this is "nightline." >> tonight, idaho murders. chilling new details. >> count two alleges that you committed the felony offense of murder in the first degree. >> the grad student accused of murdering four college students appearing in an idaho courtroom. >> the maximum penalty for that offense if you plead guilty or are found guilty is death and or imprisonment for life. do you understand? >> >> an inside look into how police built their case. where police say his dna was discovered at the crime scene and what a surviving roommate saw and heard on the night of the murders. plus, damar hamlin. the remarkable awakening of the buffalo bills player who suffered cardiac arrest during monday night football. >> it's not only that the lights

are on, we know that he's home. >> his story gripping the nation. >> for now damar to be awake and his mom to be able to share that with him is -- it's incredible. >> his first question to doctors >> his first question to doctors when he woke up.ost $50? pantene's pro-vitamin formula repairs hair. as well as the leading luxury bonding treatment. for softness and resilience, without the price tag. if you know... you know it's pantene. find your beat for softness and resilience, wyour moment of calmg. find your potential then own it support your immune system with a potent blend of nutrients and emerge your best every day with emergen-c

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thanks for joining us. tonight, stunning new details about the grisly murders of four university of idaho students. authorities detailing the evidence that led to the arrest of a graduate student in an 18-page affidavit. revealing how they linked dna found at the crime scene and how a surviving roommate describes allegedly spotting the suspect inside the house. here's abc's kayna whitworth reporting from idaho. >> reporter: idaho quadruple murder suspect bryan kohberger greeting his attorney with a smile today at his first appearance in an idaho courtroom. the highly anticipated hearing nearly two months after the brutal stabbing deaths of four room nate roommates. kohberger nodding as the judge read the charges against him one by one. >> count two alleges you committed the felony offense of murder in the first degree. the maximum penalty for that offense if you plead guilty or are found guilty is death and or

imprisonment for life. do you understand? >> yes. >> good morning, everybody. >> reporter: after the hearing, the heartbroken gonsalves family left without speaking, but their lawyer addressed the media. >> obviously an emotional time for the family, seeing the defendant for the first time. this is the beginning of the criminal justice system, and the family will be here for the long haul. >> reporter: it comes as authorities unseal an explosive 18-page affidavit laying out the evidence used to arrest kohberger for the murders of four university of idaho students. >> all these details are coming out now because kohberger finally appeared in an idaho court. and under idaho law, the affidavit of probable cause for the arrest cannot be made public until the defendant appears. and now we know all of these investigative tools that were brought to bear so that police are convinced they have the right person. >> reporter: investigators recovering dna from a button snap on an empty sheath for a military-style knife.

it was found in bed next to the bodies of best friends kaylee gonsalves and madison mogen. police linking that dna to bryan kohberger from collecting his father's dna from the trash outside the family's home and matching it to their sample from the crime scene. >> the authorities were sitting on the home in the poconos for four days before they moved in to make the arrest. we now know why. they wanted, in part, to collect some trash to see what dna samples they could pull off of it so they could test it and make sure they had the right person. >> reporter: the close group of friends seen last november inside their home just weeks before the murders of 21-year-old roommates madison mogen, kaylee gonsalves, 20-year-old zana kernodle, and her boyfriend ethan chapin. for is first time we're hearing the chilling account from one of two roommates who survived. she was on the same floor as two of the victims who were killed, xana and ethan, telling police

a.m., hearing kaylee say at 4:0- something like "there's someone here." then she heard crying from xana's room, followed by a male voice saying, "it's okay, i'm going to help you." she opened her door and stood frozen as a man wearing black clothing and a mask that covered the person's mouth and nose walking towards her. describing him as 5'10" or taller, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows. authorities say that roommate was in shock. what they don't explain is why it took another eight hours for police to get a 911 call from the house. police believe kohberger turned his phone off during the murders. at 2:47 a.m., the phone dropping off the cell network near his home in pullman, washington. then reconnecting at 4:48 a.m. near the crime scene. police mapping out his likely route to the house. they say cell phone data also shows kohberger was near the victims' home at least a dozen times before the murders.

and the morning after, around 9:15, nearly three hours before that 911 call was made. >> we have information of a white vehicle that was in the area. >> reporter: by the time police had turned to the public for help finding that white elantra that was spotted multiple times, kohberger had been identified by campus police at washington state. an officer there locating his car and noting he had those bushy eyebrows matching the description of the murder suspect. five days after the murders, kohberger changed his license plate from pennsylvania to washington when his car's registration was up for renewal. you can see that new plate during those two traffic stops in indiana when kohberger was pulled over on his 2,500-mile drive back to pennsylvania. >> we're a little -- slight -- punchy from driving for hours. >> hours, days.

>> do me a favor and don't follow too close, okay? all right, thank you. >> reporter: then finally, on december 30th, authorities arrested kohberger at his parents' home in a gated community in monroe county, pennsylvania. kohberger's public defender there, jason lavar, telling abc news a s.w.a.t. team surrounded the home, breaking the door. this all began on november 12th. a saturday night in college as friends headed out to local bars and parties. kaylee gonzales and madison mogen went to the bar the corner club around 10:00 p.m. >> it was just a party setting. so everyone was just socializing with each other. and with kaylee, she seems like her usual bubbly self. so -- nothing suspicious. >> reporter: investigators say the two young women left the corner club around 1:30 a.m. by 1:40, 10 minutes later, kaylee and madison seen laughing and taking pictures as they order from a food truck in

downtown moscow. >> i could just tell by her body language that she was -- she was definitely feeling pretty good. and i wish i could have been there and given them a hug. >> reporter: at 1:56 a.m., the pair arrived home, getting a ride from what steve described as a sorority designated driver service. according to authorities, their roommate, xana, and boyfriend ethan chapin, were at a fraternity party earlier that same night. but also returned to that off-campus home by 1:45 a.m. >> i hope people understand all these kids that were a part of this were doing everything right. they were going to be the type of people that you want to be your neighbor. >> reporter: authorities revealing txana received a doordash order around 4:00 a.m. and that the murders happened within the next 25 minutes. but their bodies not discovered for another eight hours. >> some had defensive wounds. and each had multiple -- each

had been stabbed multiple times. >> reporter: the suspect had been studying for his ph.d. in criminology at washington state university. he had worked as a teacher's assistant until the end of the semester, a month after the murders. police searching his apartment in pullman. a 15-minute drive from the crime scene in moscow. recent students of his speaking out, one saying his appearance changed around the time of the murders. >> he looked a little bit more disheveled. he had, like, some stubble coming on. his hair was a little messed up or whatever. i remember seeing him and thinking, oh, man, finals must be really getting him. >> reporter: according to the affidavit, dna was key in placing kohberger at the scene. >> we can reverse engineer anyone's identity based on who they share dna with. >> reporter: cece moore is a genetic genealogist who pioneered the technologies used to investigate genealogy and says she's worked with law enforcement to solve over 250 criminal cases. >> when you perpetrate this type

of incredibly violent crime, it's virtually impossible not to leave your dna behind. >> reporter: today's affidavit a starting point. >> one thing we should be listening for is whether police can establish a motive. will we ever learn why bryan kohberger decided allegedly to kill these four college students? the affidavit doesn't make clear, and police so far haven't said. >> our thanks to kayna. coming up, damar hamlin. what doctors are saying tonight about the nfl player after that terrifying injury. cleaning is the worst. seriously. there's gotta be a better way. so we gave swiffer a shot. if we don't love it, we get our money back! spoiler alert: love it! sweeper's heavy duty dry cloths grab dust and hair and lock it away, better than my broom that can push it around. itvegrve and grout lines! cool!r than my broom that can push it around. and swiffer duster gets in all those hard-to-reach-places... trapping 3x more dust.

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now to that incredible mouse about buffalo bills safety damar hamlin after he went november cardiac arrest during monday night football. doctors saying he's awake and able to move hands and feet. while the country focused on his recovery, one of his first questions was about monday night's game. damar hamlin, the 24-year-old buffalo bills safety who suffered that terrifying cardiac arrest during monday night football, now awake and able to communicate. one of the first questions he asked doctors in writing, "who won the game?" >> when he asked, did we win? the answer is, yes, damar, you won, you won the game of life. >> reporter: doctors at university of cincinnati delivering the extraordinary details of hamlin's recovery. the turning point late wednesday night when hamlin not only woke up but was able to move his hands and feet. doctors say he seems to have no neurological issues. >> it's not only that the lights are on, we know that he's home. it appears all cylinders are

firing within his brain, which is greatly gratifying. >> reporter: hamlin remains in the icu, breathing with the help of a ventilator. the sports world, if not the country, seemed to come to a standstill oda mlin's team, the buffalo bills, took on the cincinnati bengals. hamlin collapsing in the first quarter just seconds after a tackle. his life suddenly in jeopardy. he'd suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. players from the bills and bengals encircle is the scene. today doctors revealing those first medics on the field started the process of reviving hamlin less than one minute after his heart stopped. >> they have been administering cpr. >> reporter: that swift action likely saving hamlin's life. but today the bills taking to the field for practice. head coach sean mcdermott clearly emotional. >> it's amazing to -- to the -- impact that

on so many of -- so many people. and for now damar to be awake. and his mom to be able to share that with him. it's incredible. >> reporter: bills quarterback josh allen holding back tears, describing the moment his teammate went down. >> being on that field -- lose sleep. you hurt for your brother. the scene just replays over and over in your head. it's something we'll never forget. >> nobody has a bad thing to say about him, all those guys. they all love him. absolutely love him. end of story. >> my 13 years in the nfl, 20-something years collectively from little league to high school football to college football, never experienced anything like that, never seen anything like that. >> reporter: brandon marshall

played 13 seasons as a wide receiver in the nfl. he's seen a lot of hurt players, but not like this. tell me what your reaction was when you saw damar in that situation. >> when you see players crying -- i'm getting goosebumps thinking about this moment again. when you see players crying, you know, holdin their face, you know, embracing each other -- you think about life. >> to see your teammate falling like that is incredibly difficult. >> reporter: chris pronger, a retired nhl hall of famer, knows exactly what it's like to collapse in a heart-stopping moment mid game. >> i blocked a shot, and it hit me directly in the heart. and what created was known as come m commotio cordis. in the video you can see me stand up, stumble a bit, then fall. next thing i know, i woke up 130 seconds later staring up at the rafters. >> reporter: he recovered and

played another 15 years before retiring. do you see this as a turning point? a defining moment in the way athletes are seen, less as commodity, and perhaps more as humans? >> when players are putting their bodies on the line, their lives on the line in some cases, as we've just seen, we need to take care of them and make sure that their long-term health, their life outside of the sport >> repor a proud pittsburgh native, this is just his second season in the league. >> damar hamlin, whatever you call me, draft day right now, a full day in the life, man. >> what's up, coach, how you doing? yeah, i'm ready to work. >> reporter: the 24-year-old regularly posting about his life, goals, family. including his draft into the nfl on social media and on youtube. his parents were just 16 when he was born. in high school, his family

expanded, adding little brother damir. >> his brother was always around the facility. so they're just like pitt family. it's all of us. >> reporter: kenny pickett, the steelers' starting quarterback, played with hamlin at pittsburgh and the two became friends. >> damar, he's an unbleechlkt person. does so much nor the community. a guy from pittsburgh. stayed home. could have went anywhere he wanted to. an all-around great person, great family. >> reporter: after college, hamlin looked to the nfl draft, cameras rolling, when he got the call from the buffalo bills. hamlin always had dreams beyond football. he started his own foundation called "chasing ms," short for chasing millions, which he explained. >> chasing ms was kind of something i started back in high school. it was really just, like, a slowing began, a motto for me, me pursuing my dreams to get to the nfl. chasing ms. i got to college, got her business-savvy. clothing brand to spread the

word on it. leaving school, i started a foundation. the first thing i did once i declared for the nfl was have a toy drive back home for the kids. >> today, we got a toy drive going on. just to have an event where kids can come out, get toy, have good vibes. >> reporter: hamlin blogged behind the scenes on that very first toy drive. his foundation now the place where people are showing their support. this year's toy drive is over, but fans have now donated $7.7 million on the foundation's gofundme page.>>using that this tunhere hs coverrom ng, healthpy life. ki about football. >> at the end of need t say, the entertainment h stop. weutrst. r: as hamlin continues

to recover in ohio, his father addressed the bills on wednesday, urging them to play this sunday's game against the patriots for damar. >> his message was, the team needs to get back to focusing on the goals that they had set for themselves. damar would have wanted it that way. >> just hours ago the nfl announced they're officially canceling that game between the bills and the cincinnati bengals. they're planning to alter the playoff schedule. coming up, historic buy-back. what the heirs to prime california beachfront property did after the land was returned to them. type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. in my ozempic® tri-zone, i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. ozempic® lowers the risk

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♪ finally tonight, a full-circle moment for the heirs to southern california beachfront property. last year, los angeles county righted a nearly century-old wrong, returning land seized from willa and charles bruce to their heirs after aon amy sold land known as bruce's beach back to the county for nearly $20

million. the bruces were among the first black landowners in manhattan beach, creating a resort for african americans, barred from local beaches because of segregation. the government seized the property through eminent domain, denying their descendents generational wealth. that's "nightline." watch our full episodes on hulu. see you back here same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america.