Bryan Kohberger ate at restaurant where two victims worked, report says

The suspect would check that his meal hadn’t touched animal products in accordance with his strict vegan diet, staff member says

Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the killings of four University of Idaho students, twice visited a restaurant where two of the victims worked in the weeks leading up to the murders, a report claims.

A previous member of staff at the Mad Greek restaurant in Moscow, Idaho, told People magazine that Mr Kohberger ate vegan pizza at the restaurant at least two times.

Two of the four victims worked as servers at the restaurant – Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle. It’s unclear if they ever interacted with the suspect.

The magazine reported that a since-deleted Instagram account seemingly operated by Mr Kohberger followed all three female victims – Ms Mogen, Ms Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves. The fourth victim was Ethan Chapin.

An investigator with insight into the case told People that the authorities know about the visits to the restaurant and that both staff and owners at the Mad Greek have been interviewed by law enforcement. Security footage has been gathered from the restaurant and other businesses in the area.

The former staffer told the magazine that there was nothing out of the ordinary regarding Mr Kohberger’s visits to the establishment, but said that his order was noteworthy as he would check that his meal hadn’t touched animal products in accordance with his strict vegan diet.

Ms Mogen, Ms Kernodle, Ms Goncalves, and Mr Chapin were stabbed and killed in a rented home off campus on 13 November last year. The murderer was masked and used a knife to kill the four students.

Mr Kohberger was detained on 30 December at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania, voluntarily agreeing to go to Idaho where he was facing several charges – four counts of murder and one count of felony burglary. He was taken to Idaho on 4 January.

Before his arrest, Mr Kohberger, 28, was a graduate student and teaching assistant at Washington State University.

The probable cause affidavit states that one of the roommates living in the rented home who survived the ordeal said she spotted the murderer. She said that “a figure clad in black clothing and a mask” walked past her as the individual left the home.

The affidavit states that Mr Kohberger was connected to the crime scene through DNA testing and the location data of his mobile phone.

A motive in the quadruple murder case hasn’t been revealed and Mr Kohberger hasn’t entered a plea. He’s set to appear in court next on 26 June.