BOISE, Idaho — Confessed murderer Bryan Kohberger's plea deal left many wondering what details they missed by not taking the case to trial.
Senior Reporter Roland Beres talked to one of the top DNA experts in the world -- here in Boise --- about evidence he wanted to see when it comes to the DNA that was crucial to tracking Kohberger down.
The single source DNA found on the knife sheath of the murder weapon at the Moscow, Idaho crime scene may seem like a slam dunk on the surface.
It did, after all match the DNA of their suspect, Bryan Kohberger.
But Greg Hampikian says not so fast. "We can identify who left DNA pretty well, really well. What we can't tell is how the DNA got there. The state of Idaho, through the crime lab, proffered to the court that they could tell how DNA got somewhere. I very, very strongly disagree with that."
SEE HERE: DNA Expert and Biologist Greg Hampikian discusses the implications of using genealogy databases in a court of law
Hampikian says DNA on a Q-tip can be spread to many places where the original donor has never been. And even the prosecutor in the Kohberger case, Bill Thompson, says Kohberger's DNA was only one piece of their puzzle.
"There's no smoking gun," Thompson previously told Senior Reporter Don Nelson.
But DNA was the key piece of evidence that led law enforcement to Kohberger, who, years after his arrest, voluntarily confessed to the crimes, in a last-ditch effort to avoid the death penalty.
Thompson explains how genealogy was used. "We got a tip via investigative genealogy with the name Bryan Kohberger, and that enabled the investigators to start focusing on him, and the evidence fell into place pretty smoothly after that."
Turns out, the FBI used genealogical databases they weren't allowed to use, which Kohberger's defense team spent years trying to keep out of evidence presented at trial.
It's just one issue Hampikian says he would have liked to see explored in court. "I would have liked to see a real hashing out of how the FBI uses genealogy. Because I think the public needs to be aware."
Hampikian says there's no enforcement to stop the FBI from using any public genealogical database to track down criminals.
If you're ok with that, great. If not? Hampikian says you may be out of luck.
"So if this is the practice, those agreements are meaningless in terms of your privacy."
Finally, there's the question of how a murder suspect, likely covered in blood, could clean the supposed getaway vehicle of any incriminating DNA.
Hampikian says it would have been difficult and interesting to hear details if the case had gone to court, "It would be hard, especially because you use bleach, which leaves stain and usually trying to clean DNA usually results in just spreading it around."
But, remember Bryan Kohberger was pursuing a PHD in criminology at Washington State, studying how to collect evidence and avoid crime scene contamination.
Prosecutors previously said his car, "had been essentially disassembled inside." And meticulously cleaned by the time he was taken into custody nearly six weeks after the murders.
Hampikian's professional curiosity regarding DNA in the Kohberger case is in no way a suggestion that Kohberger is not guilty. He says other evidence and the plea deal paint a pretty clear picture.
But he says the lack of a trial leaves many questions regarding the way federal authorities use DNA databases in the search for suspects.
