Bryan Kohberger Evidence Bombshell: Ka-Bar Knife Would Have Been Tossed From Court as Prosecution 'Faced Problems,' Crime Author Claims

Bryan Kohberger's defense team was set to argue that the knife used to butcher four University of Idaho co-eds should be thrown out as evidence had the case actually gone to trial, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Instead, the 31-year-old took a last-minute plea deal, confessing to the horrific crimes in exchange for four sentences of life in prison, sparing him the death penalty.

As Radar reported, Kohberger killed Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20 in November, 2022.

Police zeroed in on Kohberger after the Idaho state lab later located a single source of male DNA left on the button snap of a knife sheath located in Mogen's bedroom near bloodied sheets.

But a new book reveals there are questions about how that crucial evidence was handled. According to Broken Plea: The Explosive Search for Truth Behind the Idaho Murders, investigative author Christopher Whitcomb, the evidence bag appears to have been filled in twice. Once on the bag itself, and later on a sticker attached to the front.

That could cause concerns over the items' "chain of custody."

"It is plausible for someone to argue that the chain of custody would have led to significant problems for the prosecution in presenting evidence of any kind of DNA," he told Fox News Digital. "And if that were to be excluded, then you have a white car and you have the cell tower pings."

"I would say, fundamentally, looking at this case fundamentally, that problem is the biggest problem the prosecution would have had."

Brent Turvey, a criminologist and forensic scientist hired by the defense, first noticed the issue while filing a report.

"The problem is, a chain of custody form is supposed to be something that is created live," Turvey told Fox. "So, if I take a bag of evidence and I retrieve it, I sign that I've retrieved it, put my signature on it, the date, you know, that kind of stuff."

He explained: "If this had gone to trial, this piece of evidence should have, by any competent jurist, been ruled inadmissible. In most cases, in most jurisdictions, it would be."

Earlier this year, autopsy documents gave a hint at the horror Kohberger inflicted during his murderous rampage.

Mogen and Goncalves were found in Mogen's bedroom. Mogen was stabbed at least 28 times, which, according to the report, included 13 stab incisions to the scalp, face, and neck; five stab wounds of the chest; and 10 wounds of the upper extremities.

Goncalves had at least 24 stab and incised wounds of the scalp, face, and neck; 11 stab and incised wounds of the chest; and three stab and incised wounds of the upper extremities.

Chapin was found in the bed, and Kernodle was on the floor inside her room. Chapin had one stab wound of the upper chest; four stab and incised wounds of the scalp, face, and neck; six incised wounds of the upper extremities; and six stab and incised wounds of the lower extremities.

Kernodle was reportedly the only one of the four awake during the attack and tried to fight back. Her body was left the most disfigured, with at least 67 stab wounds, including abrasions and contusions of the head, torso and extremities.

A month before the promising young adults were senselessly killed, Kohberger, who was a graduate student at nearby Washington State University studying criminal justice, purchased a set of knives.

Investigators traced the murder weapon back to Kohberger's purchase.

While investigators initially believed the suspect could have intentionally left the sheath at the crime scene, possibly to serve as a red herring, Kohberger later confessed to accidentally leaving the cover behind in a state of panic.