Idaho Murder Suspect Brian Kochberger’s Defense Team Hires Crime Scene Reconstruction Expert

The defense of murder accused Brian Kochberger has hired an experienced Washington state crime scene reconstruction expert.

Forensic scientist Matthew Nodel, owner and operator of Noedel Scientific, and his team spent five hours at a house at 1122 King Street in Moscow, where four University of Idaho students were brutally wounded on November 13.

While Kochberger appeared before a Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday and agreed to an extradition to Idaho, Nodel’s team carefully searched the interior of the three-story home and the perimeter of the property, which had previously been combed by police forensics for evidence.

The Post confirmed with Moscow police that Kochberger’s legal team, including his state-appointed attorney Ann Taylor, was at home on Tuesday.

Nodel was seen entering and leaving the house wearing white gloves and surgical foot covers over his shoes.

According to his website, Nodel specializes in crime scene reconstruction, blood trail analysis, and shooting reconstruction.

Kevin S. Downes for NY Post

Kevin S. Downes for NY Post

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He claims to have over 30 years of experience in the field and provides 2D and 3D models of his findings when he is called to testify as an expert in court.

“Assessment and investigation of bloodstains at a crime scene is often overlooked and misunderstood,” according to the Noedel Scientific website. “Blood stains can exist on clothing, walls hidden behind baseboards or under carpets. Don’t underestimate the importance of bloodstains.”

Here is the latest report on the brutal murders of four college friends:

Over the years, Nodel has been called as an expert defense witness in numerous shocking cases, including the trial of Christopher Cruz, who was charged with the 2015 murder of his wife Jeanette Pigman-Cruz in Worthington, Ohio.

Nodel offered a second opinion on the analysis of the firearm and crime scene in the Kruse case, and was eventually acquitted by the jury after 12 hours of deliberation.

Nodel was also used as an expert in the investigation into the death of rapper Tupac Shakur.

Paul Martinka

Paul Martinka

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Kochberger is accused of killing 21-year-old Madison Mogen, 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin of University of Idaho students on November 13 in their rented house in Moscow.

The three female victims lived in the home with two other women, Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen, who emerged unharmed and somehow overslept during the killings.

“There was blood everywhere. We have investigators who have been working for 20, even 30 years, and they say they have never seen anything like this, ”a police source told the Daily Mail at the time.

The blood trail oozing from the house’s foundation is still visible and has been untouched for over a month.

Kochberger, 28, a criminology graduate student who attended nearby Washington State University, was arrested Dec. 30 at his parents’ home in Monroe County, Pennsylvania.

Plans to bring in a private crime scene cleanup crew were canceled last week after a judge ordered the house to be kept. This location remains an active crime scene with yellow police tape still surrounding the house.

The Post reached out to Nodel for comment, but on Tuesday a judge barred anyone connected to him from speaking to the media or the public in the case.

Kochberger is expected to testify in court on Wednesday on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.