Prosecutor in Idaho Murders Says House Was Targeted, Not Individuals

The prosecutor in charge of the Idaho quadruple-murder case says there's been a misunderstanding when cops said this crime was targeted -- apparently, they meant the house itself was in somebody's crosshairs ... not necessarily any individuals themselves.

Bill Thompson -- who's overseeing the investigation in Moscow -- told NewsNation using the word "targeted" to characterize this was probably wrong ... conceding it could've been interpreted to suggest one or more of the four victims were in the killer's crosshairs. But, Thompson now says that's not necessarily the case.

Instead, he said this home was actually what the murderer was laser-focused on, but he never explained what he means ... or why cops might think that.

Thompson does say they're still looking into whether any of the victims may have been the target, but for now ... it doesn't sound like they've uncovered anything to connect that dot. He also says nothing strange - like symbols are markings -- were left behind.

He goes on to say he's not aware whether the doors to their rooms were locked, and also can't say for sure whether they were all sleeping at the time of the killings. BT also says law enforcement has no reason to believe this was drug-related ... so not much clarity.

Cops have stumbled a lot since the murders, making statements, then taking them back, creating confusion in the community and anger among families of the victims.

Another update ... all 5 cars parked at the house at the time of the murders have now been towed. Cops say they're storing them somewhere long-term for evidence gathering.

It's been more than 2 weeks since Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in the middle of the night ... and the suspect/suspects are still at large. Several theories have been floated as to what may have led up to the crime, but so far ... nothing seems to be panning out into anything concrete.

Naturally, the public has grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of answers.