Brett Payne is more dangerous than he looks
The MPD detective running the Bryan Kohberger investigation might be inexperienced, but he's found a way to use that to his advantage.
Those of us following the pretrial hearings in the case of State v. Bryan Kohberger have had multiple opportunities now to see Moscow Police detective Brett Payne, author of the probable cause affidavit and lead investigator of the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, testify on the stand. From his first testimony in a hearing on defense motions to compel evidence nearly a year ago, one of the most remarkable and surprising features of Det. Payne’s elevation to the role is his inexperience. Det. Payne joined the Moscow Police Department in 2018 and was only elevated to the role of detective in November 2022 - the same time that these murders took place.
The decision to assign a rookie detective to lead one of the most high-profile criminal investigations ever conducted in the state of Idaho is certainly a chin-scratcher, and from the very first occasions when he testified in court, Det. Payne has leaned into his inexperience, emphasizing his reliance on other, more experienced officers to perform investigative functions and provide him with the language needed to request search warrants and prepare returns. This “I’m just a coordinator” approach has been advantageous for him in many ways. For example, he gets to provide information about how the investigation was conducted and what he relied on, but when it comes to identifying exactly who did what and exactly how certain investigations unfolded - such as how the cell site location analysis was performed and what it relied upon - he can deny knowledge of the details and fall back on his reliance on other, unidentified officers who took those actions.
A witness who remembers only what it is convenient for the prosecution to remember is always a frustrating witness for the defense attorneys. However, in the January 23, 2025 hearing that was recently unsealed, Det. Payne revealed a new trick in his bag where he uses his inexperience to provide misinformation. This is a far more dangerous trick, and the defense will need to anticipate it and prepare to counter it at trial.