What is the central piece of evidence linking Bryan Kohberger to the murders?

The central piece of evidence is a leather knife sheath with a United States Marine Corps (USMC) logo found next to one of the victims at the crime scene. Bryan Kohberger's DNA was found on the button snap of this sheath, and DNA from trash at his family residence was found to be a strong match to the DNA on the sheath.

The defense plans to argue that the knife sheath could have been planted by the real perpetrator and does not definitively prove Kohberger was at the crime scene. They may suggest that the DNA was transferred to the sheath through secondary means or even planted by a police officer. Additionally, the defense might point out that Kohberger, being a strict vegan who reportedly avoided contact with animal products, would be unlikely to own a leather knife sheath, thus questioning its ownership.

Investigators have gathered several pieces of evidence, including:
A witness account from a surviving roommate who saw a male figure matching Kohberger's general description (5'10 or taller, not very muscular, dressed in black clothing and a mask) at the residence around the time of the murders.
Cellular phone data showing Kohberger's phone stopped reporting a signal between 2:47 a.m. and 4:48 a.m. on the night of the murders, a period consistent with the estimated time of the homicides. This cessation of signal is suggested to be an attempt to conceal his location.
Cellular phone data also shows Kohberger's phone utilized cellular resources providing coverage to the King Road Residence area on at least twelve occasions prior to the murders, mostly in the late evening and early morning hours.
Surveillance video captured a white Hyundai Elantra, identified as Kohberger's vehicle, making multiple passes by the King Road residence in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, and again traveling through the area shortly after the estimated time of the homicides.
Evidence from Kohberger's Amazon click activity showing purchases of a Ka-Bar knife with a sheath before the murders and searches for knives and sheaths after the murders.

Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) is a process used by law enforcement when DNA found at a crime scene does not yield results from standard databases. In IGG, variations (single nucleotide polymorphisms or "SNPs") from the DNA sample are uploaded to public genealogy databases (like GEDmatch or FamilyTreeDNA) to find possible relatives of the person whose DNA was found. In Kohberger's case, "touch DNA" from the knife sheath was processed using IGG by the FBI, which identified him as a possible suspect.

Yes, Judge Steven Hippler declined to throw out the DNA evidence obtained through Investigative Genetic Genealogy. He ruled that the IGG process was not unconstitutional and that Bryan Kohberger had no reasonable privacy interest in DNA left at a crime scene, as any such interest was abandoned along with the sheath.

The defense plans to introduce evidence of an "alternative perpetrator" as a last-ditch effort. Judge Steven Hippler has granted their request to seal the allegations about this possible suspect but has demanded that the defense provide evidence, not just allegations, and an argument for its admissibility by a specific deadline. The judge has noted that much of what the defense has submitted on this matter is "potentially fairly objectionable in terms of admissibility."

A gag order has been in place since January 2023, prohibiting officials and others involved in the case from speaking publicly about it. The judge overseeing the trial has expressed a desire to identify anyone who may have violated this gag order by leaking information from the investigation to news organizations or others not directly involved. He has ordered both prosecutors and defense attorneys to provide a list of individuals who might have had access to previously unreported details, and is open to appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the leak.

Beyond the "planted sheath" and "alternative perpetrator" theories, the defense may argue that:
The state has little more than trace DNA on the sheath to place Kohberger at the scene, and questioned why other blood samples found at the scene were not pursued.
The state cannot definitively prove the sheath belonged to the murder weapon, especially since the murder weapon itself has not been found.
The Amazon click activity regarding knives should not be admissible, arguing it does not fall under the relevant evidence rules for "statements" and that the data provided by the state is "extremely narrow."
Kohberger's strict veganism makes it unlikely he would own a leather knife sheath, despite arguments that his veganism was for health, not ethical, reasons, and that he engaged with non-vegan establishments.

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