Murders of 4 Idaho College Students - suspect arrested

[Stacyhs]

Originally Posted by Vixen

From twitter:

https://twitter.com/SirNerdyAddict/s...BwcGlIQddBfHfA


So I am unclear what is being disputed by Stacyhs.

See my post above.

What is unclear to me is why you think Bolger is a 'novice tutor' when she's been an Assoc. Prof. for eight years or why you keep questioning her opinion that Kohberger was a 'brilliant student'.

[Thermal]

Nvm, Whoopsie

ETA: so this guy was only one of two recommended for the grad program by this prof? That might be more impressive if we knew there were more than two who asked for a letter of recommendation from her.

[Jack by the hedge]

Originally Posted by Thermal

ETA: so this guy was only one of two recommended for the grad program by this prof?

I thought it meant one of only two masters degree students she recommended upgrade to study for a PhD instead, though I may be confusing how the US and UK system work.

[Bob001]

Originally Posted by Thermal

Nvm, Whoopsie

ETA: so this guy was only one of two recommended for the grad program by this prof? That might be more impressive if we knew there were more than two who asked for a letter of recommendation from her.

Not to digress, but why does it matter who recommended him? People aren't admitted to Ph.D. programs on the basis of a single recommendation. Obviously the people who run the university decided he was qualified based on the totality of his record. We don't know how competitive the program is. Washington State isn't Yale. None of that has anything to do with murdering four people.

[Stacyhs]

Originally Posted by Thermal

Nvm, Whoopsie

ETA: so this guy was only one of two recommended for the grad program by this prof? That might be more impressive if we knew there were more than two who asked for a letter of recommendation from her.

I highly doubt only two students asked her for a recommendation in ten years. Even if so, it doesn't matter how many asked her; the fact she would recommend him for a Ph.D. program means she thought he had the 'right stuff'.

I don't understand this questioning of what Prof. Bolger said by you and Vixen. Is it relevant if he is or isn't 'brilliant'? The guy has a master's degree and is in a Ph.D. program. He ain't stoopid.

[Stacyhs]

Originally Posted by Jack by the hedge

I thought it meant one of only two masters degree students she recommended upgrade to study for a PhD instead, though I may be confusing how the US and UK system work.

You are correct.

[Vixen]

Originally Posted by Bob001

Not to digress, but why does it matter who recommended him? People aren't admitted to Ph.D. programs on the basis of a single recommendation. Obviously the people who run the university decided he was qualified based on the totality of his record. We don't know how competitive the program is. Washington State isn't Yale. None of that has anything to do with murdering four people.

It is part of the picture, as Kohberger seems to have been tasked with the thesis of 'getting inside the mind of a criminal'. He last communicated with Bolger (Zoom?) 14 Nov 2022, the day after the killings. In addition, another of his lecturers had one-to-one communication with a notorious serial killer, BCT (Rader).

I cannot see that Kohberger is at all 'brilliant' or how someone can get an MA 'online' in a few months.


His tutor Bolger comes across as a bit of a flake proclaiming to the world that he was one of the best students she ever had.

[Jack by the hedge]

Originally Posted by Vixen

It is part of the picture, as Kohberger seems to have been tasked with the thesis of 'getting inside the mind of a criminal'. He last communicated with Bolger (Zoom?) 14 Nov 2022, the day after the killings. In addition, another of his lecturers had one-to-one communication with a notorious serial killer, BCT (Rader).



I cannot see that Kohberger is at all 'brilliant' or how someone can get an MA 'online' in a few months.





His tutor Bolger comes across as a bit of a flake proclaiming to the world that he was one of the best students she ever had.

Why should it be odd for a criminology lecturer to have had communication with a criminal? Do you have a suspicion they were not studying that killer's history in a professional capacity but perhaps instead planning a murder spree of their own and asking for tips? I'm going to be more than surprised if your answer is yes.

Getting accepted onto a PhD study program is a pretty good guide to someone being considered "brilliant" enough to study for a PhD. Have you any reasons to think he was not sufficiently able, other than his seeming inability in the different field of getting away with murder?

Covid 19 moved a great deal of entirely legitimate higher education online. You seem to have in mind some fake papermill correspondence course. Put that thought aside.

You've called his tutor various disparaging things. You seem to have it in for her. What concrete thing have you got against this woman other than that she said the guy was academically clever which, so far, I have no reason to doubt?

[Vixen]

Originally Posted by Jack by the hedge

Why should it be odd for a criminology lecturer to have had communication with a criminal? Do you have a suspicion they were not studying that killer's history in a professional capacity but perhaps instead planning a murder spree of their own and asking for tips? I'm going to be more than surprised if your answer is yes.

Getting accepted onto a PhD study program is a pretty good guide to someone being considered "brilliant" enough to study for a PhD. Have you any reasons to think he was not sufficiently able, other than his seeming inability in the different field of getting away with murder?

Covid 19 moved a great deal of entirely legitimate higher education online. You seem to have in mind some fake papermill correspondence course. Put that thought aside.

You've called his tutor various disparaging things. You seem to have it in for her. What concrete thing have you got against this woman other than that she said the guy was academically clever which, so far, I have no reason to doubt?

All I said was that I was sceptical Kohberger was that brilliant, and in addition, hewas only a first-year PhD student plus his tutor saying he was one of the most brilliant student she had had, after his 'online' MA course. Someone else disputed this. However, my opinion remains the same. I daresay Prof Bolger believes that because she selected him he must be special but that is a typical halo effect that people have about their decisions.


I have no doubt at all that she is another unwitting victim of his. Cynically using the course to have access to laboratories and databases, and seeming to have the perfect cover, as a respected academic.

Getting onto a PhD programme has nothing to do with seeming 'brilliant'. You have to find a sponsor to fund the expected years of research and you need to outline what your line of research will be together with an academic track record that you have the necessary skill and basic education to progress. Kohberger did a two-year associate BA course up to 2018 and then started a BA course for two years up to 2020. He then did a short MA course. OK so it is a theoretical study of Criminal Justice up to July 2022. He then commenced the PhD in Autumn 2022. We have yet to be appraised of what exactly makes Kohberger one of only two students Prof Bolger has ever put forward for a PhD, given she has been a lecturer or research academic for eight years or more, given he doesn't seem to have started his degree courses until quite late in the day. I can't see in which way he shows academic inclination nor any signs of brilliance, if he thinks that switching his phone off before a murder makes him invisible. That is my opinion.

[Vixen]

From NY Post:

Quote:

“I never saw him in person, I couldn’t tell you how tall he was or how much he weighed, my only interaction with him was via email and Zoom. I didn’t know anything about him, whether he was married, had a girlfriend, etc.,” Bolger told the Daily Mail.

NY Post


To me, it is mindboggling that she never even interviewed him in person. De Salles really need to look into their selection processes.

[Jack by the hedge]

Originally Posted by Vixen

All I said was that I was sceptical Kohberger was that brilliant...

Well, no, you said you doubted he was PhD material.

[Jack by the hedge]

Originally Posted by Vixen

From NY Post:

NY Post


To me, it is mindboggling that she never even interviewed him in person. De Salles really need to look into their selection processes.

You might be surprised but you and I were not educated during a global pandemic in an age when computers made online video interaction normal. Also, surely she was not the one who selected him. She just recommended him.

[Thermal]

Originally Posted by Bob001

Not to digress, but why does it matter who recommended him? People aren't admitted to Ph.D. programs on the basis of a single recommendation. Obviously the people who run the university decided he was qualified based on the totality of his record. We don't know how competitive the program is. Washington State isn't Yale. None of that has anything to do with murdering four people.

Originally Posted by Stacyhs

I highly doubt only two students asked her for a recommendation in ten years. Even if so, it doesn't matter how many asked her; the fact she would recommend him for a Ph.D. program means she thought he had the 'right stuff'.

I don't understand this questioning of what Prof. Bolger said by you and Vixen. Is it relevant if he is or isn't 'brilliant'? The guy has a master's degree and is in a Ph.D. program.

Yeah, that's my point. Much is being made of his brilliance and for being one of only two students recommended for the PhD program. Who cares? Are we supposed to be swooning over his genius?

Quote:

He ain't stoopid.

The hell he ain't. Drove his own car to the murders. Carried his gps equipped cel phone there. Left the goddamed knife sheath there, complete with familial DNA on it. Disappeared from his grad program after the murders. Showed up in the #1 most likely place to find him. This guy is stone dumb, especially having studied criminology. I mean, when I went Christmas shopping for my wife, I left my phone and smartwatch at home, and brought cash, when I went to get her some stuff that I wanted to be a surprise, because she could track me on our family plan phones and see where I was buying on our shared bank account. It ain't that ******* complicated to keep a low profile.

[Thermal]

Originally Posted by Jack by the hedge

I thought it meant one of only two masters degree students she recommended upgrade to study for a PhD instead, though I may be confusing how the US and UK system work.

Originally Posted by Stacyhs

You are correct.

Doesn't seem to be correct. He went to DeSales for his bachelor's and online Masters, then she recommended him for the PhD program at Pullman. Are you guys saying that he was recommended to go into the PhD program, but then didn't, and stayed at DeSales for the Masters for some reason?

[Vixen]

Originally Posted by Jack by the hedge

Well, no, you said you doubted he was PhD material.

No I didn't. I said he was only first-year. Had hardly yet proved himself.

[Jack by the hedge]

Originally Posted by Thermal

Are you guys saying ...?

Nope. I'm happy to be corrected.

[Vixen]

Originally Posted by Thermal

Yeah, that's my point. Much is being made of his brilliance and for being one of only two students recommended for the PhD program. Who cares? Are we supposed to be swooning over his genius?



The hell he ain't. Drove his own car to the murders. Carried his gps equipped cel phone there. Left the goddamed knife sheath there, complete with familial DNA on it. Disappeared from his grad program after the murders. Showed up in the #1 most likely place to find him. This guy is stone dumb, especially having studied criminology. I mean, when I went Christmas shopping for my wife, I left my phone and smartwatch at home, and brought cash, when I went to get her some stuff that I wanted to be a surprise, because she could track me on our family plan phones and see where I was buying on our shared bank account. It ain't that ******* complicated to keep a low profile.

Exactly, and if he was au-fait with the patterns of behaviour of criminals, he would have known that many notorious killers switched off their phones in advance and for the duration of the crime (for example, Jodi Arias and you-know-who). The softly-softly approach of the law enforcement was brilliant, as Kohberger will have had no idea he was a suspect, thus, when they searched his student accommodation and parental home, he will have had no time to tidy up the remainder of things since the murders. The search warrant doesn't mention any clothes taken away or the Vans shoes, so he obviously had the nous to dispose of them and the knife pronto.

[Jack by the hedge]

Originally Posted by Vixen

No I didn't. I said he was only first-year. Had hardly yet proved himself.

Well, yes you did. You wrote "I'm sceptical he was of PhD material".

Later you argued whether being "brilliant" was a necessary and sufficient qualification for being a PhD student, but brilliance or otherwise was not your original point, it was that you doubted he was PhD material.

[Vixen]

Originally Posted by Jack by the hedge

Well, yes you did. You wrote "I'm sceptical he was of PhD material".

Later you argued whether being "brilliant" was a necessary and sufficient qualification for being a PhD student, but brilliance or otherwise was not your original point, it was that you doubted he was PhD material.

I am sceptical he is of PhD material. Everybody exclaiming, wow he's a PhD student when he has barely started.

I think it would have been wise for his tutor Prof Bolger to not bleat on about how brilliant Kohberger was once the news came out he had been arrested as the main suspect in the murders.

[Thermal]

Originally Posted by Vixen

Exactly, and if he was au-fait with the patterns of behaviour of criminals, he would have known that many notorious killers switched off their phones in advance and for the duration of the crime (for example, Jodi Arias and you-know-who). The softly-softly approach of the law enforcement was brilliant, as Kohberger will have had no idea he was a suspect, thus, when they searched his student accommodation and parental home, he will have had no time to tidy up the remainder of things since the murders. The search warrant doesn't mention any clothes taken away or the Vans shoes, so he obviously had the nous to dispose of them and the knife pronto.

Without going too deep down this rabbit hole:

The Vans thing bugs me too. You never wear your regular stuff, and you dispose of absolutely everything, and not in your own trash. Like, anywhere along that drive from. Washington State to Pennsylvania. All clothes in a bag mixed with other trash and plopped in someone else's commercial dumpster far from your normal routes.

The Vans shoes. My god, the shoes. Talented bad guys know how this works. You wear shoes of a very common style that you personally have never worn, and two sizes too big (wearing extra socks to keep the fit snug). That way any footprint left shows a size and brand that can't be traced to you.

Bad guy 101 is not complicated. Leave your phone on and at home, just like its normal sleeping location and status (assuming a crime during your normal sleeping hours). During your waking hours, stash it somewhere where there are no cameras, if you can pull that off (not as easy nowadays with cameras everywhere). And for gods sake, if you can casually walk out, check to see if you left your weapons ******* sheath (that you hadn't botheted to wipe off previously) laying around. Dispose of everything within hours, being careful not to make a special trip that will be caught on surveillance video.

The only thing this guy did that wasn't bonehead stupid was wearing nitrile gloves.

[Bob001]

Originally Posted by Vixen

....
I cannot see that Kohberger is at all 'brilliant' or how someone can get an MA 'online' in a few months.
....

Why do you keep sneering at the guy's degrees? DeSales says he earned a BA in 2020, and a master's in 2022. If classes were conducted on-line, that's no different from many, if not most, colleges during the pandemic. That's not the same as a diploma mill.
https://www.desales.edu/news-events/...ryan-kohberger

I ask again, so what? What does that have to do with killing four people? You think if he had gone to better schools, he wouldn't have (allegedly) committed the crime, or he would have gotten away with it, or what? Why does this matter?

[Jack by the hedge]

If people are remarking he's a PhD student then that's simply factual, he is (or was). It's a fairly prestigious thing but not quite emperor of the universe. I'm not clear why you doubt he had the capacity to study for a PhD. One can be academically able yet have not a scrap of "common sense".

Your campaign to belittle Bolger now accuses her of "bleating on". My impression is she was expressing shock that someone she'd only thought of as among her most able students seems to be this terrible killer. Do you imagine she is saying otherwise? Perhaps "brilliant" people should be permitted a certain amount of murdering as a reward for being such clever clogs. Maybe that's what she's "bleating". Do you think so?

[Vixen]

Originally Posted by Thermal

Without going too deep down this rabbit hole:

The Vans thing bugs me too. You never wear your regular stuff, and you dispose of absolutely everything, and not in your own trash. Like, anywhere along that drive from. Washington State to Pennsylvania. All clothes in a bag mixed with other trash and plopped in someone else's commercial dumpster far from your normal routes.

The Vans shoes. My god, the shoes. Talented bad guys know how this works. You wear shoes of a very common style that you personally have never worn, and two sizes too big (wearing extra socks to keep the fit snug). That way any footprint left shows a size and brand that can't be traced to you.

Bad guy 101 is not complicated. Leave your phone on and at home, just like its normal sleeping location and status (assuming a crime during your normal sleeping hours). During your waking hours, stash it somewhere where there are no cameras, if you can pull that off (not as easy nowadays with cameras everywhere). And for gods sake, if you can casually walk out, check to see if you left your weapons ******* sheath (that you hadn't botheted to wipe off previously) laying around. Dispose of everything within hours, being careful not to make a special trip that will be caught on surveillance video.

The only thing this guy did that wasn't bonehead stupid was wearing nitrile gloves.

Looks like he might have bought his overalls in Walmarts or Marshalls, as the search warrant details show that police recovered receipts from there. Could he have bought the black overalls/boiler suit from either of those outlets, and they have the receipts? Perhaps he bought the ones without a belt loop, meaning he had to take the knife and sheath in by hand. _DOH _DOH

Homer Simpson would be more 'brilliant' than this PhD genius.


I'd love to have been a fly on the wall the moment Kohberger realised he'd left the sheath behind! _DOH!

[Vixen]

Originally Posted by Jack by the hedge

If people are remarking he's a PhD student then that's simply factual, he is (or was). It's a fairly prestigious thing but not quite emperor of the universe. I'm not clear why you doubt he had the capacity to study for a PhD. One can be academically able yet have not a scrap of "common sense".

Your campaign to belittle Bolger now accuses her of "bleating on". My impression is she was expressing shock that someone she'd only thought of as among her most able students seems to be this terrible killer. Do you imagine she is saying otherwise? Perhaps "brilliant" people should be permitted a certain amount of murdering as a reward for being such clever clogs. Maybe that's what she's "bleating". Do you think so?

No, I think she was most unwise to comment to the press when Kohberger was arrested. Hello? Think of the families of the four murder victims and here's the suspect's tutor appearing to be singing the suspect's praises. OK, so that was naive of her and I dare say she is horrified. However, I can't see how come she has never actually met him given presumably she is the tutor supervising him.

Doesn't sound very efficient to me. I am sorry you are upset that Kohberger's course credentials have come under scrutiny. However, my sympathies remain with the victims (including Bolger as a professor duped) and looking at how things could have been done better. As Bolger commented, then her comment is in the public domain for the public to express an opinion on it. Some posters here have taken it at face value that Kohberger is a brilliant PhD student because of her words. I remain sceptical that he is of the right material to be doing a PhD in Criminal Justice.


That is only my opinion. If you want to change it, you need to present a better debating tool from your debating toolkit than the old standby of telling me off.

[Thermal]

Originally Posted by Bob001

Why do you keep sneering at the guy's degrees? DeSales says he earned a BA in 2020, and a master's in 2022. If classes were conducted on-line, that's no different from many, if not most, colleges during the pandemic. That's not the same as a diploma mill.
https://www.desales.edu/news-events/...ryan-kohberger

I ask again, so what? What does that have to do with killing four people? You think if he had gone to better schools, he wouldn't have (allegedly) committed the crime, or he would have gotten away with it, or what? Why does this matter?

Rhetorical query: if the killer was a black high school dropout who killed four other black ugly dropouts, do you think this story would be of international intrigue? Cuz that happens like all the time in the States. There's a reason this story has legs.

[Thermal]

Originally Posted by Vixen

Looks like he might have bought his overalls in Walmarts or Marshalls, as the search warrant details show that police recovered receipts from there. Could he have bought the black overalls/boiler suit from either of those outlets, and they have the receipts? Perhaps he bought the ones without a belt loop, meaning he had to take the knife and sheath in by hand. _DOH _DOH

Homer Simpson would be more 'brilliant' than this PhD genius.


I'd love to have been a fly on the wall the moment Kohberger realised he'd left the sheath behind! _DOH!

Again, I don't mean to beat this to death, but : hell yeah! You don't buy accessories at camera equipped stores and keep the freaking receipts around! Where I live, there's a couple big flea markets. That's where you score common disposables. It's like the bufoons who bought the rope in the Jussie Smollett thing. You find a chunk of old rope somewhere, don't buy it from a security camera equipped local hardware store.

[Bob001]

Originally Posted by Thermal

Rhetorical query: if the killer was a black high school dropout who killed four other black ugly dropouts, do you think this story would be of international intrigue? Cuz that happens like all the time in the States. There's a reason this story has legs.

Yeah, we all know the answer. But a multiple murder by stabbing is still pretty bizarre and unusual. If the guy had used the traditional 9mm and stolen some valuables the story might be treated a little differently.

[Vixen]

Originally Posted by Bob001

Yeah, we all know the answer. But a multiple murder by stabbing is still pretty bizarre and unusual. If the guy had used the traditional 9mm and stolen some valuables the story might be treated a little differently.

Not just stabbing. Apparently deep slashing. (Don't look up the difference if you are queasy.)

[Thermal]

Originally Posted by Bob001

Yeah, we all know the answer. But a multiple murder by stabbing is still pretty bizarre and unusual. If the guy had used the traditional 9mm and stolen some valuables the story might be treated a little differently.

Well sure, if it was different, it would be different. But I don't think the use of a knife is what strikes a nerve for so many in this one.

[Jack by the hedge]

Originally Posted by Vixen

I am sorry you are upset that Kohberger's course credentials have come under scrutiny.

I'm not upset. This doesn't look like scrutiny.

[Carrot Flower King]

Oh look: a new mulberry bush...

Did the perp have mulberry leaves stuck on the soles of his shoes? Or was he a specialist in the cultivation of mulberries?

[Axxman300]

The sooner people get beyond the whole PhD=Brilliance in All Things, the better.

A PhD (candidate) is educated in a specific field of academics, and (at least in science) usually focused on a very niche branch of that subject.

Having a Masters in Criminology does not translate into criminal mastermind. I've read over 30 books about US Navy SEALs, but if I drive down to San Diego, they'd fail me before I got out of the parking lot. Being knowledgeable about US Navy Special Warfare does not make one a SEAL. Being educated in Criminology does not make one Ted Bundy.

Being a killer makes you Ted Bundy.

Here's something to consider, I've never killed anyone. Not on purpose nor by accident. This means I have no clue what it is like to kill someone. There is a huge experience gap when it comes to the ability of assess the actions of a killer by people who have not themselves killed someone. I'm glad I don't have this knowledge, I have friends who've killed in combat, and they carry that act with them even though justified.

This case seems straight-forward. Kohberger became obsessed with one of the girls, stalked them, and killed them. The motive is up for speculation, but it seems that he may have been compelled to act on the night he did because Kaylee was graduating that week. This is supported by the fact that on the night of the murders, there was a hit and run accident across the street from Kohberger's apartment building, meaning the street in front of his place was packed with police cars, and would be for the rest of the night. He went anyway. Why risk being seen on police dashcams? Why not go another night? That night, in his mind, was his last shot.

This isn't rocket science. And you'd be disturbed at how many rocket scientists who stay at my motel can't figure out how to work the in-room air conditioners.

[Stacyhs]

Originally Posted by Vixen

It is part of the picture, as Kohberger seems to have been tasked with the thesis of 'getting inside the mind of a criminal'. He last communicated with Bolger (Zoom?) 14 Nov 2022, the day after the killings. In addition, another of his lecturers had one-to-one communication with a notorious serial killer, BCT (Rader).

Kohberger wasn't 'tasked' with his thesis; it's what he chose as his thesis. What relevance is it at all that "another of his lecturers had one-to-one communication with a notorious serial killer, BCT (Rader)"?

Quote:

I cannot see that Kohberger is at all 'brilliant' or how someone can get an MA 'online' in a few months.

Since you don't know him and Bolger does, her opinion on his "brilliance" carries far more weight than yours. For some reason, you seem rather offended that she described him as 'brilliant'.
A fellow graduate student in criminology at WSU, Ben Roberts, described him as "an incredibly strong student."

One most certainly can get an MA online...and it wasn't a 'few months'; it was a normal 2 year master's program from a fully accredited brick and mortar university. Online courses have the same educational requirements as on-campus courses.

Quote:

His tutor Bolger comes across as a bit of a flake proclaiming to the world that he was one of the best students she ever had.

There it is yet again: the disparaging of Bolger for daring to express her opinion that Kohberger was 'brilliant'. An opinion based on her academic work with him is far more valid than that of someone who has had no contact with him whatsoever.

[gabeygoat]

Originally Posted by Vixen

I can't see how come she has never actually met him given presumably she is the tutor supervising him.
However, my sympathies remain with the victims

Surely you are aware of a recent pandemic and remote meetings?
Also, Everyone's sympathies lie with the victims.

And as asked by others, what does any of this matter?

[autumn1971]

Originally Posted by Thermal

Without going too deep down this rabbit hole:

The Vans thing bugs me too. You never wear your regular stuff, and you dispose of absolutely everything, and not in your own trash. Like, anywhere along that drive from. Washington State to Pennsylvania. All clothes in a bag mixed with other trash and plopped in someone else's commercial dumpster far from your normal routes.

The Vans shoes. My god, the shoes. Talented bad guys know how this works. You wear shoes of a very common style that you personally have never worn, and two sizes too big (wearing extra socks to keep the fit snug). That way any footprint left shows a size and brand that can't be traced to you.

Bad guy 101 is not complicated. Leave your phone on and at home, just like its normal sleeping location and status (assuming a crime during your normal sleeping hours). During your waking hours, stash it somewhere where there are no cameras, if you can pull that off (not as easy nowadays with cameras everywhere). And for gods sake, if you can casually walk out, check to see if you left your weapons ******* sheath (that you hadn't botheted to wipe off previously) laying around. Dispose of everything within hours, being careful not to make a special trip that will be caught on surveillance video.

The only thing this guy did that wasn't bonehead stupid was wearing nitrile gloves.

Yes, but few bad guys do that.
Even “smart” ones.

Well-planned crimes are, when the time comes, impulsive and almost always sloppy and contain a few dozen stupid acts, (the crime being one, but you know what I mean.)

[autumn1971]

Originally Posted by Vixen

No, I think she was most unwise to comment to the press when Kohberger was arrested. Hello? Think of the families of the four murder victims and here's the suspect's tutor appearing to be singing the suspect's praises. OK, so that was naive of her and I dare say she is horrified. However, I can't see how come she has never actually met him given presumably she is the tutor supervising him.

Doesn't sound very efficient to me. I am sorry you are upset that Kohberger's course credentials have come under scrutiny. However, my sympathies remain with the victims (including Bolger as a professor duped) and looking at how things could have been done better. As Bolger commented, then her comment is in the public domain for the public to express an opinion on it. Some posters here have taken it at face value that Kohberger is a brilliant PhD student because of her words. I remain sceptical that he is of the right material to be doing a PhD in Criminal Justice.


That is only my opinion. If you want to change it, you need to present a better debating tool from your debating toolkit than the old standby of telling me off.

I hear from experts that submarine tracks were found outside the apartment. And it’s impossible that the victims died in the 36.45”’”.

[Thermal]

Originally Posted by autumn1971

Yes, but few bad guys do that.
Even “smart” ones.

Well-planned crimes are, when the time comes, impulsive and almost always sloppy and contain a few dozen stupid acts, (the crime being one, but you know what I mean.)

Yeah, I guess only the most cold blooded of calculating killers would be so meticulous. Knifing four people is coming from the more unhinged contingent, so the Oceans 11 approach should be ruled out from word go.

[Stacyhs]

Originally Posted by Vixen

From NY Post:

NY Post


To me, it is mindboggling that she never even interviewed him in person. De Salles really need to look into their selection processes.

Why? Why would she need to interview him in person when she worked with him on his Master's thesis? She formed her opinion on his ability to successfully complete a Ph.D. program on his academics. She wasn't recommending him based on his personal life.

You are criticizing DeSales' selection process when you know virtually nothing about it.
The US News and World Report ranks DeSales online Criminal Justice Program as #27 out of 81 in the country.

[Stacyhs]

Originally Posted by Vixen

All I said was that I was sceptical Kohberger was that brilliant, and in addition, hewas only a first-year PhD student plus his tutor saying he was one of the most brilliant student she had had, after his 'online' MA course. Someone else disputed this.

No, you said "Some posters here have taken it at face value that Kohberger is a brilliant PhD student because of her words. I remain sceptical that he is of the right material to be doing a PhD in Criminal Justice."

We take it at face value because she worked with him so has first hand knowledge about it. Your skepticism is based on no evidence her opinion is incorrect...as is the opinion of the "someone else [who] disputed this".

You keep making a point that he was 'only a first-year Ph.D. student" as if that has any relevancy. It doesn't.

Originally Posted by Vixen

However, my opinion remains the same. I daresay Prof Bolger believes that because she selected him he must be special but that is a typical halo effect that people have about their decisions.

Yet another disparaging assumption made about Bolger.

Originally Posted by Vixen

I have no doubt at all that she is another unwitting victim of his.
Cynically using the course to have access to laboratories and databases, and seeming to have the perfect cover, as a respected academic.

Right...Kohberger's genius plan to spend 8 years and about $182,000 in getting a B.S. in psychology ($33,500 per year), a master's in criminal justice ($23,850), and a Ph.D. ($24,000) just so he could get access to laboratories and databases and a cover as a respected academic.
(all costs taken from DeSales' website)

Originally Posted by Vixen

Getting onto a PhD programme has nothing to do with seeming 'brilliant'. You have to find a sponsor to fund the expected years of research and you need to outline what your line of research will be together with an academic track record that you have the necessary skill and basic education to progress. Kohberger did a two-year associate BA course up to 2018 and then started a BA course for two years up to 2020. He then did a short MA course.

According to WSU's website: "Three original letters of recommendation from persons qualified to speak to your academic qualifications and potential. At least one of the letters of recommendation must be from a professor with a Ph.D. degree." I guess Kohberger duped two others into thinking he was Ph.D. material.

Stop saying he did a 'short'/few months MA course. He did a standard 2 year accredited course.

Originally Posted by Vixen

OK so it is a theoretical study of Criminal Justice up to July 2022. He then commenced the PhD in Autumn 2022. We have yet to be appraised of what exactly makes Kohberger one of only two students Prof Bolger has ever put forward for a PhD, given she has been a lecturer or research academic for eight years or more, given he doesn't seem to have started his degree courses until quite late in the day.

First you criticize Bolger for expressing her opinion that he was one of the most brilliant students she ever had and now you want to be "appraised of what exactly makes Kohberger one of only two students Prof Bolger has ever put forward for a PhD"? Does she owe anyone a detailed explanation for her opinion? No.

What does when he started his degree program have to do with anything? He's 28 meaning he started his degree programs when he was 22. Considering that he was a heroin addict in his senior year of high school and after, I don't think the fact he had to get clean and his act together before starting school is relevant.

Originally Posted by Vixen

I can't see in which way he shows academic inclination nor any signs of brilliance, if he thinks that switching his phone off before a murder makes him invisible. That is my opinion.

What makes you think he thought it made him 'invisible' at all?

[Stacyhs]

Originally Posted by Thermal

Yeah, that's my point. Much is being made of his brilliance and for being one of only two students recommended for the PhD program. Who cares? Are we supposed to be swooning over his genius?

Apparently you and Vixen care as you're the two who keep challenging Bolger's remark. Vixen was the first to question his "material" as a Ph.D. student and you the next.
No one is 'swooning' over anything; we simply don't agree with Vixen's and your assessments that Bolger is somehow not entitled to give her opinion on his academic intellectual level or its accuracy and/or not being Ph.D. material/ and or is 'stone dumb'.

Originally Posted by Thermal

The hell he ain't. Drove his own car to the murders.

So did Ted Bundy. So did the Golden State Killer. So did the Green River Killer. All got away with serial killing for many years.

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Carried his gps equipped cel phone there.

The night of the murder, his GPS did not show him at the house.

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Left the goddamed knife sheath there, complete with familial DNA on it.

That wasn't intentional. He may have gotten spooked when he heard one of the roommates downstairs making noise and left in a hurry. Unexpected things do happen.

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Disappeared from his grad program after the murders.

No, he did not disappear from his grad program.
"The Idaho murder suspect had finished his first semester as a PhD student in the school's criminal justice program earlier in December." The murders were Nov. 13. If he just disappeared, he wouldn't have been able to finish the semester in Dec.

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Showed up in the #1 most likely place to find him.

You mean his own apartment? Or to his parents' home? He didn't know that the police suspected him then. What else should he have done? Drawn attention to himself by disappearing from his job and school?

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This guy is stone dumb, especially having studied criminology. I mean, when I went Christmas shopping for my wife, I left my phone and smartwatch at home, and brought cash, when I went to get her some stuff that I wanted to be a surprise, because she could track me on our family plan phones and see where I was buying on our shared bank account. It ain't that ******* complicated to keep a low profile.

Irrelevant.