Consumed by Murders

The city of Moscow, Idaho, had been on edge since four students at the University of Idaho were stabbed to death on Nov. 13 at a house near the campus. Residents mourned the victims — Ethan Chapin, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21 — and worried about the killer remaining on the loose.

Then the authorities arrested a 28-year-old criminology student from the nearby Washington State University, Bryan Kohberger, and on Thursday he made his first court appearance in Idaho, where a judge ordered him held without bail. I spoke to Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, a Times reporter covering the killings, about how they have affected life in Moscow.

Claire: Hi Nicholas, you traveled to Moscow, Idaho, after the police made the arrest. You were also there in November right after the killings. How has the city changed?

Nicholas: There’s relief after a time of so much fear. Students told me about putting rods in their windows to keep them closed, or about calling and receiving calls from their parents multiple times a day. Shortly after the killings, there was a wave of 911 calls about certain things, like hearing a scream, that might not have warranted a call in regular times. That kind of fear has settled down since the police made an arrest. This moment is also bringing a lot of grief and sadness. Now that the search may be over, what’s left is loss.

What impact did the killings have on the city more broadly?

Moscow is a beautiful college town. Students are employees at coffee shops. There are drive-throughs with sandwiches named after the college. There’s a water tower with the University of Idaho logo that looms over the town.

Now there are reminders of the killings pretty much everywhere. There are memorials outside of the crime scene and on campus. Outside a Greek restaurant where some of the victims worked, there are flowers sitting in the snow. Businesses have signs that say “Vandal strong,” a nod to the university’s mascot.

You reported after Thanksgiving that some students didn’t return to campus out of fear. Is that still the case now that winter break is coming to an end?

Students are starting to come back. The University of Idaho has instituted more security, such as more patrols in and around campus. The school is also offering self-defense classes and highlighting a program that gives students someone to walk with at night, so they don’t have to be alone in the dark. But people are still concerned.

There’s a deep desire to know why the police think that this man did this. The suspect has maintained his innocence and has said through a lawyer that he looks forward to being exonerated.

You were in the courtroom on Thursday when Kohberger was charged. What was the mood, and what can you tell us about what we learned that day?

It was tense. I was among a dozen or so reporters who got to the courthouse very early, around 5 a.m., to make sure we had a seat inside. I sat directly behind relatives of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the victims. They were comforting each other as they waited to see the suspect for the first time.

Earlier in the day an affidavit had been unsealed that contained a lot of new details about the crime. It included one chilling passage from the night of the killings, when a surviving housemate of the victims said she stood in “frozen shock” as a man dressed in black walked past her room. But it also left open some of the most burning questions: There is no indication about what the motive could be, and it did not explain why the killer did not attack the two other people living in the house.

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs is a reporter on the National Desk who writes about a range of topics with a focus on criminal justice. He grew up in Aurora, N.Y., a village smaller than a square mile (population: 607).

Related: Here are 10 things we learned from the affidavit.

NEWS

Congress

• Back-room dealings, phone calls from Donald Trump and a narrowly avoided physical altercation: inside the final hours of Kevin McCarthy’s struggle for the speakership.

• The roots of the fight to resist McCarthy’s speakership start with Newt Gingrich’s tenure in the 1990s.

International

• Iran hanged two men, a 22-year-old karate champion and a 39-year-old poultry worker, who participated in protests. At least 13 people have been sentenced to death.

• Ethnic-based battalions and regiments with historical grievances against Russia have been fighting for Ukraine.

• The lack of young employees and scarce pension funds in Japan means many seniors there work well into their 70s.

Other Big Stories

• An animal tranquilizer is infiltrating street drugs, deepening addiction and baffling law enforcement.

• Trying to contain a controversy, a Minnesota university fired a lecturer for showing a painting of the Prophet Muhammad. It backfired.

• A 6-year-old shot a teacher with a handgun in Virginia, the police said, adding that it wasn’t accidental.

• The U.S. approved a vaccine for honeybees. (It comes in the form of food.)

• Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, withdrew from the Australian Open.

FROM OPINION

• McCarthy’s embarrassing struggle to become House speaker was a callback to the pre-Trump Republican Party, Ross Douthat argues.

• Prince Harry’s experiences with his family matter. But not every truth has to be told to the entire world, Patti Davis writes.

• A clean-energy future doesn’t have to mean no flying cars or lunar bases. In fact, it’s what will make those things possible, Ezra Klein argues.

• When anti-vaxxers blame tragedies like Grant Wahl’s death on Covid vaccines, they put us all at risk, says Céline Gounder, an epidemiologist and Wahl’s widow.

The Sunday question: How long will McCarthy last as speaker?

McCarthy’s concessions to win the job made it easier for hard-right lawmakers to oust him, The Los Angeles Times’s Mark Barabak writes, so his tenure could be short. But Democrats looking to cut deals with McCarthy could supply votes to save him if conservatives revolt, Vox’s Andrew Prokop notes.

MORNING READS

Norwegian hobbyists: When darkness falls, these friends find ancient art.

Vows: Tradition was never their thing. Why start with a wedding?

A 20-year-old digital camera: Gen Z is opting for point-and-shoots and blurry photos.

More lanes: Widening highways doesn’t fix traffic. Why are states still doing it?

Sunday routine: The astrologer Jeanna Kadlec cherishes rituals like Tarot card readings and book store outings.

Advice from Wirecutter: The best cans of whole peeled tomatoes.

BOOKS

Adventurers: In three new historical novels, female protagonists push their limits.

By the Book: Leigh Bardugo is wary of imposing limits on young readers.

Our editors’ picks: Choose from among multiple dynasties.

Times best sellers: Action, romance and the supernatural come to life in nine books that make first appearances as mass market monthly best sellers.

The Book Review podcast: Times critics discuss the books of 2022 that stayed with them.

THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE

On the cover: A doctor is on a crusade to treat Boston’s homeless population.

Recommendation: Good fantasy writing is pure magic.

Talk: Iggy Pop isn’t about to whitewash his past.

Eat: Candied orange peel and saffron liven up lamb with rice in this celebratory Afghan dish.

Read the full issue.

THE WEEK AHEAD

What to Watch For

• President Biden will visit the U.S.-Mexico border today before a summit meeting in Mexico City.

• China is ending its quarantine requirements for travelers today, another major shift away from its zero-Covid policies.

• The first federal death penalty trial of the Biden administration begins tomorrow, for a man accused of killing eight people on a bike path in Manhattan in 2017.

• Georgia, last year’s champion, takes on T.C.U. in the college football national championship game on Monday night.

• Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” comes out on Tuesday. (The rollout has been chaotic, but sales are surging.)

• The Golden Globes will air Tuesday night. NBC canceled last year’s show amid an ethics and diversity scandal.

• On Thursday, the U.S. will announce the latest consumer price data. Last month’s report showed inflation slowing more than expected.

• The N.F.L. playoffs begin on Saturday.

What to Cook This Week

The children of Times food writers can be just as picky as anyone else’s. Melissa Clark’s 14-year-old daughter loves her mom’s recipe for skillet chicken with tomatoes, pancetta and mozzarella. Emily Weinstein’s 2- and 5-year-olds love this one-pot recipe for rice and beans. And Yewande Komolafe’s 3-year-old enjoys overnight oats. Here are more kid-friendly recipes.

NOW TIME TO PLAY

Here’s a clue from the Sunday crossword:

37 Down: Literary award shaped like a rocket

Take the news quiz to see how well you followed the week’s headlines.

Here’s today’s Spelling Bee, and today’s Wordle.

Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Claire

Lauren Hard, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Tom Wright-Piersanti and Ashley Wu contributed to The Morning. You can reach the team at themorning@nytimes.com.

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