Here’s What We Know About The Accused Suspect

Topline

Police had been tracking Idaho killing suspect Bryan Christopher Kohberger for days as he drove across the country for Christmas, CNN reported Saturday, adding another detail to the emerging picture of the suspect charged with the stabbing deaths of four students.

Key Facts

Law enforcement identified and began tracking Kohberger, 28, after identifying him as the owner of a white Hyundai Elantra spotted near the crime scene and through DNA evidence, CNN reported, citing two law enforcement sources.

Police surveilled Kohberger for several days, CNN reported, as he traveled from Washington to Pennsylvania, where he was arrested Friday and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.

Kohberger is a resident of Pullman, Washington, and lived 10 miles from Moscow, Idaho, police said.

Washington State University released a statement Friday confirming Kohberger, who is listed as a graduate teaching assistant, had completed his first semester as a Ph.D. student in the school’s criminal justice program this month.

Kohberger previously graduated from Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with an associate of arts degree in psychology in 2018, according to the Associated Press, before earning a bachelor’s degree from DeSales University in 2020 and later completing his graduate studies in June 2022.

Kohberger has not yet entered a plea; he is scheduled to be extradited from Pennsylvania to Idaho on January 3.

Crucial Quote

“We also want to extend our deepest sympathies to the families, friends and Vandal colleagues who were impacted by these murders,” Washington State University provost Elizabeth Chilton said in the school’s statement, adding she hopes the announcement of Kohberger’s arrest “will be a step toward healing.”

What To Watch For

Idaho state law prohibits an affidavit laying out the facts behind Kohberger’s arrest from being opened until he returns to the state, Latah County prosecutor Bill Thompson said.

Key Background

The deaths of University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21, cast a national spotlight on the small farming community of Moscow, Idaho, leading up to Kohberger’s arrest. The four were found stabbed to death inside a home near the school’s campus on November 13, according to police. Police were unable to locate a suspect or a murder weapon before releasing a public statement that officials were searching for a white sedan spotted nearby at the time of the murders.

Further Reading

Suspect Arrested In University Of Idaho Killings (Forbes)