MOSCOW, Idaho – The chief of the Moscow, Idaho, police department dismissed the possibility that his investigation into the November 13 murders of four University of Idaho students went cold, saying the case will be solved.
Moscow Police Department Chief James Fry made the comments to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News on Thursday, more than two weeks after the four University of Idaho students, Ethan Chapin, 20; Xana Kernodle, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were fatally stabbed at a King Road home near the university campus between 3 and 4 a.m.
“I’m not even going to speculate on that, number one, because that’s not even on my mind,” Fry said when asked if the incident would become a cold case. “We are going to solve this. We will continue working until we solve it.”
The two roommates who were unharmed in the attack woke up later on the morning of November 13 and “called” their friends because they “believed that one of the victims on the second floor had passed out and was not waking up,” he said. police, adding that the 911 call at 11:58 a.m. was made on the cell phone of one of the roommates. “Several people” spoke to the 911 dispatcher before police arrived at the home, authorities said.
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Moscow Police Chief James Fry speaking at a news conference on November 20 about the unsolved murders of four University of Idaho seniors.
(Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
When the police arrived, “they found two victims on the second floor and two victims on the third floor.”
During the interview, Fry said little information is being released to protect the integrity of the cases.
“We’re always going to hold things back as long as we can because when you’re talking about the integrity of the case, you’re talking about when this goes to trial, have you sullied the jury?” Fry said. “There’s a much bigger picture here than just people knowing. Because for it to be a fair trial, there have to be people who don’t know the facts and have already formed their own opinions about them.”
Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, along with the two other roommates of the women in Goncalves’ final Instagram post, shared the day before the murders.
(@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
Fry also addressed complaints from the community about the speed of the investigation.
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“I think people need to realize that these things take time for evidence to process and to process it correctly without destroying or contaminating it,” he said.
Fry stated that the police department remains confident that the attack was targeted.
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On Wednesday night, the Moscow Police Department said in a press release that “detectives do not currently know if the residence or its occupants were targeted specifically, but are continuing to investigate.”
A memorial to the students killed at the University of Idaho on Monday, November 28, 2022 is covered in snow. The menorial is in honor of the victims of a quadruple homicide involving an off-campus home on November 13.
(Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
In a statement provided to Fox News on Thursday, the Moscow Police Department clarified that it believes the attack was targeted.
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Investigators search a home in Moscow, Idaho on Monday, November 14, 2022, where four University of Idaho students were killed over the weekend in an apparent quadruple homicide. The victims are Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Idaho; and Kaylee GonCalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho.
(Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
“Our clarification last night directly addressed comments made by Latah County Attorney Thompson, who said that the suspects specifically observed this residence and that one or more of the occupants was undoubtedly attacked. We remain consistent in our belief that this was in fact a targeted attack, but I have not concluded whether the target was the residence or its occupants,” the statement read.
Fox News’ Christina Coleman and Alexandria Hernandez contributed to this report.
