MOSCOW, Idaho – A new book, written by author Howard Blum, claims to reveal the target of the Idaho murders. It’s titled “When the Night Comes Falling: A Requiem for the Idaho Student Murders.”
“I believe his target was Maddie (Madison Mogen),” Blum said.
Blum calls the book a suspenseful, richly detailed narrative of the murders and the manhunt for accused suspect, Bryan Kohberger, but the family of one of the victims calls it fiction.
“I think it’s a story that will have people turning the pages, wondering what happens next,” Blum said.
The author told NonStop Local on Tuesday why he believes Maddie was the target in the murders: “When the suspect gets into the house, he enters it through the kitchen door. There are two bedrooms on the second floor. He could’ve gone into either one of them if the intent was just random, manic murders. But instead, he goes up one flight (of stairs) deliberately and then he goes into the bedroom of Maddie Mogen,” Blum said.
The timeline of how Moscow Police believe the suspect murdered the victims has not been released to the public due to the gag order in this case.
Blum said Tuesday that the book also talks about how the murders changed the victims families forever, however, he acknowledges that he never directly spoke with the family members.
In a statement sent to NonStop Local, Kaylee Goncalves’ parents said, “Mr. Blum’s book in our opinion is fiction. We have never spoken with Mr. Blum about the contents of his book. As a seasoned writer Mr. Blum has learned to write in a way that as long as he claims his information came from a source, he is protected. But all this book does is tell a STORY by Mr. Blum, a version made up by him relying on sources that have no responsibility or duty to speak the truth. Just another book and another dollar to be made on the deaths of 4 young college students. Thank you again for your support of our family and we appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers.”
Blum, a former New York Times author, also writes about what he calls the growing suspicions Kohberger’s father had while the search was on for whoever murdered the four students. Kohberger’s father, Michael, drove across the country back to their home in Pennsylvania in a white Hyundai Elantra, which at the time, police were looking for.
“I have (been) given understanding, talking to people, that the father was becoming increasingly aware that something wasn’t right,” Blum said.
The author said he believes that Kohberger is the person responsible for the crime.
“After looking at the case for really two years now, I’m convinced that there’s too much evidence that comes together. It all coalesces to make the case that Bryan Kohberger’s guilty,” Blum said.
A TV series will be produced based off of the book, according to Blum, but a timeline for production is unknown at this point.
