Investigators in Idaho slaying reverse course, say students likely targeted; sixth roommate revealed

Investigators in last month's brutal Idaho quadruple-homicide continue to offer a cascading stream of information, reversing course on a key detail several times this week and revealing the existence of a previously unknown roommate at the house where the killings occurred. 

Police in Moscow, Idaho earlier this week had flipped on a critical claim from earlier in the investigation, claiming on Wednesday that, contrary to earlier reports, they were not certain that the killings were "targeted" directly at the students themselves. 

"Detectives do not currently know if the residence or any occupants were specifically targeted but continue to investigate," the Moscow Police Department said in a press release. 

Yet in a press release on Thursday police made a qualified walk-back of that claim. "We remain consistent in our belief that this was indeed a targeted attack but have not concluded if the target was the residence or its occupants," the police said. 

Also in that press release, police said a previously unmentioned individual was on the lease of the house where the slayings occurred. 

"Detectives are aware of a sixth person listed on the lease at the residence but do not believe that individual was present during the incident," the police said. 

Police have not yet identified the existence of any suspects nearly three weeks after the murders took place.