Texas company had key role in identifying Bryan Kohberger's DNA
Texas company helps in Bryan Kohberger's arrest
A Texas company was key to identifying Bryan Kohberger's DNA in the murders of four college students in Idaho.
TEXAS - A Texas company was key to identifying Bryan Kohberger's DNA in the murders of four college students in Idaho.
Live updates: Bryan Kohberger sentenced for murdering four Idaho students
Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison as part of a plea deal for murdering Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Ethan Chapin in late 2022.
The backstory:
On November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students were murdered in Moscow, Idaho.
Investigators found DNA on part of a sheath knife. They tested it and ran it through CODIS, which is a database of arrestees and missing persons.
Often, if someone hasn't been caught before, they won't be in the system. Kohberger wasn't.
Law enforcement asked Othram for help. The forensic genetic genealogy company is based in The Woodlands, outside of Houston.
"Othram was purpose-built to identify victims and perpetrators from crime scenes," Dr. Kristen Mittelman, chief development officer at Othram said.
Bryan Kohberger formally enters guilty plea
Bryan Kohberger formally enters guilty plea in the murders of four university Idaho students. Instead of the death penalty, he will now face four consecutive life sentences in prison
They used forensic grade genome sequencing. They often work on cold cases where DNA is old or contaminated, so this DNA was easy to work with.
"It passed the feasibility analysis, was able to run through very quickly," Mittelman said.
In a matter of days, "we were able to get a profile that had hundreds and hundreds of thousands of markers," Mittelman said.
They loaded that profile into genealogical databases used by law enforcement. That allowed them to start piecing together a family tree from the unknown suspect's DNA.
Investigators rule out any other suspects in brutal murders of 4 Idaho students
Just days after Bryan Kohberger was taken into custody, new details have emerged over how investigators zeroed in on him as the suspect.
They ended up on Bryan Kohberger. Law enforcement confirmed it with traditional DNA testing.
Investigators collected DNA from trash outside his parents' home where he was visiting. That was matched with DNA from the crime scene.
"Our technology allows you to infer identity when traditional DNA tests lead to a dead end," Mittelman said.
On Wednesday, Kohberger took a plea deal and will spend the rest of his life in prison.
"It was a big day for everyone," Mittelman said. "I don't think you really can ever make it right for anyone, but being able to know that justice was exacted, that he confessed... that to me is at least turning that page to the next chapter of all these families' lives."
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen and previous coverage