Bryan Kohberger evidence unveils ‘Operation Turtle Shell’ transport plan

(NewsNation) — Authorities in Washington state have released documents related to the investigation into Bryan Kohberger, who was sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing four Idaho college students in 2022, which include his “Hi-Risk” transport plan back to Idaho after his arrest.

The documents were posted to the website for the city of Pullman, where Kohberger studied criminology at Washington State University at the time of the killings.

Records revealed a plan called “Operation Turtle Shell” to transport Kohberger from Pennsylvania, where he was arrested, to Moscow.

“Due to this heightened awareness, the potential for unforeseen threats related to the transport of Mr. Kohenberger, and the potential for information compromise due to Media overwatch, Mr. Kohenderger’s transport had been deemed Hi-Risk,” transport documents stated, spelling his name incorrectly.

Under the plan, Kohberger was flown to Washington and then driven under high security to Idaho.

“Mr. Kohenberger is to be secured and placed into a ballistic vest and helmet (Cpt. S. Anderson,
Det. Hazelbaker, Cpl. Duke) and placed into the prisoner compartment of the designated transport
vehicle,” documents revealed.

Kohberger was a graduate student at Washington State University in Pullman at the time of the murders, and authorities there have been a part of the investigation.

Surveillance cameras recorded a white Elantra, consistent with Kohberger’s car, leaving Pullman on the night of the murders and returning to the city later that morning. Cellphone tower data also tracked Kohberger’s phone returning to Pullman the same night.

Bryan Kohberger wanted to work with Pullman police department

Kohberger emailed back and forth with the Pullman chief of police about a Ph.D. graduate research assistant position, records showed.

He interviewed for the position on April 12, 2022, seven months before the killings in Idaho.

In an email to former Pullman police Chief Gary Jenkins, Kohberger wrote: “It was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share my thoughts and excitement regarding the research assistantship for public safety.”

Bryan Kohberger briefly suspected of attack on Pullman student

According to a report from police in Pullman, Kohberger was briefly under suspicion in Pullman regarding a break-in at an apartment belonging to four university students in 2021.

Further investigation found he was not connected to the incident.

A woman who was 20 at the time told police a male wearing a burgundy ski mask and holding a knife entered her bedroom as she slept, a report stated.

The woman said she kicked the intruder in the stomach as he got closer, and he ran out of the room. She and a roommate then called the police.

After Kohberger was arrested in 2022 for the killings in Idaho, police revisited the incident, believing he may have been the intruder in Pullman.

However, the investigation determined Kohberger did not live in the area at the time and was not on the campus for any recruiting events.

Pullman police discussed Kohberger’s application after murders

Messages between former Pullman Police Chief Jake Opgenorth and administrative assistant Darby Baldwin revealed talks on how to handle a potential fallout from Kohberger’s application to the police’s fellowship program.

“People are definitely picking up on the fact that Kohberger applied to be our research fellow. I already forwarded you a couple of media inquiries specific to that (I assume the gag order isn’t relevant since it’s not part of the criminal case), but I am also seeing buzz about it on social media,” Baldwin wrote to Ogenorth.

He replies: “We were not talking to media just playing it safe with the gag order.”

Baldwin replied: “Copy. So it’s ok for me to come up with a canned response for those inquiries?”

The exchange then shows that the matter was to be handled by the city attorney’s office.

Read the documents here.