The man accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death last month has been arrested and will be extradited from Pennsylvania to face charges, police said.
At a press conference in Moscow, Idaho on Friday, authorities said 28-year-old Bryan Christopher Kohberger was arrested Thursday night.
The disturbing late-night attack inside a rental house left students and the community on edge for more than a month as investigators worked on the case. Authorities have not released a possible motive in the November 13 stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle.
“These killings have shaken our community, and no arrest will ever bring these young students back,” Moscow Police Chief James Fry said Friday afternoon. “We have an individual in custody who committed these horrific crimes and I believe our community is safe.”
Fry declined to reveal any additional details about the charges against the suspect, who is being held without bond on possible first-degree murder and burglary charges. Prosecutors said they cannot issue an affidavit of probable cause arrest until the suspect is returned to Idaho, a process that could take days or up to 3 months.
Authorities said he was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday to attend an extradition hearing in Stroudsburg, Pa., with a public defender, which could shed more light on the case and when he will return to the state. .
“These tragic murders took four young and vibrant lives in our community. Nothing we do can bring them back,” said Idaho State Police Col. Kedrick Wills. “The only thing we can do in law enforcement to honor their memory, as far as we know, is get this case done.”
Two other roommates inside the house slept during the attack, police said.
Goncalves’ family released a statement through their attorney, Shanon Gray: “The family is relieved the authorities have someone in custody and now the journey through the criminal justice system begins.”
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Suspect a Washington State University graduate student
Authorities said Kohberger was a doctoral student in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash.
Ben Roberts, another graduate student in the WSU department, described Kohberger as confident and outgoing, but said it seemed “he was always looking for a way to fit in.”
“It’s pretty out of left field,” he said upon news of his arrest. “Honestly, I just identified him as super clumsy.”
Roberts started the program in August — with Kohberger, he said — and took several classes with him. He described Kohberger as wanting to appear academic.
MORE ON THE SUSPECT:What we know about Bryan Kohberger, arrested in the murder of 4 University of Idaho students
“One thing he always did, almost without fail, was find the most complicated way to explain something,” he said. “He had to make sure you knew he knew.”
Washington State University is just across the state line, about eight miles from the University of Idaho. The two universities are partners in several academic programs, and students sometimes take courses and seminars or work at neighboring schools.
University of Idaho President Scott Green wrote in a memo to students and employees on Friday that the school “seems to have no record” of Kohberger.
No motive given for the nighttime attack, it is unclear how the suspect knew the victims
Investigators have been searching for a white 2011-13 Hyundai Elantra model for weeks. On Friday, police said they stopped a white Elantra, but declined to give further details.
On Thursday, Fry released a video statement saying the house was being turned over to a commercial crime scene remediation team to remove biohazards such as blood and forensic chemicals used by investigators. That work was supposed to start Friday morning but was halted at the court’s request, Fry said.
Police initially said the deaths were an “isolated targeted attack” and appeared to confirm it again on Friday. But they declined to discuss whether there were any other potential suspects.
Uncertainty about the motive had prompted many University of Idaho students to switch to online classes for the remainder of the semester. Additional police flooded the town during the investigation, trying to bring a sense of security to the volatile community.
“Today’s news of an arrest is welcome,” University of Idaho President Scott Green said at Friday’s press conference. “It’s a relief for our university, our community and our extended Vandal family. We never lost faith that this matter would be resolved.”
Who were the victims?
A community memorial service for Goncalves and Mogen, both 21, was scheduled for Friday afternoon in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where they graduated from high school. Both women were elderly; Mogen was studying marketing and Goncalves was majoring in general studies at the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences.
Kernodle, 20, was a junior marketing student and was dating Chapin, who police say was sleeping at her house. Chapin, 20, was a freshman majoring in recreation, sports, and tourism management from Washington state.
All four victims were involved in fraternity or sorority organizations.
“Ethan, Xana, Maddie and Kaylee came to the University of Idaho and found their niche. … They were brimming with promise and ready to leave their mark on the world outside of Moscow,” said Green, president from the University of Idaho, said at a vigil in November.
Learn more about the Idaho student case
Contributor: Christal Hayes, USA TODAY Network reporter Brian Myszkowski of the Pocono (Penn.) Record; The Associated Press