A man arrested late Thursday in connection with last month’s killings of four University of Idaho students was a longtime criminology student.
Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested at a home in Chestnuthill Township, Pennsylvania, and was being held without bail for extradition on charges of first-degree murder.
Moscow Police Chief James Fry confirmed Kohberger’s arrest at a news conference Friday but would not say whether Kohberger was the lone suspect. “We have an individual in custody who committed these horrible crimes,” Fry said.
The four students – Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20 – were stabbed to death in their Moscow, Idaho, residence on Nov. 13, police said. Two other roommates inside the home slept through the attack, which sent panic through the small, remote town.
Here’s what we know.
What authorities said and didn’t say
Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and a count of felony burglary for entering the house with intent to commit murder, said Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson.
Fry and Thompson said any information regarding Kohberger is sealed by the Idaho courts and could not be released until he is extradited.
Authorities said Kohberger had an apartment in Pullman, Washington, where he was a doctoral student at Washington State University, less than 10 miles from the University of Idaho.
Hours after Kohberger’s arrest, the university removed the webpage with his information. The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Police had been seeking a Hyundai Elantra connected to the case, announcing earlier in December they were sifting through 22,000 registrations for Elantras that met the criteria. On Friday, Fry confirmed they had found an Elantra but released few other details.
Fry declined to say what information led officials to Kohberger and would not say if they had determined a motive. He said they had not recovered the murder weapon.
University of Idaho killings:Suspect arrested in Pennsylvania
Authorities said their investigation continues and urged anyone who knows Kohberger or other members of the public with any information that would help “build the picture” of what happened to provide it to a tip line at 208-883-7180, or tipline@ci.moscow.id.us.
Suspect recently finished graduate studies
Public records list Kohberger’s home address as a residence in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. He received an associate’s degree in psychology from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania in 2018, the school confirmed to USA TODAY.
Kohberger also attended DeSales University in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 2020 and completed graduate studies in June, the university said in a statement Friday.
He graduated with a master of arts in criminal justice, according to the school’s online commencement program.
“As a Catholic, Salesian community, we are devastated by this senseless tragedy,” DeSales University said in a statement.
Kohberger researched criminal justice
As a DeSales student, Kohberger participated in a 2019 psychology conference, according to a conference schedule posted online by Muhlenberg College, also in Allentown.
Meanwhile, a Reddit user named Bryan Kohberger, identifying himself as a student investigator, made a post in the Prison and ExCons sub Reddits seven months ago inviting users to participate in a research project to understand “how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.”
The post said the study, which sought to understand the stories behind the user’s most recent criminal offense, had been approved by the DeSales University Institutional Review Board.
The anonymous survey included questions such as: “Why did you choose that victim or target over others?” “What was the first move you made in order to accomplish your goal?” “Before leaving, is there anything else you did?”
Reddit removed the posting Friday.
The survey, which stated Kohberger was collaborating with two DeSales professors, was removed from the university’s website Friday.
Kohberger previously worked for the Pleasant Valley School District, according to a local news report.
Contributing: USA TODAY Network reporter Brian Myszkowski.
USA TODAY
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