An expert criminal profiler explained to Fox News why he believes a roommate of the four Idaho college students slain was reportedly spared after spotting the killer, a detail gleaned from a newly released court filing.
The killer likely wanted to "get out of dodge" after slaying four other people, criminal profiler John Kelly told "The Ingraham Angle" on Thursday after the affidavit claimed a surviving roommate heard crying and saw a "figure clad in black clothing and a mask… walking toward her."
The female, only identified as "D.M.," stood in "frozen shock" before locking herself in her room, the affidavit stated.
Host Laura Ingraham asked Kelly why a murderer would want to leave a surviving witness to such a grisly crime.
IDAHO MURDERS: KOHBERGER CHANGED LICENSE PLATE FIVE DAYS AFTER STUDENT SLAYINGS
"I think he was in a rush to get out of the house," Kelly said. "Usually with these types of killers, at a certain point — don't forget, he's tired. He's killed a number of people already. At this point in time, maybe something's getting to him and he just wants to put himself between him and the bodies as quick as possible. He just wants to get out of dodge as fast as he can."
The expert said the murderer likely believed staying in the home to kill a fifth victim would have been riskier than escaping more quickly, given that he was reportedly clad in all black and had a mask obscuring at least part of his face.
"I think he just had his fill for the night and wanted out of there," Kelly said.
IDAHO MURDERS: SUSPECT BRYAN KOHBERGER'S AFFIDAVIT
Police arrested a suspect in the case, Bryan Kohberger, who was a Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University.
Kohberger was taken into custody at his parents' house in the Poconos after driving cross-country for the holidays. He was extradited to Idaho from a Stroudsburg, Pa., jail.
In regard to Kohberger specifically, Ingraham cited a Newsweek story in which a forensic psychiatrist told the outlet the suspect's "obsessive-compulsive eating habits" indicated he'd be afraid he'd be addicted to meat if he ate it.
"And it represented his struggle against his cannibalistic urges," the host read on, calling the report "freakshow central."
Kelly agreed, saying the situation does sound freakish.
"You're absolutely right. I mean, I don't know what I'm going to hear next," he said, adding serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer had cannibalistic tendencies in terms of eating meat.
"Bottom line is when you look at this obsessive-compulsive behavior, if you look at every serial killer — and we've done research on this — you will find that they have some type of obsessive-compulsive behavior."
"And like Dahmer, cannibalism is up for grabs. You know, it can happen," he said.
