Brett Payne

A new book on the Idaho student murders case reveals previously unseen evidence suggesting the defense could have challenged the admissibility of a critical piece of evidence—a Ka-Bar knife sheath—due to chain of custody concerns. The book, 'Broken Plea,' highlights flaws in the evidence handling process, including duplicate dates and signatures on the evidence bag, which could have undermined the prosecution's case if the trial had proceeded.

Internal emails from Washington State University Police Department revealed that officers tracked Bryan Kohberger's car weeks before his arrest in the murders of four Idaho students. The emails corrected the timeline in the arrest warrant, showing the vehicle was identified faster than stated, and praised the officers' work. Kohberger later pleaded guilty to the murders in a deal that removed the death penalty.