An arrest of the suspect in the November 4 stabbing death of four students in the Pocono Mountains shocked by the loss of a small town
Two federal law enforcement sources told CNN that a suspect was arrested in connection with the deaths of four University of Idaho students.
The name was confirmed to CNN by a federal law enforcement source as well as a court source in Pennsylvania, where records show Kohberger was arrested and arraigned Friday morning. The arraignment was in Monroe County, in the Pocono Mountains, a state official said.
A law enforcement source told CNN that the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police made an arrest in the fatal stabbing case.
The gruesome deaths of two people in an off-campus home in November made news and shocked a small town called Moscow, which had not seen a murder in seven years. The case prompted fear and anxiety in the community and student body, and questions mounted about the pace of the police investigation.
The arrest comes a day after police said they have received about 20,000 tips through more than 9,025 emails, 4,575 phone calls, and 6,050 digital media submissions, while having conducted over 300 interviews.
The community members have grown frustrated with the fact that investigators have yet to offer a thorough narrative of how the night unfolded. Some information has been released, including the victims activities before the attacks, and people who were ruled out as suspects.
An update on the four-year murder of Kohberger, a student from Idaho, with the Washington State University crime prevention officer, Jeremiah Thompson
The update says that Moscow police have worked with the property management services company to get rid of harmful substances used to collect evidence. The home will be turned over to the property management company.
State law only allows authorities to release information before the court hearing, and that could be why there is no further details. The police chief thanked the public for its patience and acknowledged frustrations with the pace of updates on the case.
Authorities carefully tracked the man charged in the killings of four Idaho college students as he drove across the country around Christmas and continued surveilling him for several days before finally arresting him Friday, sources tell CNN.
The PhD student was just minutes from the scene of the killings, and he is from Washington State University.
Still, investigators have not publicly confirmed the suspect’s motive or whether he knew the victims. The murder weapon has also not been located, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said Friday.
LaBar confirmed Kohberger, accompanied by his father, had driven from Idaho to Pennsylvania to celebrate the holidays with his family. A white car was found at his parents home, and he was arrested early Friday.
He drove cross-country in a white Hyundai Elantra and arrived at his parents’ house in Pennsylvania around Christmas, according to a law enforcement source. The source said he was being watched by authorities as he drove and also by his parents house.
The FBI and law enforcement worked to obtain a warrant for his arrest after they were able to track him for four days.
The suspect has a choice of waiving their rights to return to Idaho on their own. Moscow police will have to start extradition proceedings through the governor’s office if he chooses not to, Fry said.
Thompson encourages anyone with information about the suspect to call the tip line and tell them what they know about him.
Bryan Kohberger, a student investigator from DeSales University in Pullman, Washington, and his attorney is due to waive his extradition hearing
Kohberger is a resident of Pullman, Washington, a city just about nine miles from the site of the killings, authorities said. His apartment and office on the Washington State University’s Pullman campus were searched by law enforcement Friday morning, the university confirmed in a statement.
He obtained a graduate degree from DeSales University in June 2022, according to the school. He received a degree in associate degree from Northampton Community College, according to CNN.
In a Reddit post removed after Kohberger’s arrest was announced, a student investigator named Bryan Kohberger who was associated with a DeSales University study sought participation in a research project “to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.”
“In particular, this study seeks to understand the story behind your most recent criminal offense, with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience,” the post said.
CNN reached one of the main investigators, a professor from DeSales University, but they did not speak to them about it. Requests for comment were not responded to by the university.
The suspect in the killings of four University of Idaho college students plans to waive his extradition hearing this week, his attorney said, to expedite his return to the Gem State, where he faces four counts of first-degree murder.
LaBar said his client is innocent until proven guilty and he looks forward to resolving the matter as soon as possible.
“It’s a procedural issue, and really all the Commonwealth here has to prove is that he resembles or is the person who the arrest warrant is out for and that he was in the area at the time of the crime,” LaBar said.
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In the weeks that followed the killings, community members have grown frustrated as investigators have yet to offer a complete picture of how the night unfolded. Some details have been released, such as the victims activities leading up to the attacks, and the people who have not been ruled out as suspects.
According to LaBar, how quickly his client would return to Idaho would be determined by the authorities. He was expected to be returned to Idaho within 72 hours.