third floors. Two other roommates were downstairs in the home and were uninjured, police said.
Moscow police officers responded around 11:58 a.m. to a report of an “unconscious person” at the address, but several people had gathered at the crime scene when police arrived, authorities said.
The 911 call “originated from inside the residence” and came from the cell phones of one of the surviving roommates, police said. Multiple people allegedly spoke to the dispatcher before officers arrived.
Police are analyzing 113 pieces of physical evidence and around 4,000 photos from the scene. They also received more than 2,645 emails and more than 2,770 calls to the Moscow city information line, police said. The FBI has received more than 1,084 digital media submissions.
Last week, police revealed that they had received tips and leads about a white 2011 to 2013 Hyundai Elantra seen near the crime scene in the early morning of November 13. They are trying to speak to the person or people who were inside the vehicle and are asking the public for any information.
The Moscow Police Department encourages the public to submit any images or information deemed important or useful to their investigation. The public can do so by calling 208-883-7180, submitting suggestions via tipline@ci.moscow.id.us, or submitting digital media here.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The authorities also created a dedicated web page related to the King Road attack.
