Accused University of Idaho Killer Searched for Ted Bundy, and Pornography, Around Time of Slayings: Report
Data from Kohberger’s phone reportedly reveals internet searches on serial killer Ted Bundy and pornography from the weeks around the University of Idaho killings, Dateline reports.
The man accused of killing four University of Idaho students was allegedly researching infamous serial killer Ted Bundy around the time of the 2022 murders.
Investigators recovered data from a phone belonging to Bryan Kohberger that includes internet history from the weeks before and after the Idaho killings that show searches on Bundy, according to Dateline, which will cover the case in an all-new episode airing Friday, May 9 at 9/8c p.m. on NBC, titled "The Terrible Night on King Road."
The data also shows that Kohberger’s phone was allegedly used to search for pornography along with terms like “passed out,” “forced,” “drugged,” and “sleeping” in the weeks around the November 2022 murders, according to the Dateline.
And that wasn't all that was allegedly found on the phone belonging to Kohberger, who at the time of the University of Idaho slayings on King Road in Moscow, Idaho, was a doctoral student in criminology at the nearby Washington State University.
“We've also seen these — dozens of photos in Kohberger's cell phone, browsing history — women from Washington State, and the University of Idaho, including close friends of the King Road victims," Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison said in a preview of the episode released to TODAY.
Who were the University of Idaho victims?
University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were killed in the same off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022.
Kohberger, who is set to go on trial this summer for the killings, was arrested for the crimes in December of 2022 after investigators discovered DNA and cell phone data that linked him to the scene, they said.
Kohberger has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and his defense attorneys have suggested there may be an alternate suspect.
Dateline’s two-hour broadcast takes a new look at the timeline leading up to the murders and the evidence that investigators say ties Kohberger to the case.
Dateline obtains video of car that investigators believe is Kohberger’s near site of murders
The episode will also include new evidence in the case exclusively obtained by Dateline, including surveillance video from a home near the King Road house that shows a white sedan that investigators believe was driven by Kohberger circling the block around the time of the murders.
According to Morrison, the car makes “repeated passes” by the home where all four victims were later found dead.
Cell phone data and records also reportedly reveal that Kohberger’s phone connected to a cell tower that was within 100 meters (109 yards) from the crime scene 23 different times in a four-month-period leading up to the murders.
As part of the broadcast, in addition to reporting details about Kohberger's alleged Bundy searches, Morrison spoke with those who interacted with Kohberger at Washington State University, where he was studying, along with criminology and genetics experts to get their take on the case.
Morrison also sat down with Angela Navejas, the mother of Mogen’s best friend. According to Navejas, her daughter was supposed to be staying at the King Road home the night of the murders, but her plans changed, potentially helping her avoid suffering the same grim fate as her friends.
Morrison asked Navejas, “How soon was it that you thought, ‘My god, she was going to be there'?"
“I didn’t think about that right away,” Navejas replied, before adding, “All I could think about was the kids.”
To find out more about the shocking case, watch Dateline on Friday May 9, 2025 at 9/8c p.m. on NBC or stream the episode on Peacock after it becomes available the next day.
And for even more Dateline, sign up for the show's official newsletter and check out its podcast.
