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Idaho college killings suspect is criminology PhD student

Authorities in Pennsylvania arrested a suspect in the killings of four University of Idaho students who were found stabbed to death in their beds more than a month ago, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said Friday. (Dec. 30)

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Police removed boxes of personal belonging from a rental home near the University of Idaho campus where four students were killed November 13th. (Nov. 6)

This photo provided by Monroe County (Pa.) Correctional Facility shows Bryan Kohberger. Arrest paperwork filed by Pennsylvania State Police in Monroe County Court, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, said Kohberger, 28, was being held for extradition in a criminal homicide investigation in the killings of four University of Idaho students, based on an active arrest warrant for first degree murder issued by the Moscow Police Department and Latah County Prosecutor’s Office. (Monroe County (Pa.) Correctional Facility via AP)

FILE - A flyer seeking information about the killings of four University of Idaho students who were found dead is displayed on a table along with buttons and bracelets on Nov. 30, 2022, during a vigil in memory of the victims in Moscow, Idaho. A suspect in the killings of four University of Idaho students was arrested in eastern Pennsylvania, a law enforcement official said Friday, Dec. 30. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

FILE - A Moscow police officer stands guard in his vehicle, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, at the home where four University of Idaho students were found dead on Nov. 13, in Moscow, Idaho. A suspect in the killings of four University of Idaho students was arrested in eastern Pennsylvania, a law enforcement official said Friday, Dec. 30. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren,File)

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A 28-year-old criminal justice graduate student was arrested in eastern Pennsylvania on Friday as a suspect in the mysterious stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students last month, authorities said.

DNA evidence played a key role in identifying Bryan Christopher Kohberger as a suspect in the killings, and officials were able to match his DNA to genetic material recovered during the investigation, a law enforcement official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation.

The students — Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin — were stabbed to death at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho, sometime in the early morning hours of Nov. 13.

Moscow Police Chief James Fry said Kohberger attends Washington State University, which is only a few miles across the state line from Moscow.

Investigators are still looking for a weapon, Fry said at a press conference. He was emotional as he announced the arrest, calling the victims by their first names.

The killings initially confounded law enforcement and shook the small farming community of about 25,000 people, which hadn’t had a murder for five years. But tips began pouring in after law enforcement asked the public for help finding a white Hyundai Elantra sedan seen near the home around the time of the killings.

In addition to the DNA evidence, authorities also learned Kohberger had a white Hyundai Elantra , the official who spoke anonymously said. In recent days, federal investigators had been watching Kohberger and arrested him early Friday morning at a home in Chestnuthill Township, Pennsylvania.

Federal and state investigators are now combing through his background, financial records and electronic communications as they work to identify a motive and build the case, the official said. The investigators are also interviewing people who knew Kohberger, including those at Washington State University, the official said.

During the press conference, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said investigators believe Kohberger broke into the students’ home “with the intent to commit murder.” He is being held without bond in Pennsylvania, and will be held without bond in Idaho once he is returned, Thompson said. The affidavit for four charges of first-degree murder in Idaho will remain sealed until he is returned, as required by state law.

Kohberger is also charged with felony burglary in Idaho, Thompson said. An extradition hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Kohberger just completed his first semester as a PhD student in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University. He is also a teaching assistant for the university’s criminal justice and criminology program, according to WSU’s online directory . University police assisted Idaho law enforcement in executing search warrants at Kohberger’s campus apartment and office, the university said. WSU officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Kohberger’s work as a teaching assistant.

“This horrific act has shaken everyone in the Palouse region,” said WSU provost Elizabeth Chilton in a prepared statement, referring to the scenic rolling hills surrounding both universities. “We will long feel the loss of these young people in the Moscow-Pullman community and hope the announcement today will be a step toward healing.”

WSU and UI are partners in several academic programs, and students sometimes attend classes and seminars or work at the neighboring schools. That doesn’t appear to be the case with Kohberger: University of Idaho President Scott Green wrote in a memo to students and employees on Friday evening that the Idaho school had no record of him.

Kohberger graduated from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania with an associate of arts degree in psychology in 2018, said college spokesperson Mia Rossi-Marino. DeSales University in Pennsylvania said that he received a bachelor’s degree in 2020 and completed graduate studies in June 2022.

Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho; Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, Idaho; and Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington, were members of the university’s Greek system and close friends. Mogen, Goncalves and Kernodle lived in the three-story rental home with two other roommates. Kernodle and Chapin were dating and he was visiting the house that night.

Autopsies showed all four were likely asleep when they were attacked. Some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times. There was no sign of sexual assault, police said.

Police said Thursday the rental home would be cleared of “potential biohazards and other harmful substances” to collect evidence starting Friday morning.

Shanon Gray, an attorney representing Goncalves’s father, Steve Goncalves, said law enforcement officials called the family last night to let them know about the arrest, but gave no additional information about how or why they believe he might be connected to the murders.

Ben Roberts, a graduate student in the criminology and criminal justice department at WSU, described Kohberger as confident and outgoing, but said it seemed like “he was always looking for a way to fit in.”

“I had honestly just pegged him as being super awkward.” Roberts said.

Roberts started the program in August — along with Kohberger, he said — and had several courses with him. He described Kohberger as wanting to appear academic.

“One thing he would always do, almost without fail, was find the most complicated way to explain something,” he said. “He had to make sure you knew that he knew it.”

Ethan Chapin’s family emailed a statement after the press conference. “We are relieved this chapter is over because it provides a form of closure. However, it doesn’t alter the outcome or alleviate the pain,” the family wrote. “We miss Ethan, and our family is forever changed.”

The case enticed online sleuths who speculated about potential suspects and motives. Safety concerns also had the university hiring an additional security firm to escort students across campus and the Idaho State Police sending troopers to help patrol the city’s streets.

Kohberger was arrested in eastern Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains. No lawyer for Kohberger was listed in court documents and phone calls to the county public defender’s office went answered Friday.

Boone reported from Boise, Idaho, and Balsamo reported from Washington. News Researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York, and reporters Mark Scolforo and Brooke Schultz in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Michael Kunzelman in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Martha Bellisle in Seattle also contributed.

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Man charged in the University of Idaho murders studied criminology at a nearby university

The Pennsylvania man charged in the killing of four University of Idaho students was a doctoral student at nearby Washington State University studying in the criminal justice and criminology department.

Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was booked into custody on an arrest warrant out of Moscow, Idaho, charging him with first-degree murder , court records show. He was being held at the Monroe County Correctional Facility, according to court records.

Kohberger was arrested by the Pennsylvania State Police in Chestnuthill Township seven weeks after four students were stabbed to death in their beds — an event that stunned residents in tiny Moscow, perplexed police and prompted a nationwide manhunt.

A Pennsylvania judge in Monroe County, north of Allentown, on Friday ordered that Kohberger be extradited to Idaho next month, court records showed.

Killed in the Nov. 13 attack were Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Arizona; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho.

A motive has not been disclosed.

More in-depth coverage of the Idaho student slayings

• Scene of slayings was 'somber' as police grappled with the public response
• Investigators untangling the Idaho student slayings face a 'daunting task': the DNA
• ' Four beautiful kids ': Community remembers slain University of Idaho students at vigil
• How internet sleuthing in University of Idaho slayings can be 'extremely dangerous'

"We are still putting together the pieces," Moscow Police Chief James Fry said at a news conference after the arrest was announced.

The chief public defender of Monroe County, Jason A. LaBar, said in an interview Saturday that his client is "eager to be exonerated."

LaBar is representing the Kohberger in the Idaho extradition request, which is not being challenged, he said. LaBar, who is not part of Kohberger's murder defense, said he spoke with his client for about an hour Friday following his arrest.

"He was very aware, but calm, and really shocked by his arrest," LaBar said, adding of the man's parents, "They are also shocked. They said it's out of character for Brian. They just really taken aback."

LaBar said Kohberger "believes he would have been in Pullman at the time" of the killings, referring to the Washington city where he studies, about 9 miles from Moscow.

Moscow police and the Latah County Prosecutor's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the attorney's statements.

County prosecutor Bill Thompson said at a news conference Friday that a narrative supporting murder charges is contained in court documents sealed under state law but likely to become available when the defendant arrives in Idaho.

"We are limited on what we are allowed by the courts to say outside of the courtroom," he said.

Kohberger, who most recently was living in an apartment in Pullman, appeared to have a keen interest in crime. He was listed as a Ph.D. student in the department of criminal justice and criminology at Washington State University, which is 10 miles west and just across the state line from the University of Idaho.

Shortly after Kohberger's arrest was announced, WSU took down a graduate student page listing his name.

Fellow WSU criminal justice grad student Ben Roberts said Kohberger came off as confident and outgoing but also seemed like “he was always looking for a way to fit in.”

“It’s pretty out of left field,” Roberts told The Associated Press. “I had honestly just pegged him as being super awkward.”

Kohberger graduated from nearby DeSales University in 2020 with a degree in psychology and earned a master of arts in criminal justice from DeSales in the spring, DeSales University said in a statement Friday.

"Kohberger received a bachelor’s degree in 2020 and completed his graduate studies in June 2022," the statement said. "As a Catholic, Salesian community, we are devastated by this senseless tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families during this difficult time."

Seven months ago, a person with the name Bryan Kohberger took part in a research project that required him to reach out directly to people who had been arrested. At the time, the person identified himself a "student investigator" at DeSales University and was using a school-issued email address.

"My name is Bryan, and I am inviting you to participate in a research project that seeks to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime," Kohberger wrote in a post that appeared seven months ago on a Reddit community for former prisoners. "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."

Earlier, a Bryan Kohberger worked as a security guard in the nearby Pleasant Valley School District where he was credited in 2018 with helping save the life of a hall monitor who was having an asthma attack, The Pocono Record reported.

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What we know about Bryan Kohberger, the man charged in the Idaho quadruple murders

By Kerry Breen

Updated on: June 27, 2024 / 4:52 PM EDT / CBS News

More than six weeks after four college students were slain in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, police arrested a suspect, Bryan Christopher Kohberger , who is charged with their murders. The  28-year-old was arrested on a fugitive from justice warrant at his parents' home in Pennsylvania, police announced on Dec. 30, 2022, and extradited to Idaho, where he was formally charged on Jan. 5 , 2023.

Kohberger is facing four counts of first-degree murder and a count of felony burglary and is being held without bail. Prosecutors announced on June 26 of last year  they would pursue the death penalty . On June 27, 2024, both the defense and prosecution agreed to a district court judge's proposal for Kohberger's criminal trial to begin in June 2025 . 

Latah County District Judge John Judge said he expects the trial will last roughly three months. Two weeks of jury selection, eight weeks for the trial itself and then another two weeks for deliberations, the verdict, sentencing and any other remaining business, he said at a hearing on June 27, 2024.

At his arraignment on May 22, 2023, Kohberger did not respond when the judge asked him in court how he pleaded to the charges, which led the judge to  enter pleas of not guilty  on his behalf. 

The four victims — Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin — were stabbed to death at an off-campus rental home during the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022. The weeks that followed without an arrest gave rise to mounting national publicity as well as anxiety and  speculation  about who was responsible.

Monroe County chief public defender Jason LaBar, who  represented Kohberger for his extradition hearing  in Pennsylvania, told CBS News that police said they knocked on the Kohbergers' door around 3 a.m. Dec. 30, and both the parents and the suspect were "very cooperative." 

Kohberger was  extradited to Idaho on Jan. 4, 2023, after a brief hearing. He  appeared in an Idaho court on Jan. 12, 2023 and waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing, with his defense team asking the court for time to prepare for the case. 

A grand jury  indicted Kohburger  on May 17, 2023, on the same four murder charges he was already facing.

LaBar described the suspect's disposition during their meetings as "very calm."

"He's being very calm. He's very aware. He understands the proceedings," LaBar said. "I did discuss with him what to expect in the upcoming days on his transport, as well as what to expect when he actually returns to Idaho and is likely in front of a magistrate or a judge there."

The attorney also said that Kohberger denied allegations of his involvement in the killings, and believes that he will be exonerated.

"It is a little out of character, he said. I mean, this is not him," LaBar said. "He believes he's going to be exonerated, that's what he believes, those were his words. So, he's really been very easy to talk to actually, and he's in a calm demeanor like I stated."

Who is Bryan Kohberger? 

Kohberger was born on Nov. 21, 1994. In 2018, he finished an associate's degree in psychology at Northampton Community College, then went on to complete a bachelor's degree at DeSales University in 2020. He then did further graduate studies at the university, completing those in 2022, a representative for DeSales confirmed.  

At the time of his arrest, Kohberger was a Ph.D. criminology student and teaching assistant at Washington State University's Pullman campus, which is only about a 15-minute drive from Moscow, Idaho . Kohberger had just finished his first semester at WSU, the school said in a statement . 

In a separate statement released the following day, WSU's Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology said it was "relieved that justice will be carried out."

"The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University is aggrieved by the alleged horrendous acts of one of its graduate students," read the Dec. 31, 2022, statement, which was posted to the department's homepage on the university's website. "We are relieved that justice will be carried out. Our hearts are with the victims' families."

Moscow Police Chief James Fry confirmed in a news conference that Kohberger lived in Washington state, and the college said that university police assisted Idaho law enforcement officials in executing a search warrant at Kohberger's on-campus apartment and office. 

One of Kohberger's neighbors in Pullman, Washington, said the suspect spoke to him about the killings days after they occurred. 

"He brought it up in conversation," the neighbor, who asked not to be identified,  told CBS News on Jan. 11. "[He] asked if I had heard about the murders, which I did. And then he said, 'Yeah, seems like they have no leads. Seems like it was a crime of passion.'"

"At the time of our conversation, it was only a few days after it happened, so there wasn't much details out," the neighbor said.

A fellow graduate student in the criminology and criminal justice department at WSU told The Associated Press that the news of Kohberger's arrest was "pretty out of left field."

Ben Roberts said he took several courses with Kohberger after the two started the program together in August. Kohberger "was always looking for a way to fit in," Roberts told the AP.

Roberts said Kohberger would "find the most complicated way to explain something."

"He had to make sure you knew that he knew it," Roberts added.

LaBar described Kohberger as "very calm. He's very intelligent, and he was fairly shocked" by the arrest.

His parents were "just really shocked," LaBar said, and they said this is "out of character" for their son.

In a statement LaBar shared Jan. 1 on behalf of Kohberger's parents and two sisters, the family said they were praying for the families of the victims, and said they "have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies" in the investigation.

"First and foremost we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children. There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them," Kohberger's family said in the statement. "There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them."

"We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother," they added. "We have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies in an attempt to seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions. We respect privacy in this matter as our family and the families suffering loss can move forward through the legal process."

In an interview with NBC's "Today" show, LaBar said Kohberger's family is "obviously shocked" by the charges brought against him and "don't want to try this case in the court of public opinion," particularly because key details about the police investigation have not been released yet.

"They don't believe it to be Bryan. They can't believe this. They're obviously shocked. This is certainly completely out of character, the allegations," said LaBar. "And, really, they're just trying to be supportive with the understanding these four families have suffered loss and they're sympathetic towards that." 

Where does the investigation stand? 

Kohberger is in jail in Latah County, Idaho, where he is being held without bail after his extradition from Pennsylvania. While the probable cause affidavit and other documents have shed some light on the investigation and how Kohberger was arrested, investigators have said they will not share much information publicly to avoid problems at trial. 

The unsealed affidavit showed what investigators believe Kohberger did on the night of the brutal murders. One of the surviving residents said she saw a figure  clad in black in the home, wearing a mask and walking towards her, after hearing crying noises. The figure, alleged to be Kohberger, walked past her and left the home. Analysis of surveillance footage showed that a white Hyundai Elantra, like the one that was seized when Kohberger was arrested, drove around the home several times between 3:29 a.m. and 4:04 a.m. before departing at a "high rate of speed" at 4:20 a.m., the affidavit said.

The police chief said some of the  19,000 tips that police received  were integral to arresting Kohberger, but declined to say when he became a suspect or what brought him to their attention. Law enforcement sources told CBS News that forensic analysis allegedly linked Kohberger to the crime scene in Idaho, and the affidavit states that DNA was found on a knife sheath left at the scene of the murders.  

Police also served a warrant on Kohberger's apartment in Washington state. While police still have not found a murder weapon, they did discover a reddish-brown stained pillowcase, a nitrite-type black glove and hair strands. Investigators had been hoping to find dog hair, because one victim owned a dog, which was at the scene of the crime.  

Those sources told CBS News that FBI agents had conducted surveillance operations on Kohberger in Pennsylvania, tracking his movements on the days before he was taken into custody. Fry, the police chief, said that it was a "fairly sleepless couple days" leading up to Kohberger's arrest. 

"I have faith in those agencies across the nation, I have faith in our officers, I have faith in the FBI, and they did a great job," Fry said. 

Fry said police have not found the murder weapon, but that they had recovered a Hyundai Elantra. Investigators said several weeks ago that they were looking for the occupant or occupants of a 2011-2013 white Hyundai Elantra that was "in the area" when the students were killed.

According to Kohberger's lawyer, Kohberger and his father drove home together from Pullman, Washington, to Pennsylvania in the Elantra. The drive took about two and a half days and had been pre-planned from when Kohberger started classes at Washington State University. The two arrived in Pennsylvania around Dec. 17, the lawyer said. 

Fry declined to say if there was any possible connection between the victims and Kohberger, and did not share a motive for the killings . The probable cause affidavit does not provide any more information, but phone data records obtained through a search warrant showed the suspect's phone in the "coverage area" of 1122 King Road on at least 12 occasions before the murders took place.

"These murders have shaken our community and no arrest will ever bring back these young students. However, we do believe justice will be found through the criminal process," Fry said. 

Anam Siddiq and Emily Mae Czachor contributed to this report.

• Students Killed
• Bryan Kohberger

Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

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Idaho Murder Suspect Had Been a Student of the Criminal Mind

The arrest of a graduate student in the murder of four University of Idaho students eased fears but raised a troubling new question: What was the motive?

By Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs Rachel Sun Mike Baker and Serge F. Kovaleski

MOSCOW, Idaho — About two weeks before four University of Idaho students were found stabbed to death in a home near campus, Bryan Kohberger was sitting in a criminology class at a college just a short drive away, leaning into a conversation about forensics, D.N.A. and other evidence prosecutors use to win convictions.

The 28-year-old graduate student seemed highly engaged in the discussion, a former classmate recalled. It was a subject that had long captivated Mr. Kohberger, who had researched the mind-sets of criminals, studied under a professor in Pennsylvania known for her expertise on serial killers and, for the last few months, pursued a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University, about 10 miles from the Idaho crime scene.

Less than two months later, Mr. Kohberger would be the subject of a criminal inquiry, arrested on Friday and charged with the murder of the four Idaho students.

Investigators have yet to outline a motive, but the details emerging about Mr. Kohberger’s deep interest in the psychology of criminals have opened another layer of mystery in a case that has traumatized the college town of Moscow, Idaho, and spawned countless theories from people around the country who followed the case in captivated horror.

Mr. Kohberger was taken into custody on Friday at his parents’ home in Effort, Pa., and was ordered to appear at an extradition hearing on Tuesday. Jason LaBar, the public defender in Monroe County who is representing him, said Mr. Kohberger had been following the case with interest but was “shocked” to be arrested.

“He looks forward to being exonerated, is what he said,” Mr. LaBar said. Mr. Kohberger, he added, would not oppose the effort to return him to Idaho to face the charges. On Sunday, Mr. LaBar issued a statement from Mr. Kohberger’s parents and two sisters saying that they “love and support our son and brother” and had cooperated with the police in an effort to “promote his presumption of innocence.” They also offered prayers for the victims.

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Idaho murders: 28-year-old PhD grad student arrested in Pennsylvania

Police did not disclose a motive or what led them to their suspect.

A 28-year-old graduate student was arrested Friday morning in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains in connection with the November murders of four University of Idaho students , police said, but many details of the case still remain a mystery.

The suspect, Bryan Kohberger, is a graduate student at Washington State University, located less than 10 miles away from the University of Idaho, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said at a Friday news conference.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that police identified Kohberger as a suspect, at least in part, by using DNA technology, and police then tracked the grad student to Pennsylvania through his car.

MORE: Idaho murders: Everybody can hear each others' footsteps in 'creaky' house, former resident says

Sources said the FBI had been watching the house for several days before a specialized team of state troopers and federal agents moved in around 2 a.m. Friday.

Police did not disclose a motive or what led them to their suspect. The probable cause affidavit, which details the reasons for Kohberger's arrest, is sealed and cannot be released until he returns to Idaho, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said.

Fry would not say if police are looking for more suspects, but he said, "I do believe our community is safe."

Authorities announced earlier this month that they were looking to speak with the driver of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra that was spotted near the victims' house around the time of the crime.

Asked at Friday's news conference if that car has now been found, the chief replied, "We have found an Elantra."

MORE: Idaho college murders: Timeline of events

Kohberger received his undergraduate degree from DeSales University in Pennsylvania in 2020 and completed graduate studies at DeSales in June 2022, according to the university.

Washington State University identifies Kohberger as a Ph.D. student in its department of criminal justice and criminology. He completed his first semester in its criminal justice program earlier this month, the university said.

WSU's police department assisted Idaho law enforcement officials in the execution of search warrants Friday morning at the suspect's apartment and office, which are both on the university's campus, the school said in a statement.

"WSU Police are working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials as they continue their investigation," the university said.

Kohberger was arrested on four counts of first-degree murder and burglary, Thompson said.

Kohberger appeared before a judge in Pennsylvania Friday morning and is being held without bond, Thompson said. He's scheduled to return to court in Pennsylvania on Tuesday to begin the extradition process and has been appointed a public defender, Thompson said.

It's been over six weeks since roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, as well as Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, were all stabbed to death in the girls' off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13.

Two other roommates -- who police said are not suspects -- survived and likely slept through the murders, according to officials. The survivors were on the ground floor while the four victims were on the second and third floors.

The murder weapon has not been recovered, the chief said.

Goncalves' family told ABC News on Friday that they don't know Kohberger but are seeing connections between the two that they aren't ready to discuss yet. The family said they are "happy, relieved and thankful" that there's been an arrest.

Chapin's family said in a statement, "We are relieved this chapter is over because it provides a form of closure. However, it doesn't alter the outcome or alleviate the pain. We miss Ethan, and our family is forever changed."

MORE: Idaho murders: Police bringing cleaning crew to crime scene

"We marvel at the continued stories about Ethan and the lives he touched in his short 20 years," the family said. "If we all lived and loved as Ethan did, the world would be a better place."

The chief said at the news conference, "No arrest will ever bring back these young students. However, we do believe justice will be found through the criminal process."

Moscow's deputy city supervisor, Tyler Palmer, called the arrest a "tremendous sigh of relief for a community holding its breath for more than six weeks."

Moscow Mayor Arthur Bettge said in a statement Friday that he hopes the arrest can "begin to provide the answers that we have all sought in our attempts to understand this senseless act."

The University had increased its security presence on campus in the wake of the murders. The arrest of a suspect "is the news we have been waiting for and a relief for our community," the university said in a statement.

"It has been a stressful time for our university, but we never lost faith that this case would be solved," the statement continued.

As police investigated, they urged the public to come forward with information.

"We just want this person found so bad," Kaylee Goncalves' mom, Kristi Goncalves, told ABC News earlier this month .

"Where are you? Who are you?" she said.

Sheldon Kernodle, Xana's cousin, urged people to continue to share information. "Our work isn’t done yet," he tweeted on Friday.

On Thursday, Moscow police said they were planning to send a cleaning crew on Friday to the murder scene. That planned cleaning has now been put on hold following a legal request from the court, police said.

ABC News' Luke Barr, Nick Cirone and Christopher Looft contributed to this report.

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Who Is Bryan Kohberger? Criminology Student Arrested in Idaho Killings

Four friends in their early 20s were found dead in a rental home across the street from the university campus they attended in idaho in mid-november -- and very little information on the case has been released since, by jonathan dienst , deanna durante and tom winter • published december 30, 2022 • updated on december 30, 2022 at 5:46 pm.

A 28-year-old PhD student studying criminal justice and criminology was arrested in Pennsylvania in stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho college students whose bodies were found in a rental home near campus last month, authorities announced Friday.

Law enforcement in Idaho and Pennsylvania identified their suspect as Bryan Kohberger, who was taken into cutody early Friday morning by the Pennsylvania State Police at a home in Chestnuthill Township. He's being held in the Monroe County Prison without bond and will be held without bond when he returns to Idaho, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said.

Kohberger, a Pennsylvania resident, is expected to be extradited to Idaho to face charges in the  case that has both captivated and mystified the globe . Once he is returned, the affidavit for four charges of first-degree murder will be unsealed and share the first clues behind his arrest and possible motive.

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He is the first to be named a suspect in the killings since they happened. He is also charged with felony burglary in Idaho, Thompson said. An extradition hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Records show Kohberger is a PhD student studying criminal justice and criminology at Washington State University, just a few miles from the Idaho murder scene. The university released a statement saying campus police assisted Idaho police in executing search warrants of Kohberger's office and apartment, both of which are located on the main campus in Pullman.

He also completed his graduate studies in DeSales University's criminal justice program in June 2022, a school spokesperson confirmed to NBC New York. Before that, Kohberger got his bachelor of science in psychology at the private Catholic university in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.

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The Moscow Police Department, which received more than 13,000 tips related to the case, in addition to thousands of digital media submissions, didn't immediately confirm the apprehension Friday. The chief of police, along with university officials, are expected to provide an update on the case at a 4 p.m. ET news briefing.

Few  details have been released publicly in the  gruesome Nov. 13 slayings of 21-year-olds Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, and 20-year-olds Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin . The four friends, members of the university’s Greek system, were discovered across the street from campus, leaving the small town of Moscow, Idaho, deeply shaken.

Moscow police had said they were looking for a white Hyundai Elantra believed to be in the immediate area of the King Road residence early on the morning the students were believed to have been killed. A few days before Christmas, they said a white sedan found in Eugene, Oregon, was not connected to the murders. Two senior law enforcement officials say a white Elantra was taken away from the Pennsylvania home where the suspect was apprehended Friday.

“We are still looking for the weapon,” Fry said. “I will say that we have found an Elantra.”

More Coverage

Internet Sleuthing in Unsolved Idaho Students' Slayings Prompt Rumors and Harassment

Mom of One of the University of Idaho Victims Fears Case Could Go Unsolved

The killings have drawn worldwide attention, especially among true crime aficionados. That's likely because so few facts have been released about the case, said Julie Wiest, a sociology professor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and an expert on extreme violence in media.

The last public development in the case came a few days before Christmas, when Idaho police announced a white sedan found in Eugene, Oregon, was not connected to the  stabbing deaths  of four University of Idaho students.

“Usually by now, there’s more facts that have been released by law enforcement, so I could see that ramping up the sort of digging and almost grasping at straws by people," Wiest said. "It’s not that typical, except in high-profile cold cases, where you might see people digging in that way.”

Ben Roberts, a graduate student in the criminology and criminal justice department at WSU, described Kohberger as confident and outgoing, but said it seemed like “he was always looking for a way to fit in.”

“It’s pretty out of left field,” he said of the news Friday. “I had honestly just pegged him as being super awkward.”

Roberts started the program in August — along with Kohberger, he said — and had several courses with him. He described Kohberger as wanting to appear academic.

“One thing he would always do, almost without fail, was find the most complicated way to explain something,” he said. “He had to make sure you knew that he knew it.”

No lawyer for Kohberger was listed in court documents and phone calls to the county public defender’s office went answered Friday.

The killings have left the close-knit community of Moscow stunned and grieving, shattering the sense of safety many had in the rural farming and university town. Mogen, Goncalves and Kernodle lived together with two other roommates in the rental home just across the street from campus, and Chapin — Kernodle’s boyfriend — was there visiting.

The Moscow Police Department had asked anyone with information to email or call its tip line at 208-883-7180. The FBI, which is assisting in the investigation, created a website where people can upload security camera footage or other digital media from the area that was recorded around the time of the killings.

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Idaho college killings suspect is criminology PhD student

Bryan christopher kohberger, 28, was arrested early friday morning by the pennsylvania state police at a home in chestnuthill township, authorities said..

Associated Press

Dec 30, 2022, 4:51 PM

Updated 625 days ago

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Criminology PhD student arrested in stabbing deaths of four Idaho university students

DNA evidence played a key role in identifying Bryan Kohberger as a suspect in the killings

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HARRISBURG, Pa. — A 28-year-old criminal justice graduate student was arrested in eastern Pennsylvania on Friday as a suspect in the mysterious stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students last month, authorities said.

DNA evidence played a key role in identifying Bryan Christopher Kohberger as a suspect in the killings, and officials were able to match his DNA to genetic material recovered during the investigation, a law enforcement official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation.

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The students — Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin — were stabbed to death at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho, sometime in the early morning hours of Nov. 13.

Moscow Police Chief James Fry said Kohberger attends Washington State University, which is only a few miles across the state line from Moscow.

Investigators are still looking for a weapon, Fry said at a press conference. He was emotional as he announced the arrest, calling the victims by their first names.

The killings initially confounded law enforcement and shook the small farming community of about 25,000 people, which hadn’t had a murder for five years. But tips began pouring in after law enforcement asked the public for help finding a white Hyundai Elantra sedan seen near the home around the time of the killings.

In addition to the DNA evidence, authorities also learned Kohberger had a white Hyundai Elantra, the official who spoke anonymously said. In recent days, federal investigators had been watching Kohberger and arrested him early Friday morning at a home in Chestnuthill Township, Pennsylvania.

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Federal and state investigators are now combing through his background, financial records and electronic communications as they work to identify a motive and build the case, the official said. The investigators are also interviewing people who knew Kohberger, including those at Washington State University, the official said.

During the press conference, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said investigators believe Kohberger broke into the students’ home “with the intent to commit murder.” He is being held without bond in Pennsylvania, and will be held without bond in Idaho once he is returned, Thompson said. The affidavit for four charges of first-degree murder in Idaho will remain sealed until he is returned, as required by state law.

Kohberger is also charged with felony burglary in Idaho, Thompson said. An extradition hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Kohberger just completed his first semester as a PhD student in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University. He is also a teaching assistant for the university’s criminal justice and criminology program, according to WSU’s online directory. University police assisted Idaho law enforcement in executing search warrants at Kohberger’s campus apartment and office, the university said. WSU officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Kohberger’s work as a teaching assistant.

“This horrific act has shaken everyone in the Palouse region,” said WSU provost Elizabeth Chilton in a prepared statement, referring to the scenic rolling hills surrounding both universities. “We will long feel the loss of these young people in the Moscow-Pullman community and hope the announcement today will be a step toward healing.”

WSU and UI are partners in several academic programs, and students sometimes attend classes and seminars or work at the neighboring schools. That doesn’t appear to be the case with Kohberger: University of Idaho President Scott Green wrote in a memo to students and employees on Friday evening that the Idaho school had no record of him.

Kohberger graduated from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania with an associate of arts degree in psychology in 2018, said college spokesperson Mia Rossi-Marino. DeSales University in Pennsylvania said that he received a bachelor’s degree in 2020 and completed graduate studies in June 2022.

Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho; Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, Idaho; and Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington, were members of the university’s Greek system and close friends. Mogen, Goncalves and Kernodle lived in the three-story rental home with two other roommates. Kernodle and Chapin were dating and he was visiting the house that night.

Autopsies showed all four were likely asleep when they were attacked. Some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times. There was no sign of sexual assault, police said.

Police said Thursday the rental home would be cleared of “potential biohazards and other harmful substances” to collect evidence starting Friday morning.

Shanon Gray, an attorney representing Goncalves’s father, Steve Goncalves, said law enforcement officials called the family last night to let them know about the arrest, but gave no additional information about how or why they believe he might be connected to the murders.

Ben Roberts, a graduate student in the criminology and criminal justice department at WSU, described Kohberger as confident and outgoing, but said it seemed like “he was always looking for a way to fit in.”

“I had honestly just pegged him as being super awkward.” Roberts said.

Roberts started the program in August — along with Kohberger, he said — and had several courses with him. He described Kohberger as wanting to appear academic.

“One thing he would always do, almost without fail, was find the most complicated way to explain something,” he said. “He had to make sure you knew that he knew it.”

Ethan Chapin’s family emailed a statement after the press conference. “We are relieved this chapter is over because it provides a form of closure. However, it doesn’t alter the outcome or alleviate the pain,” the family wrote. “We miss Ethan, and our family is forever changed.”

The case enticed online sleuths who speculated about potential suspects and motives. Safety concerns also had the university hiring an additional security firm to escort students across campus and the Idaho State Police sending troopers to help patrol the city’s streets.

Kohberger was arrested in eastern Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains. No lawyer for Kohberger was listed in court documents and phone calls to the county public defender’s office went answered Friday.

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Arrest of criminology PhD student from Poconos in 4 killings ‘a relief’ to Idaho campus

• Updated: Dec. 31, 2022, 2:56 p.m.
• | Published: Dec. 31, 2022, 9:31 a.m.

This photo provided by Monroe County Correctional Facility shows Bryan Kohberger. Arrest paperwork filed by Pennsylvania State Police in Monroe County Court, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, said Kohberger, 28, was being held for extradition in a criminal homicide investigation in the killings of four University of Idaho students, based on an active arrest warrant for first degree murder issued by the Moscow Police Department and Latah County Prosecutor’s Office. Monroe County (Pa.) Correctional Facility via AP

• The Associated Press

UPDATE: Under ‘veil of innocence,’ suspect in Idaho killings plans to waive extradition hearing, attorney says

The fatal stabbings of four students at the University of Idaho shook the college town of Moscow, a small community nestled in the rolling agricultural hills of the Palouse region that hadn’t seen a murder for five years.

The Nov. 13 slayings seemed to mystify police, adding to the tension in town as the weeks went by without a break in the case. Then on Friday a suspect was arrested more than 2,500 miles away in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains.

Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was taken into custody in the early morning by the Pennsylvania State Police at a home in Chestnuthill Township in Monroe County, where he lived in the Albrightsville area, authorities said. Latah County, Idaho, Prosecutor Bill Thompson said investigators believe Kohberger broke into the students’ home “with the intent to commit murder.”

DNA evidence played a key role in identifying Kohberger as a suspect in the killings and authorities were able to match his DNA to genetic material recovered during the investigation, a law enforcement official said. In recent days, federal investigators had been watching Kohberger.

Kohberger just completed his first semester as a PhD student in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University. He is also a teaching assistant for the university’s criminal justice and criminology program, according to WSU’s online directory . University police assisted Idaho law enforcement in executing search warrants at Kohberger’s campus apartment and office, the university said. WSU officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Kohberger’s work as a teaching assistant.

“This horrific act has shaken everyone in the Palouse region,” said WSU provost Elizabeth Chilton in a prepared statement, referring to the scenic rolling hills surrounding both universities. “We will long feel the loss of these young people in the Moscow-Pullman community and hope the announcement today will be a step toward healing.”

A flyer seeking information about the killings of four University of Idaho students who were found dead is displayed on a table along with buttons and bracelets on Nov. 30, 2022, during a vigil in memory of the victims in Moscow, Idaho. A suspect in the killings of four University of Idaho students was arrested in eastern Pennsylvania, a law enforcement official said Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. AP File Photo/Ted S. Warren

Federal and state investigators are now combing through Kohberger’s background, financial records and electronic communications as they work to identify a motive and build the case, the law enforcement official said. The investigators are also interviewing people who knew Kohberger, including those at WSU, the official said.

The official could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Kohberger is being held without bond in Pennsylvania and will be held without bond in Idaho once he is returned, Thompson said. The affidavit for four charges of first-degree murder in Idaho will remain sealed until he is returned, the prosecutor said. He is also charged with felony burglary in Idaho. An extradition hearing is scheduled for Tuesday , at 3:30 p.m. in the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg before President Judge Margherita P. Worthington.

The students — Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20 — were stabbed to death at a rental home near campus in Moscow, a town of about 25,000 people near the Washington state border.

Moscow Police Chief James Fry said investigators are still looking for a weapon. He was emotional as he announced the arrest at a news conference Friday, calling the victims by their first names.

Tips began pouring in after law enforcement asked the public for help finding a white Hyundai Elantra sedan seen near the home around the time of the killings.

In addition to the DNA evidence, authorities also learned Kohberger had a white Hyundai Elantra, the official who spoke anonymously said.

No lawyer for Kohberger was listed in court documents and phone calls to the county public defender’s office went answered Friday.

Boise State University students, along with people who knew the four University of Idaho students who were found killed in Moscow, Idaho, days earlier, pay their respects at a vigil held in front of a statue on the Boise State campus, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, in Boise, Idaho. The arrest of Bryan Christopher Kohberger in the Nov. 13, 2022 fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students has brought relief to the small college town of Moscow, Idaho. Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman via AP

WSU and UI are partners in several academic programs and students sometimes attend classes and seminars or work at the neighboring schools. That doesn’t appear to be the case with Kohberger: University of Idaho President Scott Green wrote in a memo to students and employees on Friday evening that the Idaho school had no record of him.

In the memo, Green said the arrest was “the news we have been waiting for.”

Green said he was grateful for the law enforcement agencies, including the Idaho State Police troopers who were brought in to help patrol the university and the community in the weeks after the stabbings.

“The crime has nevertheless left a mark on our university, our community and our people,” Green wrote. Counseling services would remain available to students throughout the winter break and after classes resume on Jan. 11, he said.

Kohberger graduated from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania with an associate of arts degree in psychology in 2018, said college spokesperson Mia Rossi-Marino. DeSales University in Upper Saucon Township said that he received a bachelor’s degree in 2020 and completed graduate studies in June 2022.

Goncalves, of Rathdrum, Idaho; Mogen, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Kernodle, of Post Falls, Idaho; and Chapin, of Conway, Washington, were members of the university’s Greek system and close friends. Mogen, Goncalves and Kernodle lived in the three-story rental home with two other roommates. Kernodle and Chapin were dating and he was visiting the house that night.

Autopsies showed all four were likely asleep when they were attacked. Some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times. There was no sign of sexual assault, police said.

Shanon Gray, an attorney representing Goncalves’s father, Steve Goncalves, said law enforcement officials called the family Thursday to let them know about the arrest, but gave no additional information about how or why they believe he might be connected to the killings.

Ben Roberts, a graduate student in the criminology and criminal justice department at WSU, described Kohberger as confident and outgoing, but said it seemed like “he was always looking for a way to fit in.”

“I had honestly just pegged him as being super awkward.” Roberts said.

Roberts started the program in August — along with Kohberger, he said — and had several courses with him. He described Kohberger as wanting to appear academic.

“One thing he would always do, almost without fail, was find the most complicated way to explain something,” he said. “He had to make sure you knew that he knew it.”

Safety concerns had also led UI to hire security to escort students across campus.

“To describe it as a relief is pretty much spot on,” said Brian Wolf, a UI sociology professor who specializes in criminology and social control. “It’s still somber, because we lost four members of our University of Idaho family, but it’s safe to say we will probably all sleep better tonight.”

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Ethan Chapin’s family emailed a statement after the press conference. “We are relieved this chapter is over because it provides a form of closure. However, it doesn’t alter the outcome or alleviate the pain,” the family wrote. “We miss Ethan, and our family is forever changed.”

The case enticed online sleuths who speculated about potential suspects and motives. Safety concerns also had the university hiring an additional security firm to escort students across campus and the Idaho State Police sending troopers to help patrol the city’s streets.

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