A man who previously lived in the home where four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed last month said he often did not hear anything on other floors of the residence, Fox News reports.
The former tenant, Ryan Augusta, lived on the first floor of the house in 2019 and said it was difficult to hear what was happening on the second and third floors of the home unless the noise was excessive, such as when a roommate had the television volume up loudly.
“I wouldn’t have heard it from downstairs,” Augusta told Fox News when asked about sounds on the second and third floors of the house.
Augusta’s interview may help explain why two tenants who were in the house on the first floor did not alert authorities about the slayings when they occurred.
Shortly before noon on November 13, police received a 911 call at the off-campus apartment in Moscow, Idaho, where four students were found savagely stabbed to death: 21-year-old Madison Mogen, 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, 20-year-old Ethan Chapin and 20-year-old Xana Kernodle.
Two of the victims were found on the second floor, and another two were found on the third floor. Investigators believed the perpetrator murdered the victims between 3 and 4 a.m.
The two roommates who were on the first floor were not attacked by the assailant, and police say they do not believe the surviving roommates had anything to do with the murders. The 911 call came from a phone belonging to one of the surviving roommates.
A sixth person was listed on the lease, but that person was not in the residence at the time of the slayings.
Each floor has two bedrooms and a bathroom. When Augusta lived in the house, he said each bedroom had a code lock on the door. Social media images appear to show different types of locks on at least some of the bedroom doors now, according to Fox News.
Augusta, a military veteran, told Fox News that he was unaware of any crime in the neighborhood when he lived there, but the house was known to be a magnet for parties.
“I was concerned for everyone else’s safety at 1122, but that’s because there were so many outrageous parties,” Augusta told Fox News. “I was more worried about drunken hooligans just causing a ruckus.”
Police have yet to identify publicly any suspects in connection with the slayings or locate the murder weapon.
To report information about the case, call 208-883-7180 or email tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.
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[Featured image: Left, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle; Top right: Kaylee Goncalves; Bottom right: Madison Mogen/Instagram]
