The transcript discusses the ongoing murder case of Brian Coburger, a University of Idaho student accused of killing four of his classmates. The police have served search warrants on various tech companies, including social media platforms and the manufacturer of the knife found at the crime scene. The warrants are seeking various types of information, including financial transactions, messages, saved files, and browsing history.
The case is significant because it carries a death penalty, and the evidence is largely circumstantial. The police are continuing to investigate, which could potentially strengthen their case. The search warrants have raised questions about the timing of the requests and the identities of the account holders they are targeting.
The discussion also touches on the reliability of touch DNA, a type of DNA found on objects that someone has touched. The reliability of touch DNA depends on the context in which the DNA is found. The case also mentions potential links between the defendant's online activities before and after the crime, which could be used to infer guilt or concern.
Coburger has waived his right to a speedy trial, which means the trial is indefinitely postponed. The timeline for the case to go to trial is uncertain, but it could potentially go to trial in 2024.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Search warrants were served on big tech companies in the Idaho 4 murder case.
2. 28-year-old Brian Coburger has pleaded not guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students.
3. The murders occurred in the students' off-campus home in November.
4. Coburger was a student at Washington State University, near the scene of the murders.
5. Police found the sheath of a KA-BAR knife underneath one of the victims, Maddie Mogen.
6. A murder weapon has not been found.
7. Since March, Moscow police have served several search warrants on social media companies, banks, and the KA-BAR Knife Company.
8. The latest documents show that detectives seized records from Apple, Amazon, PayPal, Venmo, Google, and YouTube in July.
9. The Amazon warrant asked for the click history of the account owner.
10. The Apple warrant sought messages and anything saved to an iCloud account.
11. The PayPal and Venmo warrants were looking for financial information, like transactions, billing info, geolocation data, and any emails or phone numbers connected to the account.
12. Coburger waived his right to a speedy trial in August, postponing the trial indefinitely.
13. The trial was initially scheduled for October, with jury selection set to begin on October 2.
14. The case is a death penalty case, and prosecutors are seeking to gather as much evidence as possible.
15. The defense may raise questions about the adequacy or completeness of the police investigation.
16. Touch DNA was found on the KA-BAR knife sheath, but its reliability is being questioned.
17. The police are investigating all possible leads, including online searches and transactions.
18. Brian Coburger's research on offender behavior may be admissible as evidence in the trial.
19. The case may not go to trial until 2024 or later due to the complexity of the investigation and the need for mitigation evidence.