Idaho Students' Neighbor Breaks Silence as Cops Zero in on White Hyundai

like a scream but like you know it's. like that's like normal like I always. hear like screaming almost every. Saturday night so like I don't really. like think of it. um and so but like uh yeah just looking. back I was like I wonder I wonder if. like. you know that wasn't just like some. drunk dude like screaming like it's. actually like the murder police. collecting surveillance footage from the. night of the killings to an interview. with an interesting neighbor we break. down the latest in the University of. Idaho murder investigation with renowned. former homicide detective Phil Waters.

and True Crime host Lauren Matthias. welcome to sidebar presented by long. crime I'm Jesse Weber. well this investigation is not cold we. get tips every day that are viable we. get dozens and dozens of tips we sort. through and we prioritize them and for. sure some of them are not are not good. tips they're not even relevant to the. case but every single day we get a good. amount of viable tips and those tips.

help us do everything from Clear people. who maybe there was some speculation. about to further some of the theories. that we're working on well it's another. day and still no arrests no suspects no. recovered met weapon in the University. of Idaho quadruple murder case this of. course is the killings of 21 year old. Kaylee gonsalves 21 year old Madison. Mogan 20 year old Zana kernodle and 20. year old Ethan Chapin whose bodies were. found in their off-campus rental home. out in the college town of Moscow as we.

are now in the fourth week there is new. information that is coming to light. about gas station footage and an. interview with a neighbor and we thought. it might be beneficial to do maybe an. in-depth review of where we are right. now so joining me to break all of this. down I am joined by legendary homicide. detective Phil Waters who spent 23 years. in the Houston Police Department he. investigated more than 400 cases Phil. has been incredibly generous with his. time he's been helping us out here on. Long crime to understand the inner.

workings of this investigation and we. are also joined by Lauren Matthias. Lauren was a TV reporter for 10 years. and actually a former Idaho reporter she. is currently the host of the hit and. True Crime podcast and YouTube channel. and she has been actively following this. case Phil Lauren it's great to have you. both here on sidebar happy to be here. I like that you time that both perfectly. at the same time with the thank yous. um Lauren I'm going to start with you. I'm going to start with you because you. did something really interesting you sat.

down and had an interview on your. YouTube channel and podcast with a. neighbor of these students Someone who. lived in that area but I first want to. start with why you approached him for. the interview because the way that I. understand it. he had some activity online and he was. making contradictions about maybe what. he saw and heard so can you summarize. who exactly he is and what he saw and. heard absolutely his name is Enon harsh. a neighbor of the four victims and he.

did make contradictions you're. absolutely right so after the murder the. day after he wrote wow you know my. neighbors and I'm paraphrasing here but. my I learned that my neighbors had been. murdered I didn't hear anything I didn't. hear a scream he later on went on to. edit that post and took out that he. hadn't heard a scream and is recently. saying you know what I might have heard. a scream move forward he did a run at. AMA and in that Reddit AMA he decides to.

mention that he'd met the victims or at. least some of them he mentioned Kaylee. by name in that memory of bringing over. wine and meeting them saying they were. beautiful and joyful all of these things. kept coming and coming and I thought I. have got to talk to this guy what does. he know. and Phil I'm going to get to you in a. second about what your impression. whether with what of your impression of. him in a second the reason I'm going to. do that Phil is because Lauren my. understanding I'm not even my. understanding I was watching your feed. of this and in the chat room people were.

very skeptical of him it seemed to me. and you could correct me if I'm wrong. the people might think he is the actual. killer uh yeah I don't know I think it's. kind of if oh I mean it's almost. hilarious to me that people think I did. it and they're like sending them they're. like telling me like yo you know you did. it and it's like I don't know it's kind. of like. the equivalent to like Flat Earth theory. to me did you think there. think that was strange about uh his. responses and and what were people.

thinking of him I do. do the stranger about his responses I. think that oh I I do want to know again. more about him and I think it's fair. that people are questioning questioning. him in chat and I want to say I know. that a true crime solutes in the True. Crime Community get a lot of flack from. speculating about certain people but I. want to say he is the one that has come. forward let's let's lay that out here. first before we continue he came out and. stated he might have heard a scream he.

came out with the red AMA he has shared. a lot so what we're processing as a true. crime Community right now is things he's. chosen to share with the public I do. want to lay that Foundation here. um I think it's fair that people are. skeptical of him first contradictions. changing stories going as far as editing. his Facebook post to say he heard a. scream or he did not hear extreme excuse. me and now he has possibly maybe heard a.

scream in addition to saying he'd met. the victims that was what was most uh. prominent to me in that that Reddit AMA. wait you've met them he's all he's never. said that before uh and then I thought. it was interesting that he then uh said. he couldn't remember all of their names. in this long Reddit thread and then uh. said refer to Ethan as the boyfriend uh. her boyfriend it was the way he said it. in the Reddit AMA uh referring to Ziana. he mentioned Zanna and Katie by name. said he couldn't remember Maddie.

although he does follow Maddie on. Instagram and then uh said uh her. boyfriend zana's boyfriend he also said. that in the interview with me he called. Ethan the boyfriend twice and I finally. said Ethan's name this is strange to me. for someone that lives next door to. these victims we all know their names. and you don't like what what's going on. here. yeah and and he said on there that you. know some of the nicest neighbors he. loved his neighbors they you know they.

were really nice people Phil for people. who don't know you are not only a. legendary homicide detective but also a. master interrogator you've sat across. from a lot of people trying to get. information from them what was your take. on what you saw from this gentleman and. you know again Lauren's right he came. forward so what's your take on this. who are my impression of him is is that. he has inserted himself into the. investigation for his own purposes. um.

you know I told you before we we get on. the air here that I was most impressed. with his profanities and use of the word. like. so the as I look at his yeah I I will. tell you that as a broadcaster myself I. took a little issue with it I think he. said the word like maybe 23 million. times but other than that I tried to get. to the substance I felt so yeah well it. got to the point where I was I was going. to start counting them just for the. entertainment value but. he I I watch him it's hard to get a.

a real good reading because it's on a. video of course he's on a camera and so. forth and so on it because I'm not. saying the total. uh picture here of him but what I can. see. though through his uh narrative there he. is. using the word like because he's that's. a filler word. he's trying to come up with a a few. seconds there to determine what he's. going to say next and he uses it.

repeatedly hey guys Sean sticks Larkin. here from on Patrol live the holiday. Season's Upon Us and if you're looking. for that perfect gift to stuff down in. that stocking or put under the tree for. somebody else pick up my book breaking. blue real life stories of cops falsely. accused it's a great read something you. don't want to miss you can pick it up on. Amazon. the. body is he's he does a lot of looking. around and I'm not talking about eye. stuff I'm talking about just his.

mannerisms he does a lot of a lot of. this uh and there are a lot of subtle. shoulder shrugs he'll be getting into a. discussion and you'll see that shoulder. start to pump. those things together would indicate to. me if I was sitting in the room with him. and had a better view of him that there. is a possibility of some deception in. what he is saying now the. the description of This SUV now all of a. sudden it has come to light he talks.

about oh yeah it's this really uh you. know hot looking SUV this and that and. he's he's really drawn to those types of. vehicles that's why he noticed it I. think he said that Kaylee drove a Ford. which is not in his mind a really uh you. know High uh high-end uh luxury vehicle. and then he talks about the license. plate was either Arizona or Montana and. then later on he adds in Colorado so I. guess we're going to cover you know kind. of the Midwest the Southwest uh up to. the north uh part of the country of what.

this possible license plate was so a lot. of things there in the discussion that. don't tell me that he's being authentic. and then what Lawrence talked about here. that the the fact that he came out at. the beginning of this and said. I know nothing I didn't hear nothing I. was you know blah blah blah I barely. knew these people and now all of a. sudden in this interview with Lauren all. of a sudden uh he was going to go crash. one of their parties I think is what he.

said so. my impression of him and I I alluded. this uh talked about this with you Jesse. um. in my mind if I'm one of the detectives. he's a suspect. he's about he's a possible suspect. that's the interesting thing right. Lawrence so my understanding is he spoke. with the police this is somebody who. spent time in prison did you get any. sense from him about what he told them. or why they were interested in him I did.

it you know what we do know right now is. that according to him police allegedly. were knocking on many neighbor's doors. the morning of the murders asking if. they had heard anything and he admitted. that they knocked on his store and he. talked to him and he shared what he knew. and he shared about that night. I did ask them specifically in the. interview have you talked to police. since have you talked to law enforcement. since that time he said he had he you. know it wasn't quite clear but it.

sounded as if maybe he went to law. enforcement but but that was not said. that was alluded to so so I'm not quite. sure because I did say did they come to. you did you go to them you said oh I. talked to him yeah could you share more. about that uh no he he said no it was. off record and we moved on because on my. program if someone doesn't want to ask. or answer something we won't we won't. force the issue but he said that was off. record he didn't want to share what that. other conversation at least one. conversation was with police.

Phil real quick before some other. aspects of the case I want to talk about. not just focus on the neighbor but what. questions do you think were asked of him. and do you think he's been officially. cleared as a suspect at this point. because we know the police department. has come forward and saying we've gotten. information we're clearing suspects. we're following up on leads why do you. think they met with him uh and wonder. what do you think they asked him well. he's going to be talked to because he he. lives there so that's going to be one of. the first people as they do that canvas.

I'm sure of the neighborhood they're. going to talk to everybody that they can. get in contact with and. I am sure that they may have seen the. very same things that Lauren alluded to. about these changes in what his uh for. lack of a better term his testimony. might be so he make these statements at. the beginning and he's made those. statements to law enforcement. and now they may have seen I don't know. of course but I'm speculating here that. they may have seen the very same post.

that Lauren saw and other people saw and. said well maybe we need to go back and. revisit this and there may have been. some things that he talked about in the. first interview. that were unsettling to the detectives. at the time and it's not uncommon I mean. I did it myself and in fact I can recall. a time where I brought a witness in and. the longer that I spoke with them in. taking their statement. it all of a sudden I had an epiphany and. I realized that I'm talking to the. suspect I'm not talking to the witness.

so and I'm not suggesting that he is the. person of course he is a possible. suspect and whether or not the law. enforcement detectives have cleared him. I don't know only they know that but I. think it's it's a very. uh odd is a very odd conversation. between he and Lauren this morning well. as we continue the discussion about the. Idaho case and we talk about you know.

what was found or who was around during. that time obviously him hearing. something uh this neighbor hearing. something is going to be really pivotal. but moving beyond that there's this new. detail that I wanted to bring to. everybody's attention and there is that. the police collected eight hours worth. of surveillance footage from a gas. station it seems that there was an. assistant general manager who looked. back at this footage. um and had kind of a weird feeling. wanted to look back and saw this white. car passing at 3 45 a.m. um and remember this is important.

because we know the police were asking. the Public's help and identifying a. 2011-2013 white Hyundai Elantra that. they believe was near the crime scene. around the time of the killings we don't. know if this car on the footage is that. car in particular Lauren you're you're a. review of this case what are you. thinking about this car what are you. thinking about what might be on this gas. station footage because it is another. piece of information that we've just. learned. yeah my first answer is I don't know my. second answer which is where my brain.

goes which is where my speculation leads. is uh is this a suspect and I'd love to. ask Phil this because I've wondered you. know the way the the law enforcement. worded we think they might know. something that can help the. investigation they might have seen. something. um that's fair and maybe that's true uh. but I've also wondered if if it's. further that is this could this be a. possible suspect and I'd love to throw. that question back because I've read. these are the things that go through my. mind and I wish I could understand the. layout of the Town a little bit more too. to understand what how close they were.

or where this gas station is you know. but those are the things that cross my. mind. so Phil over to you obviously they. collected all this footage what are they. looking for now what are they dissecting. do they who do they bring it to to. analyze the footage what are exactly are. they looking for about this car. well they're going to be looking at the. and just as an aside here we talked to. the beginning Jesse the things that I. would be doing and one of these things. is accumulating all the video that you.

can. when they put out this description of. this Elantra that prompted that manager. at that establishment to go you know I'm. going to go back and look and here we go. so this is a great lead. uh there are things you can do to the. video themselves you can there's some. enhancement things you can do to it but. there's only so many pixels so you're. only going to be able to enhance it to a. certain level they're going to have. people that are going to be the. detectives are going to be looking at. this and trying to determine is this in. fact the Elantra I know I had a case.

where I had to video of a vehicle that. was leaving the scene of a capital. murder and. um. it was a kind of a side shot and it was. through a window that had some shading. on it but we got the general Outlook of. what the vehicle was and uh ended up. determining that it was a 2015 to 2016. model uh Toyota 4Runner and I went to so. what I'm suggesting here is is that. they're going to look at this video and.

they're going to try to put together the. silhouette of that car and if they can. get a distinct picture of it and then. they will start to put it together with. different types of vehicles of the same. make and model and of the same similar. uh makes and models and and that's what. I did I went to CarMax and lined up four. SUVs white SUVs and we eventually got. because of the rear tail lights we got. down to it so a huge huge piece of.

evidence I know Lauren she'd like to. know that's the she knows those are the. suspects and that's the you know that's. the thing about these types of. Investigations and and that I've been. that I've been involved in the high. profile stuff. look there is a certain amount of. information that detectors are going to. release because it is part of the. strategy and they make tactical. decisions within the investigation. they're not going to come out there's no. purpose of coming out and saying hey we. think these are the suspects because. that's not really the point the point is.

is that we've got a vehicle here we. would like to talk to those people. and we need the help of the public to. getting that vehicle identified and. getting those people identified and now. here's what happens we have a a business. owner a manager that decides to go look. back at some video a month later and. bingo we've got the vehicle that may be. the one that police have been asked to. be on the look for look out for. and Phil that that makes total sense. obviously Lauren people are criticizing.

law enforcement here they feel there's a. lack of information coming out uh we. know that Stephen Gonzalez we've done a. sidebars on this the comments that he's. made about law enforcement we've always. closely guarded the information that. we've discovered at the scene and our. investigative information because we. want to protect the Integrity of this. investigation and just look at social. media and the rumors that fly out there. a small piece of information that has. speculation added to it just takes its.

own life on the internet and starts. rumors and then we find ourselves not. only tracking those rumors down and. trying to quell them but also we see our. tips that come in are geared more toward. the rumor not the facts that have been. put out after everything you've seen and. I feel like you and Phil probably. disagree about this are you confident in. the investigation do you think that. there are things that are not being. being shared do you think that there's. been miscommunication uh by law. enforcement I just saw a report the.

other day that someone saying that maybe. the Moscow police should hand this. investigation over to a different agency. so what you're seeing right now and we. know that one of the biggest dangers is. in is misinformation and and rumors. being spread it can derail an. investigation it can Target the wrong. people it can create a lot of problems. that can be caused by a lack of. information from law enforcement are you. do you see that as a problem from the. investigation yeah yeah happy to talk.

about this a bit and you're right Phil. we've been on opposite sides of this as. a TV reporter I was the one calling you. and saying can I get an interview and. you're the one. right right so so and you know half of. my career was spent in Idaho working. with police officers and then uh you. know I am I am having a hard time with. the way police uh law enforcement Moscow. specifically are handling this I think. that they're fueling the speculation. honestly every time they bring up in.

their uh press releases the first two. paragraphs are don't listen to web. sleuths and and don't excuse me not web. sleeps don't listen to uh don't listen. to True Crime the True Crime Community. the social media sleuths out there. I'm getting called from the media saying. hey will you talk as as a representative. of the True Crime Community a true crime. series because they keep bringing you. guys up so we got to know what's going. on. that's happening because they keep.

talking about them you know what I mean. that that right there is an issue but. let's go to the investigation itself. yeah I I get so excited to get these. releases I'm like okay what's going on. again don't listen to anyone but us. don't listen to The True Crime Community. it's wild speculation and criminal. charges are coming and then uh here's. what's going on and then they don't. share anything with us so so then and. then they don't hold press conferences. and the media wants to report on this. and people want to know what's going on.

and so if the police aren't talking who. are they going to talk to they're going. to talk to the True Crime Community. they're if they're not going to be a. voice the media is going to find a voice. we want to know what's going on I'm. going to interview Enon on my channel if. no one else is going to tell us what's. going on do you feel for a response to. that is we don't know what's happening. behind the scenes we don't know the. level of progress and they're holding a. lot of details close to the vest so I'll. give you a chance to respond to Lauren. well I would agree with Lauren to a.

degree. um at the beginning of this thing and to. set the stage here and Lauren you're. more familiar with with Moscow Idaho. than I am certainly but. you're talking about a community here of. about 28 000 people it's a college town. you've got a police force that's got 36. commissioned officers and support. personnel. you have in the last 15 years they've. had seven homicides. and in one day they have four.

the chief. at the beginning the first pressure that. he held was clearly overwhelmed by what. he had seen and what had happened. and. it he just did not know how to handle. this and that's not a criticism that is. simply the reality of where that Chief. was. and so. the Optics were at from the beginning.

was this as Lauren has stated this. communication problem communication. problem with the families communication. problems with the media uh and and the. general public so that. started then that that fuse got lit then. and once that gets started it is hard to. put that sucker out and so then you go. forward. and now you have. the police department vis-a-vis the.

chief comes out and he says one thing. now they put a captain up there. after that and he contradicts what was. just said then they come out later and. they reaffirm what they said in the. first place and it just becomes a man. and really that little discussion was. about targeting and that that kind of is. a is a semantic discussion. clearly these these four young people. were targeted uh the the unknown here is.

that this person know them before they. walked in there and did this or were. they watching them from afar and walked. in there and had some weird bone to pick. with these folks we don't know that. but. and then there's this this the Optics. are that the police aren't communicating. they're hiding stuff they're saying. things they're misinformation to send. this in and of course that lights the. fire with the True Crime. community and now we get all the. conspiracy theorists that start coming.

into this thing and. I will just say from having been on the. other side of a high profile. investigation. many high-profile investigations that. the media has their job. but it is the. it is law enforcement's job and the. detectives the chief. of that department who whatever it might. be to make sure that they are clearly. communicating with the media the public. and the family.

and it's not as easy as it sounds I mean. people want to make it sound like oh. yeah they can just do this and that it. ain't that easy in real life. this isn't uh you know gonna get solved. in 43 minutes without commercials I mean. that's just the reality here and so. they try they're trying to get a handle. on the communication thing and now. they've turned it over to a Pio. which after that first thing with the. chief. that should have been done right there.

and then the detectives should be. feeding the information to the Pio this. is what we can release this is what we. are not going to talk about and then the. chief is I know there was a big deal. made about the chief being asked about. an open door and he didn't know anything. about it look that's not a that's not a. big deal it really isn't that Chief is. not being briefed on every detail every. statement every tip every piece of. evidence that they've gathered in this.

investigation he should be being briefed. is the big picture here's the progress. here's what we've done here's where we. are and here's where we need to go so. I'm a little. um. I I don't say upset but I'm a little. disappointed in the fact that this Chief. is getting beat up mercilessly uh by all. sorts of people media True Crime people. whoever that whoever the people are out. there that are criticizing him and and. just uh you know having been through.

these types of things uh I know in our. department at Houston PD uh if the if. the scene was a was a very high profile. the chief might come down and make a. couple of statements to open up the. questions and then it would be turned. over to the detectives turned over to us. or that maybe the captain of the. homicide division that comes down and. does the same thing but. um. and then if a chief needs to answer a. question he would step in and he would. answer the question so uh it's just a. matter of of your experience in these.

types of events and. I'm sorry but that that Chief in Moscow. Idaho does not have that experience and. again that's not a criticism that's just. the reality. and look this is this is also a college. town it's transient it's not uncommon. for there to be loud noises or screams. with parties it's a very interesting. crime scene Lauren we're running a. little short on time so I'm going to um. long on top I should say so I'm going to. give you one final one final word real.

quick about what you'd like to see next. and also do you have any working. theories on where you think the police. are going to go I know it's tough to. know I know it's tough to to gauge but. you've been following this case really. closely I'll give you the floor about. another 30 seconds or so to give some. final words and where you'd like this. case to go next and uh what you what you. might be planning to do if you have any. interviews lined up yeah where I'd like. this case to go next I'd like to see it. soft I don't think a lot of us thought. we'd be here four weeks later I don't.

know about YouTube but uh I'm surprised. I actually I it's been affecting my. mental health I mentioned that mentioned. that in my interview with uh you know I. can't imagine. um I think that uh it's a bit startling. for me to think that we're four weeks in. it does it does concern me it concerns. me that this might go cold it concerns. me that they might not know. um a lot and what I mean when I say that. I mean law enforcement uh but you know. maybe maybe they're processing uh.

evidence maybe they'll get DNA I I would. like us to have more information too I. would rather than them coming out every. time there's a press release and. chastising the True Crime community. I I hope that they share with us more. information I hope that there's process. I hope that we learn more I hope that uh. more people will come forward to do. interviews like the one Enon did uh. whatever anyone thinks of being on I'm. grateful teaching forward and uh spoke.

to me and I hope that more people do. come forward and uh do interviews uh. maybe Phil feels differently but I can't. imagine it hurts anything to have more. voices and or more people to uh. understand what's going on in that town. and I hope that we can rather than point. fingers and criticize one another for. what everyone's doing is join together. let's let's let's work together to to. hopefully get Justice for these four uh. victims in such a tragic such a tragic. case and I know that we're short on time.

but I do have one more question for Phil. if that's okay I do want to ask them. what he thought about Enon saying that. he thinks it's funny people are accusing. him of this crime I asked that he. thought it was funny comparing that to. Jeremy Reagan another neighbor that's. been uh accused and he was sort of. horrified and upset and I just I guess. and I apologize I know you said we're. short on time but but I did want to ask. ing Bernie question in me and and you.

know I'm not the profiler here but he. said he thinks it's funny he's being. accused. um and is sort of enjoying it and and I. just wanted your thoughts on that too. very different than Jeremy Reagan yeah. yeah Phil tossing that over to you. because I remember you had said that you. think he's coming out for his own. reasons so the fact that he thinks it's. comical that people are accusing him. what do you think about that. well the term that I would use if I was. sitting in the interview room with him. and he brought that up and I think he. smiles maybe laughs a little bit uh we.

call it inappropriate laughter that is. uh he's making a point there but then. he's he's uh delivering it in a humorous. way and this is a is a too serious of a. matter for him to be doing that so again. I I think he's doing a lot of this uh. when he puts his own little. Chef dizzy or whatever it is he's got on. the screen there this is this is his own. aggrandizement I think that he's doing a. lot of this for this is his 15 minutes. of fame uh but again those little things.

uh Lauren I you know it's good that you. got him on there I was very interested. in that interview but to your point of. that more people need to come forward. the problem with that is is that you get. people like him or that are worse that. come forward because they just want to. get their face on a camera somewhere and. say a bunch of crap that means nothing. to anybody and it further confuses. everybody else and then again we have. this conspiratory theories to start. revving up again. um look I I'm just telling you that uh.

those detectives they're not going to. release stuff and you know this Lauren I. don't have to tell you this but uh. they're not going to release things that. are going to compromise the. the investigation and uh look they're. they're they've got 6 500 over 6 500. calls and emails and tips and and all. that stuff they've got hundreds of. pieces of evidence this DNA stuff takes. a while to process they've got so much. blood evidence I'm just telling it's a. very complicated scene it's a massive.

scene and it's just going to take time. and everybody would like to see this. thing solved right this moment but. that's not not the reality but these. guys are they've called in the state. they've called in the FBI they're doing. their due diligence these guys are. working hard and I'm confident that. it may come down to that that you know. what I had one of these that lasted for. five months a triple killing and I had. the entire event on video had the person. on there shooting these three people on.

video. and um. it was only five months later we were. doing self uh cell tower dumps because. the guy was on the phone at some point. so. what I'm telling you is is that. what solved that case was a woman. scorned. so his girlfriend his ex-girlfriend. calls and that's what broke it wide open. and that may happen in this case you.

know what I'm praying for these guys is. that they get that phone call they get. that one person that says you know what. I've got the information. and it's eaten me up and I need to make. that call yeah no look I think the best. way to explain it is when there maybe is. not enough information out there there's. sometimes too much information out there. and but look I think at the end of the. day we're all looking for the same goal. um and we're gonna see we're at this way. which way this shakes up uh Phil Lauren. thank you both for taking the time I.

really appreciate it I encourage. everybody to take a look at Lauren's. interview with Anon and they can be a. judge for themselves of what they. thought of uh what he had to say but. thank you both so much for joining us. here on sidebar really appreciate it and. that's all we have for you here on. sidebar everybody thank you so much for. joining us please subscribe on Apple. podcast Spotify YouTube wherever you get. your podcast I'm Jesse Weber I'll speak. to you next time. [Music].