The killer who stabbed four students to death in Idaho might show up at their funerals to “take pleasure” in thinking they got away with the crime, a retired FBI agent said. In some cases, perpetrators show up at their victim’s funeral services — and there’s a 50 percent chance that will happen for the murdered Idaho University students, FBI profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole believes.
The mass murderer remains a fugitive and police have not yet named a suspect or motive for the attack.
If they are known to the victims’ relatives – and therefore someone close to a victim – they can go unnoticed at a service.
Ms O’Toole, who once worked in the agency’s prestigious Behavioral Analysis unit, told Fox News Digital: “Sometimes perpetrators show up.
“They might like to think they got away with the crime, and so going to a service like this where they can walk around and people not realize who they are can certainly lead to that kind of selfish response.”
The four students — Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20 — were killed around 3 a.m. on Nov. 13 while sleeping in their beds.
Police confirmed that best friends Ms. Gonclaves and Ms. Mogen were killed sleeping in their own bedrooms on the third floor, while housemate Ms. Kernodle and her friend Mr. Chapin were killed in a bed on the second floor.
John Kelly, a criminal profiler and psychotherapist, told Express.nl“This killer must have been incredibly confident in himself to enter a house in the middle of the morning and stab four students.”
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He said the fact that the perpetrator killed four students and went undetected for more than two weeks suggests they are confident in their abilities to “get away” with the bloody murder.
Similarly, Ms O’Toole said the brutality of the crime makes it more likely that the suspect or suspects would take the risk of attending the funerals.
She said the odds of them showing up are 50-50.
“There’s an arrogance about this crime, there’s a high-risk nature,” noting that the perpetrator entered a home occupied by six people “where there was every conceivable possibility he could have been kicked,” she added.
It comes after victim Kaylee Goncalves’ father said he was deeply concerned that the killer might show up at the emotional service.
Steve Goncalves told ABC News, “My wife’s biggest fear, part of the reason we didn’t have a funeral, is because she couldn’t guarantee that monster wouldn’t be there.”
Detectives are expected to closely monitor and observe the burials of the victims.
Police confirmed they closely monitored and photographed the University of Idaho candlelight vigil held on campus Wednesday.
This was just in case the killer decided to show up.