MOSCOW, Idaho — Moscow Police are constantly reiterating that they “do not want to compromise the integrity of this investigation,” but it’s for good reason.
The gravity of the heinous murders of four University of Idaho students is taking a toll on the community, as well as law enforcement.
“You don’t just shut it off. Not on this, I can do a lot of things and shut it off, but not this,” Moscow Police Chief James Fry said.
They’re relentlessly searching for leads, and justice for the victims and their families.
“We will continue to push, we will continue to work hard until we get an end to this,” Fry said.
Little information that detectives gather is being shared with the public. Sam Newton is a criminal law professor with U of I’s College of Law, and spoke on why few details are being released to the public.
“What the fear is often, you don’t want to tip off your hand as to what evidence you have,” Newton said.
Newton has an extensive background as a defense attorney and his expertise has been used in the Lori Daybell murder case.
He says there’s a lot at stake when releasing information in the midst of investigations, particularly when law enforcement begin narrowing in on suspects.
“You don’t want to be putting that information out in the media as to what you have and what you know because you don’t want to tip off that person so that they flee the jurisdiction,” Newton said.
Additionally, releasing a lot of information puts investigators at a disadvantage during interrogations.
“If we interview somebody and they know something nobody should know, that’s giving us a sense of this person is involved,” he said.
Newton says each case is different, but with crimes of this magnitude, we have to be patient.
He also says they’ve brought on experts who are well versed in these types of investigations, and they’re being incredibly thorough to make sure they get the right person.