Bryan Christopher Kohberger, Scranton, Pennsylvania man arrested in murders of 4 University of Idaho students. Suspect id as PhD student studying criminal justice at nearby Washington State University.
The breakthrough in a case that has rattled America came Friday when Pennsylvanian authorities announced that a suspect had been in arrested in last month’s brutal killings of four University of Idaho students which had left the nation stumped.
Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, a PHD criminal justice student was being held without bail for extradition on first degree murder charges, according to arrest paperwork filed by Pennsylvania State Police in Monroe County Court. The arrest warrant was issued by the police department in Moscow, Idaho, and Latah County Prosecutor’s Office.
Friday’s sensational arrest is the first major break in the case – with Kohberger asking if ‘anyone else was arrested’ when he was taken into custody, Friday morning, just after 3am at the man’s Scranton, PA residence, AP reported.
The man’s arrest follows the November 13 stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, and Xana Kernodle. Authorities believe that all four victims were stabbed to death somewhere between 3am to 4am that morning, after enjoying a night out.
All four victims were likely asleep at their off campus residence with two other roommates inside the home sleeping through the attack, police said. Authorities had yet to understand how the other two roommates came to not hear the violent attack and how they came to be spared.
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White Hyundai Elantra similar to the one sought located at suspect’s residence
Police and prosecutors had previously indicated they knew of no motive for the brutal attack at the off-campus rental home, and released few details about the murder weapon. Federal and state investigators have been assisting in the case, processing thousands of tips and videos.
In particular, investigators for weeks have been looking for a white Hyundai Elantra 2011-2013 model which had been seen parked near the crime scene. What was believed to be the same vehicle was also captured on gas station surveillance footage speeding down the street shortly after the 3.45am crime taking place.
A white Hyundai Elantra – the same make and model of car sought by cops is said to have been towed from outside Kohberger’s home.
Sources say that authorities knew who they were looking for and hunted the suspect down to Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains – more than 2,400 miles from Idaho.
NewsNation reported that Kohberger had a ‘quiet, blank stare’ when arrested by local cops and the FBI on Friday morning.
It is understood that Kohberger is a PhD college student at Washington State University, within the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, and did not attend the University of Idaho.
According to the college website, Kohberger attended the college in Pullman – a 15-minute drive from where the students were killed.
ELANTRA FOUND IN PA: A Hyundai Elantra was taken away from Bryan Kohberger’s home in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, law enforcement sources tell @NBCNews. A white Elantra had been a possible clue in the case.
Latest: https://t.co/uNGJ1CWndG on @WFLA pic.twitter.com/Y2fMqnTbnL
— JB Biunno #HeyJB (@WFLAJB) December 30, 2022
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He graduated from DeSales University in Pennsylvania in May 2022 with a master of arts in criminal justice.
As part of his research Kohberger posted an appeal for help on social media with his research – which was looking at how ‘emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.’
Kohberger appeared in court Friday morning, with Moscow Police confirming that they will hold a press conference at 4pm EST.
On Thursday, Moscow police chief James Fry released a video statement saying the house was being turned over to a commercial crime-scene remediation team to remove biohazards like blood and forensic chemicals used by investigators.
‘We’ve received a lot more tips here recently and we’re continuing to investigate and follow up on those,’ Fry said Thursday. ‘We want to thank the community for all of their help and and thank all the people across the nation for all the help they have given us.’
It remains unclear whether any DNA was retrieved from the scene.
Police initially said the deaths were an ‘isolated targeted attack,’ without offering specifics why, and said there was ‘no imminent threat’ to anyone else. Fry then backtracked on Nov. 16, saying, ‘We cannot say there’s no threat to the community and as we have stated, please stay vigilant, report any suspicious activity and be aware of your surroundings at all times.’
The uncertainty prompted many students at the University of Idaho to switch to online classes for the remainder of the semester.
