MOSCOW, Idaho — Some students at the University of Idaho will be carrying mace and heavy flashlights when they return to campus this week for a new semester, less than two weeks after a suspect was arrested in the murders of four fellow students.
As they unpacked bags and boxes over the weekend, students at the University of Idaho and Washington State University in nearby Pullman, where the suspect had been enrolled, expressed relief and caution in the aftermath of the arrest following a six-week search.
Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested Dec. 30 and charged with four counts of murder in the Nov. 13 stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Arizona; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho.
At the University of Idaho, where classes begin Wednesday, senior Lucy Selph was moving into her on-campus residence, less than 10 minutes from the off-campus house where the victims were stabbed to death with what investigators believe was a large, fixed-blade knife.
Among her must-have accessories this semester is a heavy flashlight with a strobe function that doubles as a baton. It’s one of several safety items wary students said they would be carrying.
“I’m already a pretty cautious person, so I think this is just going to reinforce my antisocial behavior,” she said jokingly.
A self-described loner, Selph said that despite the arrest, she will likely take extra precautions during her final semester at the university, including always keeping her flashlight nearby when it’s dark.
Selph’s mother, Heather, said she has been anxious about sending her daughter back to campus even with a suspect in jail.
“Oh my gosh — that’s all I can say,” Heather Selph said as tears filled her eyes. “Kids just shouldn’t be afraid to go to school.
“I’m a teacher and with everything in the news … schools should be a safe place.”
University of Idaho sophomore Michaela Green, who recently transferred from Boise State University, said she intends to take a self-defense class offered by the school later this week.
Green’s mother, Jennifer, said she feels better knowing her daughter will learn how to protect herself should the unthinkable happen.

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