Suspect arrested in connection with University of Idaho slayings
Kevin Richert
(Idaho Capital Sun) A man has been arrested in Pennsylvania in connection with the Nov. 13 slayings of four University of Idaho students, according to multiple news reports.
A SWAT team apprehended Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, in Pennsylvania’s Pocono mountain region, at a location where he’d been staying, ABC News reported. He was arrested and appeared in court Friday morning, according to ABC News.
According to a Monroe County, Pennsylvania, court document, Kohberger was being held for extradition to Idaho on a first-degree murder warrant. An extradition hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
According to the Associated Press, a Ph.D. student by the name of Bryan Kohberger is a student in Washington State University’s department of criminal justice and criminology. Washington State is located in Pullman, Washington, eight miles from the U of I’s Moscow campus. Kohberger is also identified as a teaching assistant in the graduate program, according to Washington State’s website.
The Monroe County, Pennsylvania, court document identifies Kohberger as a resident of Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. According to the Times News in Lehighton, Pennyslvania, a person by the same name graduated from DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, in 2020 with a degree in psychology, earning a master of arts in criminal justice from DeSales in May. A person by the same name also was employed at Pennsylvania’s Pleasant Valley School District until 2021, the Times News reported.
The Moscow Police Department has scheduled a news conference for 1 p.m. PST to discuss developments in the case. Idaho State Police, city police and U of I officials are expected to attend the news conference.
Friday’s arrest comes 47 days after four U of I students were found dead in an off-campus house. The victims — Ethan Chapin, 20, a freshman from Mount Vernon, Washington; Kaylee Goncalves, 21, a senior from Rathdrum; Xana Kernodle, 20, a junior from Post Falls; and Madison Mogen, 21, a senior from Coeur d’Alene — were stabbed to death.
The slayings have drawn international media attention — and shook the close-knit U of I campus community. An unknown number of students stayed home for the end of fall semester, as the investigation into the deaths continued, with no news about any break in the case.
As recently as Thursday, Moscow police again said no suspect had been identified in the case. “Updates will be provided when new information is available for release,” police said in a statement.
Police also said on Thursday they continued to make progress to locate a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra linked to the crime scene in the early morning hours of Nov. 13. “Investigators believe the occupant(s) may have critical information to share about this case.”
Moscow police said they had processed more than 9,025 emailed tips, 4,575 phone tips and 6,050 digital media submissions, and conducted more than 300 interviews.
The arrest comes hours after police said they were working with a private company for cleanup at the rental house — although police said the home remained an active crime scene.
“Remediation activities include removing potential biohazards and other harmful substances used to collect evidence,” police said. “There is no timeline for completion, but the property will be returned to the property management company when finished.”
Originally published on IdahoEdNews.org on Dec. 30, 2022.