# Serial Killer Investigations in the Modern Era: From Idaho Murders to DNA Breakthroughs
In this gripping episode of "City on Edge," Detective Emily Carter explores the latest developments in high-profile serial killer cases making headlines in 2025. Dive into the Moscow, Idaho college murder trial of Bryan Kohberger, where cutting-edge forensic techniques are being showcased in what's becoming the most closely watched murder trial since Bundy. Emily examines how the investigation has evolved from initial crime scene to the upcoming August 2025 trial, offering insights into both the legal proceedings and community impact.
The episode also covers the revolution in cold case investigations through genetic genealogy, highlighted in new documentary series like "Naming the Dead" and "Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House." Detective Carter separates fact from fiction regarding recent New England murder rumors while providing a professional's perspective on how modern technology is transforming investigations. Perfect for true crime enthusiasts interested in the intersection of traditional detective work and emerging forensic science in solving serial murder cases.
In this gripping episode of "City on Edge," Detective Emily Carter explores the latest developments in high-profile serial killer cases making headlines in 2025. Dive into the Moscow, Idaho college murder trial of Bryan Kohberger, where cutting-edge forensic techniques are being showcased in what's becoming the most closely watched murder trial since Bundy. Emily examines how the investigation has evolved from initial crime scene to the upcoming August 2025 trial, offering insights into both the legal proceedings and community impact.
The episode also covers the revolution in cold case investigations through genetic genealogy, highlighted in new documentary series like "Naming the Dead" and "Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House." Detective Carter separates fact from fiction regarding recent New England murder rumors while providing a professional's perspective on how modern technology is transforming investigations. Perfect for true crime enthusiasts interested in the intersection of traditional detective work and emerging forensic science in solving serial murder cases.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Listeners, Welcome back to another episode of City on Edge,
your favorite crime deep dive, led by me, Detective Emily
Carter or M. For those who have rolled their eyes
at my relentless case file trivia more than once. Now
pour yourself that cup of coffee and settle in. We
are dealing with something pretty heavy today. We are talking
about serial killer news and updates straight from the current headlines.
(00:22):
And let me tell you, detective work in this area
has never been more electric or more urgent. As always,
I will break it all down, rookie insights and all,
and give you a sense of how these cases reverberate
through community psychology and change the very fabric of law enforcement.
First up, there is no avoiding the case that has
sucked all the oxygen out of the true crime conversation
(00:43):
for almost three years, the Moscow, Idaho College murders. Even
my instructors at the academy would shake their heads and
mutter about this one, with that low murmur reserved for
the messiest unsolved killings. Four bright students cut down in
their off campus home back in now November twenty twenty two.
Names now etched into the American consciousness. Ethan Chapin, Zana
(01:07):
Kernodle Madison, Mogen Kaylee Gonselevs, the pain and fury in
that small college town. Thrust this case onto every dinner
table across the country. Listen to enough cop chatter and
you will hear one name rise up again and again.
Brian Coburger, former criminology grad student, the kind of person
who should have been listening to lectures on crime, not
(01:29):
starring in one. It is eerie how his background became
a dark mirror for everyone studying forensic psychology. I obsessed
over the court filings, the evidence, the digital trails. I
can tell you a few early beliefs have fizzled, while
others are only getting sharper. This is no cold case anymore.
The state of Idaho has worked overtime. Coburger was arrested
(01:53):
six weeks after the murders at his parents place in Pennsylvania.
He was brought back across the country, facing four counts
of murder and a pill of evidence that will probably
feature in criminal justice textbooks for decades. The prosecutor is
pushing for the death penalty. The defense is combing over
everything from cell phone pings to genetic genealogy. Let us
(02:14):
talk about what is at stake here. After a year
of delays and lots of wrangling about fairness and publicity,
the court has now moved the trial. You can bet
it is tough to find an impartial jury when the
entire Pacific Northwest has staked out positions on the case.
Now a blockbuster trial. Jury selection starts at the end
of July twenty twenty five, and the formal proceedings run
(02:37):
from August through November. Everything will be on the table, motive,
forensic analysis, witness testimony, the works. To anyone wondering why
it is taking so long, welcome to murder trials in
the real world, where every scrap of evidence gets chewed
over for months, and moving a trial three hundred miles
is not just logistics, that is a cultural earthquake. This
(02:59):
will be the most diste trial of its kind since
Bundy may be Dahmer. For a young detective like me,
it is almost like watching crime history in real time.
Fundamentals of evidence, chain of custody, and witness protection are
going to be stress tested right before our eyes. That
is why my old academy instructors always say a high
profile trial is forensic science is crucible where legal theory
(03:20):
hits bloody reality. Now here comes the coaching moment for
US rookies. If you are serious about understanding the evolution
of serial crime investigations, the Coburger trial is not just
about guilt or innocence. Jury psychology is at play. How
do regular citizens process months of digital evidence and haunting
autopsy reports? How do courts balance transparency with the rights
(03:44):
of survivors, families, and a defendant. Everyone in the community
feels this one, even if they have never set foot
in a courtroom. Let me take this chance to throw
a little context for those who love case comparisons. We
have seen the ritual of high profile serial murder cases
before Bundy's Wild Escapes, Gacy, suburban horror House, Son of Sam,
(04:06):
paralyzing New York, Dahmer, haunting Milwaukee. Every time legal process
changed just a little, forensic tools got sharper, cops learned
new tactics. It is no different now. My classmates and
I at the academy once spent a week reconstructing the
Zodiac investigation, just to see how public fear and media
pressure forced detectives to adapt on the fly. In Idaho. Now,
(04:29):
genetic genealogy and social media analysis are front and center,
something barely imaginable in the old days of corded phones
and paper records. But if you think Idaho's the only
active front in the world of serial killer news, let
us look at what else is shaking loose in August
twenty twenty five. Maybe you did not catch it, but
August is documentary madness. According to Streaming Guides, if you
(04:51):
are as obsessed as I am about crime stories told
by the people who lived them or solve them, this
month is for you. Nat Geo and who have just
rolled out Naming the Dead, a six part series that
trails the real life DNA dough Project, those superstar forensic
genealogists who keep putting names to unidentified remains across America.
(05:12):
This is not just true crime for entertainment. The public
is about to get a front row view of how
modern detectives combine old school gumshoe work with scientific firepower.
Each episode focuses on a different cold case and the
hunt for identities that have escaped even the best forensics
for decades. If you want to see the real evolution
of serial murder investigations, it is here. Genetic genealogy databases,
(05:36):
fragmentary evidence, heart wrenching family interviews. Then there's prime videos Abandoned,
the Woman in the Decaying House, diving straight into the
mystery of an unnamed woman whose fate eluded police for years.
The producers have the rare access to official case files,
giving us that inside the tape feel. The docuseries takes
the rookie viewer across the span of forensic investigation, from
(05:59):
scene processing to reconstructing a victim's final days. It is
the closest thing to shadowing a detective on actual co
We can make detectives here. Why we want to live
Listeners, Welcome back to another episode of City on Edge,
your favorite crime deep dive, led by me, Detective Emily
Carter or M. For those who have rolled their eyes
at my relentless case file trivia more than once. Now
pour yourself that cup of coffee and settle in. We
are dealing with something pretty heavy today. We are talking
about serial killer news and updates straight from the current headlines.
(00:22):
And let me tell you, detective work in this area
has never been more electric or more urgent. As always,
I will break it all down, rookie insights and all,
and give you a sense of how these cases reverberate
through community psychology and change the very fabric of law enforcement.
First up, there is no avoiding the case that has
sucked all the oxygen out of the true crime conversation
(00:43):
for almost three years, the Moscow, Idaho College murders. Even
my instructors at the academy would shake their heads and
mutter about this one, with that low murmur reserved for
the messiest unsolved killings. Four bright students cut down in
their off campus home back in now November twenty twenty two.
Names now etched into the American consciousness. Ethan Chapin, Zana
(01:07):
Kernodle Madison, Mogen Kaylee Gonselevs, the pain and fury in
that small college town. Thrust this case onto every dinner
table across the country. Listen to enough cop chatter and
you will hear one name rise up again and again.
Brian Coburger, former criminology grad student, the kind of person
who should have been listening to lectures on crime, not
(01:29):
starring in one. It is eerie how his background became
a dark mirror for everyone studying forensic psychology. I obsessed
over the court filings, the evidence, the digital trails. I
can tell you a few early beliefs have fizzled, while
others are only getting sharper. This is no cold case anymore.
The state of Idaho has worked overtime. Coburger was arrested
(01:53):
six weeks after the murders at his parents place in Pennsylvania.
He was brought back across the country, facing four counts
of murder and a pill of evidence that will probably
feature in criminal justice textbooks for decades. The prosecutor is
pushing for the death penalty. The defense is combing over
everything from cell phone pings to genetic genealogy. Let us
(02:14):
talk about what is at stake here. After a year
of delays and lots of wrangling about fairness and publicity,
the court has now moved the trial. You can bet
it is tough to find an impartial jury when the
entire Pacific Northwest has staked out positions on the case.
Now a blockbuster trial. Jury selection starts at the end
of July twenty twenty five, and the formal proceedings run
(02:37):
from August through November. Everything will be on the table, motive,
forensic analysis, witness testimony, the works. To anyone wondering why
it is taking so long, welcome to murder trials in
the real world, where every scrap of evidence gets chewed
over for months, and moving a trial three hundred miles
is not just logistics, that is a cultural earthquake. This
(02:59):
will be the most diste trial of its kind since
Bundy may be Dahmer. For a young detective like me,
it is almost like watching crime history in real time.
Fundamentals of evidence, chain of custody, and witness protection are
going to be stress tested right before our eyes. That
is why my old academy instructors always say a high
profile trial is forensic science is crucible where legal theory
(03:20):
hits bloody reality. Now here comes the coaching moment for
US rookies. If you are serious about understanding the evolution
of serial crime investigations, the Coburger trial is not just
about guilt or innocence. Jury psychology is at play. How
do regular citizens process months of digital evidence and haunting
autopsy reports? How do courts balance transparency with the rights
(03:44):
of survivors, families, and a defendant. Everyone in the community
feels this one, even if they have never set foot
in a courtroom. Let me take this chance to throw
a little context for those who love case comparisons. We
have seen the ritual of high profile serial murder cases
before Bundy's Wild Escapes, Gacy, suburban horror House, Son of Sam,
(04:06):
paralyzing New York, Dahmer, haunting Milwaukee. Every time legal process
changed just a little, forensic tools got sharper, cops learned
new tactics. It is no different now. My classmates and
I at the academy once spent a week reconstructing the
Zodiac investigation, just to see how public fear and media
pressure forced detectives to adapt on the fly. In Idaho. Now,
(04:29):
genetic genealogy and social media analysis are front and center,
something barely imaginable in the old days of corded phones
and paper records. But if you think Idaho's the only
active front in the world of serial killer news, let
us look at what else is shaking loose in August
twenty twenty five. Maybe you did not catch it, but
August is documentary madness. According to Streaming Guides, if you
(04:51):
are as obsessed as I am about crime stories told
by the people who lived them or solve them, this
month is for you. Nat Geo and who have just
rolled out Naming the Dead, a six part series that
trails the real life DNA dough Project, those superstar forensic
genealogists who keep putting names to unidentified remains across America.
(05:12):
This is not just true crime for entertainment. The public
is about to get a front row view of how
modern detectives combine old school gumshoe work with scientific firepower.
Each episode focuses on a different cold case and the
hunt for identities that have escaped even the best forensics
for decades. If you want to see the real evolution
of serial murder investigations, it is here. Genetic genealogy databases,
(05:36):
fragmentary evidence, heart wrenching family interviews. Then there's prime videos Abandoned,
the Woman in the Decaying House, diving straight into the
mystery of an unnamed woman whose fate eluded police for years.
The producers have the rare access to official case files,
giving us that inside the tape feel. The docuseries takes
the rookie viewer across the span of forensic investigation, from
(05:59):
scene processing to reconstructing a victim's final days. It is
the closest thing to shadowing a detective on actual co
We can make detectives here. Why we want to live
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