Courtesy of Monroe County Correctional Facility, Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram
University of Idaho Murders: 28-Year-Old Suspect Bryan Kohberger Arrested 1 Month After Killings
Police have arrested a suspect in the quadruple murder of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, according to arrest paperwork filed by Pennsylvania State Police in Monroe County Court. Keep reading to learn more about the suspect involved in the brutal Moscow murders.
Who Is the Suspect In the Idaho College Murders?
28-year-old suspect Bryan Christopher Kohberger was taken into custody at 3 a.m. on Friday, December 30, outside Scranton, Pennsylvania. Kohberger, who was a graduate student at Washington State University Pullman, resided in Pullman, Washington, and is being held for extradition in a “homicide investigation for first-degree murder.”
A SWAT team entered Kohberger’s Pennsylvania location and later had him appear before a judge shortly after being taken into custody. The chief of police added in a Friday afternoon press conference that due to Idaho state law, little information will be released ahead of Kohberger’s first appearance in court. Kohberger has been appointed a public defender and is set to appear in court on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.
Bill Thompson, county prosecutor, added during the press conference that the arrest marks the “new beginning of the investigation” and asked that anyone with additional information regarding Kohberger to please come forward. Police have received 19,000 tips amid the murder inquiry.
Police would not confirm or deny Kohberger’s connection to the murder victims and if he had prior relationships with any of the deceased. Police Chief James Fry added that he has spoken to the victims’ families and is looking for “anything and everything” related to the case and the questions that remain.
When Did the Idaho College Murders Happen?
The four victims were stabbed to death with a large fix-blade knife in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022. One day after the killings, the Moscow Police Department ruled the victims’ deaths as “homicides.”
“Details are limited in this investigation. Currently, there is no one in custody,” the police department wrote in a press release at the time. “The Moscow Police does not believe there is an ongoing community risk based on information gathered during the preliminary investigation.”
Kaylee, Madison and Xana were tenants of the residence, however, Ethan spent most of his time there as he was dating Xana.
Two surviving roommates were in the house at the time of the murders, but were asleep on the first floor of the home. According to police, they were present when the initial call to the house was made and “summoned friends to the residence” as they thought a roommate was unconscious and unresponsive.
Were There Other Suspects In the Idaho College Murders?
Kaylee’s ex-boyfriend, Jack DuCoeur, was previously a person of interest in the murders. In the hours before their deaths, Kaylee and Madison called Jack a total of 10 times. However, he didn’t answer any of the calls. After investigating the calls, police cleared his name and declared he was not a suspect on November 23, 2022.
Jack’s aunt, Brooke Miller, revealed he and Kaylee were “still friends” and had an “amicable” split as she was moving to a different location.
“He’s not only lost the love of his life, and what we all thought and he probably thought as well, would be his future wife — you know, get married and have kids and all of that,” but also, “half of America” thinks he could “be responsible” for the murders,” Miller told Page Six on December 24, 2022.
On December 7, 2022, police put out a statement in search of a white Hyundai Elantra that was near the victim’s home during the crime, claiming that the passenger(s) may have “critical information.”
When Was Bryan Kohberger’s First Court Date?
Kohberger appeared at his first court date on January 3, 2023, in a Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania courtroom. During the hearing, Kohberger waived his extradition and was not hesitant to return to Idaho officials.
Monroe County Correctional Facility warden Garry Haidle announced Kohberger was “out” of his “custody” the following day.
“He’s in the custody of the Pennsylvania State Police,” Haidle said in a statement.
Kohberger flew back to Idaho to face charges and appeared in his initial court appearance on January 5 where he did not enter a plea. He is now booked into the Latah County Jail, authorities revealed.
Is There Evidence Against Bryan Kohberger?
A tan leather knife sheath was left on Mogen’s bed where Kohberger’s father’s DNA was found on the button snap, according to the affidavit obtained by In Touch on January 5. Trash was later recovered from Kohberger’s family home in Pennsylvania, and the DNA was allegedly linked to that of the sheath at the crime scene.
Authorities tracked Kohberger’s cell phone, where they learned he was at the victims’ home at least twelve times from June 2022 to now.
Furthermore, his phone was traced near the crime scene between 9:12 and 9:21 a.m., four hours after the killings.
Washington State revealed a white Elantra was registered to Kohberger, the same vehicle seen close to the King Road home approximately at the same time as the murders, In Touch can confirm. The car was also on the property of his Pennsylvania home during his arrest.
Kohberger’s attorney did not immediately respond to In Touch’s request for comment.
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