Sunday 20 November 2022 06:59 PM Crime expert: University of Idaho murders similar to 'Gainesville Ripper' crimes trends now

A crime expert is now comparing the grizzly murders of the University of Idaho students to the 'Gainesville Ripper' from 1990 whose crimes inspired the 'Scream' franchise. 

Joseph Scott Morgan, a professor of applied forensics at Jacksonville State University, recently told one outlet that he believes the murders of the four students are reminiscent of the crimes that sent shock and panic through Gainesville, Florida, in 1990. 

'I remember back then the parents were terrified at the University of Florida because of this,' Morgan told The Sun. 

'And you see that kind of playing out here too,' the expert continued. 

Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found stabbed to death in off-campus housing in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13. 

Two other roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were at home on the night of the attack but miraculously survived. 

Now, Morgan is making the comparison to slayings by killer Danny Rolling in 1990 that left five young students dead in Florida. 

All of the victims attended Gainesville-area colleges and universities. 

The first two killings occurred August 24, 1990, when Rolling broke into an apartment shared by 17-year-old freshmen Sonja Larson and Christina Powell. The women were both brutally stabbed and posed in sexually provocative positions.

The following evening, on August 25, 18-year-old Christina Hoyt was stabbed to death and decapitated inside her apartment. Her head was left on a shelf.

Then, just two days later, Tracy Paules and her male roommate, Manny Taboada, both 23, were both stabbed to death when the assailant broke into their home.

Paules was raped and her body was left posed. 

Rolling was later identified and arrested in connection to the crimes. He was convicted in 1994 and sentenced to death and executed in 2006.

Morgan told The Sun that the crime in Idaho feels eerily similar to how it is impacting the community.

Police in Moscow have said they cannot confirm there is no threat to the community at this time, leaving many to wonder if the attacker could attempt to harm others. 

'Please stay vigilant, report any suspicious activity and be aware of your surroundings at all times,' police officials said after the murders. 

As for the photo from the Idaho crime scene showing blood dripping out of the house, the forensic expert said, 'I don't know that I have sufficient verbiage for that.' 

'I don't know in all of my years of working multiple death scenes where I ever have seen blood that is seeping outside of a residence.' 

Now, Morgan says it's the unknown, similar to Florida, in the Idaho slayings that is driving many to fear. 

Police also have not been able to confirm if the attack on the students in Idaho was targeted or if the students knew the attacker. 

Morgan said: 'You begin to think, was the perpetrator known so that the victim would let their guard down and open the door for them?'

He also wondered if it could have been 'someone waiting for them back at the apartment.' 

If that's the case, Morgan suggested that police ensure the public is on the same page as the police.

'Everybody needs to be on the same sheet of music,' Morgan said.

'They have got to reassure the community that everybody is OK,' he continued. 

The statements made by Morgan come just days after DailyMail.com revealed that police still have 'no viable suspect' nor any 'evidence that could lead to a suspect.' 

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said the already complex investigation has also been hampered by the Thanksgiving holiday because many potential witnesses are students who have already left the small college town of Moscow for the break.

Speaking in an interview with DailyMail.com, Thompson said: 'I have heard nothing to indicate they have identified a viable suspect or heard evidence that could lead to a suspect.'

He added: 'It could very well be [a lengthy investigation] – I think that all depends on the answers they're able to find

'If they're lucky, they will find answers for who is responsible for this and what happened quickly, or it could be they don't get those answers quickly and have to keep digging.'

Thompson's comments came as the Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt released the official autopsy results and listed stabbing as the cause of death for all four victims.

Mabutt told NBC News the four had 'extensive ' wounds and the murder weapon would have been 'a bigger knife.'

'It's pretty traumatic when you have four dead college students who have been stabbed to death in one location,' Mabbutt said.

'We're looking to see if there are some clues that are on them – some of the suspect's blood, perhaps, or something under somebody's fingernails.'

The crime happened between 3 and 4am, police confirmed. 

Police received a 911 call at 11.38am with a report of an 'unconscious person' but discovered a bloodbath and pronounced all four dead at the property with death officially declared at noon according to the autopsy report.

Sources close to the investigation

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