The murder of four college students at the University of Idaho would have required diligent planning because of the unique layout of the home where they were killed, a former tenant of the house told Fox News on Friday.
Rob McQueen said "Tucker Carlson Tonight" he had been working in Ukraine when fellow former tenants told him what had happened at the home they used to share.
"You have that initial reaction of, 'I can't believe that I used to live there'," McQueen said.
"And then you have the reaction of, 'I can't believe this happened in my state.'"
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McQueen keyed into speculation whether the two surviving roommates, who reportedly lived on the ground floor, could have slept without hearing or noticing the murders being committed on the second and third levels of the uniquely constructed home.
"When you look at the layout of the house, it's basically an old build with a newer build on top – and it's built into a hillside," he said.
"You have to understand that the structure of the house – those first two rooms -- are built just underneath the living room and then are also built into a hillside. So then when you move to the second floor of this house, you get to the main level that enters two bedrooms, one bedroom directly across from the kitchen and next to the stairs that goes up to the third floor. And then that kitchen enters onto a back patio, which is on that hillside."
The second level, where the kitchen and second-floor bedroom is located, is not directly above the first floor bedrooms as it would be in typical construction, McQueen said.
The third level is more aligned with the second level, but not the first, which means activity on the upper floors may not be detectable from the ground level, he added.
"And then once you move from that sliding glass door, you'll run directly into the entrance to a bedroom and then to your right you have to go up the stairs," McQueen explained. "And when you think about a third floor, you have to think of this in college housing, right? So when you move up to that third floor, it's a narrow stairway and enters into a very, very small hallway and then the entrance to two rooms, the room that the murders took place in and another room that was unoccupied."
A suspect would either have to be unconcerned with being noticed, or be very familiar with the unique layout, McQueen concluded.
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"You could either be completely not worried about the impact of what would happen to you should you be caught, or you had to diligently plan and understand the layout of that house to move in and actually leave that space without really causing alarm and being caught," he said.
McQueen underlined that while observers can get lost in the grisly details of the crime and how it may have occurred, it is important to remember the impact on the victims' families, college community and state of Idaho overall.
