Bryan Kohberger is heading to Idaho to face murder charges
A graduate student Bryan Kohberger charged in the November killings of four University of Idaho students is no longer in a Pennsylvania jail after waiving his extradition hearing the day before.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, waived his right to an extradition hearing in a Pennsylvania court on Tuesday, accelerating his transportation to Idaho to stand trial.
A jail official notified ABC News around 9 a.m. EST Wednesday that Bryan Kohberger had been released. Officials said he left Wednesday morning. Students at the University of Idaho and local residents were terrified for weeks after the Nov. 13 stabbings. Idaho police made a breakthrough after searching for a white car and testing DNA at the crime scene.
Investigators are searching for a murder weapon and motivation. After Bryan Kohberger arrives in Idaho and an affidavit is unsealed, more details will be published. Attorneys, law enforcement personnel, and others connected in the case won’t be permitted to discuss the affidavit or other court records after an Idaho magistrate judge issued a gag order Tuesday evening. Judges impose the orders when they feel pretrial publicity could sway a trial’s outcome.
Kohberger wore a red jumpsuit and had his wrists tied during his brief court appearance Tuesday. He admitted to four counts of first-degree murder and a burglary charge.
Bryan Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ house in eastern Pennsylvania on Friday and kept until extradition. Kohberger’s parents and sisters sat behind the defense table in the gallery. His mother and sister Melissa sobbed as he entered the courtroom. A deputy brought tissues. As he left the courtroom, Kohberger gazed at his family.
Idaho authorities believe Bryan Kohberger broke into the victims’ homes near the university to kill them. Kaylee Goncalves, 21, from Rathdrum, Idaho; Madison Mogen, 21, from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, from Post Falls, Idaho; and Ethan Chapin, 20, from Conway, Washington. They were college Greek brothers. Mogen, Goncalves, and Kernodle shared a three-story apartment with two others. Chapin, Kernodle’s boyfriend, was visiting that night.
Police have given little facts about the investigation in Moscow, Idaho. The Moscow Police Department was criticized for telling scared citizens there was no danger, even though a suspect hadn’t been named. Nearly half of the 11,500 pupils temporarily left campus for online classes despite enhanced security. Some would-be sleuths targeted classmates and acquaintances of the dead students with cruel and incorrect claims.
Monroe County’s top public defender says his client wants to be cleared. Jason LaBar, Kohberger’s public lawyer, said he should be assumed innocent. LaBar described Bryan Kohberger as “an ordinary guy” following Tuesday’s hearing and said he would be represented by Kootenai County, Idaho’s chief public defender. Moscow Police Capt. Anthony Dahlinger told the AP on Saturday that Kohberger is suspected of killing four people near campus. Dahlinger claimed investigators received Kohberger’s DNA following his arrest.
State Police Maj. Christopher Paris said Kohberger’s warrant warranted an after-dark arrest, which requires more probable cause. “We wanted to enter when everyone was safest. Safest for the house, Mr. Kohberger, and our employees “saying. Paris claimed a tactical reaction team shattered many doors and windows when they entered.
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Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued a gag order prohibiting case participants from discussing anything “likely to interfere with a fair trial.” This includes evidence, confessions or other declarations by the defendant, and case merits, Marshall wrote. The gag order lasts until a verdict or court modification. Once Bryan Kohberger arrives in Idaho, the court filings will be made public.
DNA evidence played a vital role in identifying Kohberger as a suspect, a law enforcement official said last week. The official spoke anonymously because they weren’t authorized to discuss the probe. In addition to DNA, officials found Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra, an officer added.
Moscow police sought the public for help discovering a white Hyundai Elantra seen near the crime scene. Idaho detectives suddenly had 20,000 possible vehicles to choose from.
On Dec. 15, an Indiana State Trooper stopped a white Hyundai Elantra for following too closely on I-70. Police say a trooper’s body camera showed Bryan Kohberger driving. The trooper had no information identifying Kohberger as a suspect in the Idaho killings, so he was released with a verbal warning.
Bryan Kohberger had been stopped by a Hancock County deputy for following too closely and warned, the sheriff’s department said. Federal and state investigators are scouring Kohberger’s background, financial records, and electronic communications, an unidentified official said. Official: Investigators are interrogating persons who knew Kohberger, including those at WSU.
Relatives in Pennsylvania have expressed sadness for the victims’ families but vowed to support Kohberger and “presume his innocence.”
Investigators urged everyone who knows Bryan Kohberger for information and received 400 tips in the first hour. “We’re trying to develop a picture of him: who he is, his past, how we got here, why,” he said.
New video shows Bryan Kohberger during traffic stop in Indiana Watch Now
FAQ
When did the killings at the University of Idaho happen?
November 13, 2022
Who is suspected in the killings in Idaho?
Bryan Kohberger is accused of killing four students from the University of Idaho who were living together in an apartment off campus.