The Idaho police chief whose department spearheaded the investigation that landed student murderer Bryan Kohberger behind bars for life is revealing new details about the case.

Moscow Police Chief Anthony Dahlinger told Fox News’ Paul Mauro that two traffic stops on Kohberger in Indiana during a cross-country trip with his dad came before his name had been discovered by investigators – calling earlier reports that the stops had been requested to gather information on the suspect “completely wrong.”

Kohberger left a Ka-Bar knife sheath at the crime scene on Nov. 13, 2022, which led the task force investigating the case to his identity on Dec. 19. He drove home with his dad days earlier, at risk of flunking out of his Ph.D. program at Washington State University, about 10 miles from the crime scene.

Confessed killer Bryan Kohberger sports a death stare in prison mugshot. (The Idaho Department of Correction)

“Just to dispel the whole plea thing as well, because I know every time somebody hears ‘plea deal,’ right, the whole word ‘deal’ makes everybody feel like they’re getting off. The suspect’s getting off somehow. They’re not getting their full extent,” he said. “Now, the only thing that went off the table on this was the death penalty.”

The death penalty was never a lock. Jurors would have had to approve it unanimously after convicting him at trial.

Under the deal, Kohberger will die in prison. And he waived his rights to appeal and to seek a sentence reduction.

Idaho Judge Steven Hippler sentenced Kohberger to four consecutive terms of life in prison, plus another 10 years, for the four counts of first-degree murder and a single felony burglary charge he faced.