Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining us now is Howard Bloom, the author of the
book When the Night Comes Falling Requiem for the Idaho
student murders and the Brian Cooberger trial wrapping up with
a plea bargain that took place, And he didn't say
much yesterday in court, basically guilty four different times when
the prosecution or judge read the charges and how do
you plead? And that was it. Howard, welcome in. Thank
(00:21):
you so much for being with me this morning. Glad
to be with you, so first of all, quickly your
thoughts on how this whole thing played out. It seemed
to me the prosecution had a pretty good case, lots
of good evidence, and all of a sudden they did
a sharp left turn and said, all right, we'll do
a plea bargain.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I think you're exactly right. I think the prosecution made
a pragmatic but very cynical deal. They just wanted this
whole case to go away. Everything was lining up in
the state's favor. The week before the plea deal was made,
the judges thrown out Coburger's team attempt to introduce the
(01:01):
possibility that other perpetrators had been involved. The judge said
that was just sheer speculation. It can't be introduced. The
judge had also thrown out Coburger's alibi. Coburger had said
he was off in the woods looking at the stars
at four am and with no witnesses, and the judge
said that's not an alibi. Everything was falling in place,
(01:23):
but the state of Idaho, the prosecution decided, we just
want this case to disappear, and that's what happened, and
with it now that it's been he's pled guilty. Will
never get answers. The families will never get answers to
many of the questions, the perplexing mysteries that still surround
this case.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, to me, when I talk with people about this ending,
it's kind of like the families. Two of them are
okay with it and want to move on. He's going
to jail forever and we'll take that. The other side
is completely disgusted with it, hates it wasn't one bit notified.
They either got a letter or an email stating what
was going to happen with this, And most people I've
(02:05):
talked to said, all right, well, I get the prosecution
doing this because it's a guarantee for consecutive life sentences.
He's not going to walk. The other side's like, well,
wait a minute. I mean this guy didn't have to
explain himself, give up anything about where the murder weapon is,
why he did it, why them no details required. Could
the judge have not said, look, all right, I'll allow
(02:27):
this plea bargain to go forward, but the court wants
to know X, Y and Z, and we're going to
give the questions or let the family write the questions
if they want to get answers. I mean, it's like, Okay,
you're guilty and he gets to walk away from it.
All'll say, well, dang a whole lot a minute, I
want to know a little bit more about this.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I agree with you one hundred percent. The judge, he
too wanted to go away. When the judge took this case,
Judge Hitler, maybe his first moment in the court room,
first statement was I'd like to say I'm happy to
be here, but I'm not. He too wanted this to
go away. The university also off Idaho wanted to go away.
(03:09):
They literally demolished the house where the murders occurred so
they couldn't go through it. During the trial. Everyone involved,
the police chief retired. Everyone wanted this just to end
with all these mysteries, and we'll never get the answer.
I mean, Coburger might someday share some sort of contrived theory,
(03:31):
but we'll never know why he picked these four young kids,
or did he as I write in my book, and
I think is accurate that he targeted only one of
the women. Women, She was his target and everyone else
was collateral damage. Will never know where the murder weapon is.
We'll never know how he was able to get out
of the house without leaving a trail of blood. There
(03:53):
was so much blood in that house on King Road
that there were photographs of blood rivlets being down the
side of the foundation. If there was no blood in
Coburger's car, no scratches on him, and no traces in
his apartment, these are all mysteries that will remain mysteries.
And I think it was a deeply unsatisfying and cynical moment.
(04:16):
I think it's a victory for Coburger's defense team. They
saved their client from the firing squad, but I don't
think justice was served.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
I agree with you, Howardy, when you decided to write
the book, when the night comes falling a Requiem for
the Ido Student Murders. What did you want to accomplish
in the book and what is the premise of the
most of the book and where you went with it?
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Well, the book, the subtitle, as you said, is Requiem
for the Idaho student Murderers. And I wanted to detail
the lives of the four young people. And they were admirable, exuberant, handsome,
good looking young people, and I wanted to memorialize their lives.
I didn't want their lives just to be summed up
by their murders. I also wanted to talk about the
(04:59):
police and the investigation, how they put this case together,
how there was one bit of evidence DNA and a
button snap that led to everything else. And I wanted
to talk about Coburger and his family. I think Coburger's
family is a key element in this. The book begins
and is centered around a trip that Coburger takes during
(05:21):
the just before Christmas vacation from Washington State where he
was studying, back to his home in Pennsylvania. And he's
sitting with his father, his sixty eight year old father,
in the white HONDEI a Lantra, and they're on the
road for four days. Twice during this trip they're stopped
by police on routine traffic stops. And I think during
(05:43):
the course of this trip, the father is coming to
the realization that, oh my gosh, yeah, my son right
might really be the monster that I think he is. Yef,
the father can't really make that leap, he can't really
say it out loud.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Well, Howard, I really appreciate your time this morning. Howard Bloom,
the author of When the Night Comes Falling, a Requiem
for the Idaho student Murders. Thank you so much, Howard.
Looking forward to reading the book and talk soon.
Joining us now is Howard Bloom, the author of the
book When the Night Comes Falling Requiem for the Idaho
student murders and the Brian Cooberger trial wrapping up with
a plea bargain that took place, And he didn't say
much yesterday in court, basically guilty four different times when
the prosecution or judge read the charges and how do
you plead? And that was it. Howard, welcome in. Thank
(00:21):
you so much for being with me this morning. Glad
to be with you, so first of all, quickly your
thoughts on how this whole thing played out. It seemed
to me the prosecution had a pretty good case, lots
of good evidence, and all of a sudden they did
a sharp left turn and said, all right, we'll do
a plea bargain.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I think you're exactly right. I think the prosecution made
a pragmatic but very cynical deal. They just wanted this
whole case to go away. Everything was lining up in
the state's favor. The week before the plea deal was made,
the judges thrown out Coburger's team attempt to introduce the
(01:01):
possibility that other perpetrators had been involved. The judge said
that was just sheer speculation. It can't be introduced. The
judge had also thrown out Coburger's alibi. Coburger had said
he was off in the woods looking at the stars
at four am and with no witnesses, and the judge
said that's not an alibi. Everything was falling in place,
(01:23):
but the state of Idaho, the prosecution decided, we just
want this case to disappear, and that's what happened, and
with it now that it's been he's pled guilty. Will
never get answers. The families will never get answers to
many of the questions, the perplexing mysteries that still surround
this case.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, to me, when I talk with people about this ending,
it's kind of like the families. Two of them are
okay with it and want to move on. He's going
to jail forever and we'll take that. The other side
is completely disgusted with it, hates it wasn't one bit notified.
They either got a letter or an email stating what
was going to happen with this, And most people I've
(02:05):
talked to said, all right, well, I get the prosecution
doing this because it's a guarantee for consecutive life sentences.
He's not going to walk. The other side's like, well,
wait a minute. I mean this guy didn't have to
explain himself, give up anything about where the murder weapon is,
why he did it, why them no details required. Could
the judge have not said, look, all right, I'll allow
(02:27):
this plea bargain to go forward, but the court wants
to know X, Y and Z, and we're going to
give the questions or let the family write the questions
if they want to get answers. I mean, it's like, Okay,
you're guilty and he gets to walk away from it.
All'll say, well, dang a whole lot a minute, I
want to know a little bit more about this.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
I agree with you one hundred percent. The judge, he
too wanted to go away. When the judge took this case,
Judge Hitler, maybe his first moment in the court room,
first statement was I'd like to say I'm happy to
be here, but I'm not. He too wanted this to
go away. The university also off Idaho wanted to go away.
(03:09):
They literally demolished the house where the murders occurred so
they couldn't go through it. During the trial. Everyone involved,
the police chief retired. Everyone wanted this just to end
with all these mysteries, and we'll never get the answer.
I mean, Coburger might someday share some sort of contrived theory,
(03:31):
but we'll never know why he picked these four young kids,
or did he as I write in my book, and
I think is accurate that he targeted only one of
the women. Women, She was his target and everyone else
was collateral damage. Will never know where the murder weapon is.
We'll never know how he was able to get out
of the house without leaving a trail of blood. There
(03:53):
was so much blood in that house on King Road
that there were photographs of blood rivlets being down the
side of the foundation. If there was no blood in
Coburger's car, no scratches on him, and no traces in
his apartment, these are all mysteries that will remain mysteries.
And I think it was a deeply unsatisfying and cynical moment.
(04:16):
I think it's a victory for Coburger's defense team. They
saved their client from the firing squad, but I don't
think justice was served.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
I agree with you, Howardy, when you decided to write
the book, when the night comes falling a Requiem for
the Ido Student Murders. What did you want to accomplish
in the book and what is the premise of the
most of the book and where you went with it?
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Well, the book, the subtitle, as you said, is Requiem
for the Idaho student Murderers. And I wanted to detail
the lives of the four young people. And they were admirable, exuberant, handsome,
good looking young people, and I wanted to memorialize their lives.
I didn't want their lives just to be summed up
by their murders. I also wanted to talk about the
(04:59):
police and the investigation, how they put this case together,
how there was one bit of evidence DNA and a
button snap that led to everything else. And I wanted
to talk about Coburger and his family. I think Coburger's
family is a key element in this. The book begins
and is centered around a trip that Coburger takes during
(05:21):
the just before Christmas vacation from Washington State where he
was studying, back to his home in Pennsylvania. And he's
sitting with his father, his sixty eight year old father,
in the white HONDEI a Lantra, and they're on the
road for four days. Twice during this trip they're stopped
by police on routine traffic stops. And I think during
(05:43):
the course of this trip, the father is coming to
the realization that, oh my gosh, yeah, my son right
might really be the monster that I think he is. Yef,
the father can't really make that leap, he can't really
say it out loud.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Well, Howard, I really appreciate your time this morning. Howard Bloom,
the author of When the Night Comes Falling, a Requiem
for the Idaho student Murders. Thank you so much, Howard.
Looking forward to reading the book and talk soon.
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