Suspect in Idaho student stabbing arrested, charged with murder
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The Police investigation into the murder of Idaho university students arrests the man behind it.
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A police officer stands guard in his vehicle, Nov. 29, 2022, at the home where 4 University of Idaho students were found dead. (AP)
US police announce on Friday the arrest of a man after investigating the fatal stabbing of four students at a university in Idaho.
The killings in mid-November left the college town of Moscow in shock as residents struggled to come to grips with the first murders there in several years.
The students, Kaylee Goncalves (21) Madison Mogen (21) Xana Kernodle (20), and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin (20) were likely to have been asleep when they were stabbed multiple times, detectives said.
Autopsies revealed that some of them carried defensive wounds, indicating they tried to protect themselves as their killer struck.
The killings triggered a massive manhunt and public appeals for help, as well as a rush of amateur online sleuthing as armchair detectives tried to piece together clues released by investigators.
Thousands of tips poured into police in the far western state, and Moscow Police Chief James Fry announced on Friday that they had made a breakthrough 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) away.
"Last night in conjunction with the Pennsylvania State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, detectives arrested 28-year-old Bryan Christopher Kohberger, in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania on a warrant for murder," he told reporters.
According to Fry, Kohberger is a graduate student at Washington State University, whose campus is close to Moscow.
Kohberger was a Ph.D. candidate in the department of criminal justice and criminology, according to an archive search of the university's website. "Due to Idaho State law, we are limited in what information we can release today until Kohburger has his initial appearance in Idaho," Fry said.
No motive was revealed for the killings, and police are still searching for the murder weapon.
Kohberger was arrested at his parents' home, according to US police, adding that he has made one appearance in court in Pennsylvania and is due to appear again on Tuesday.
Bill Thompson, Latah County prosecutor, said Kohberger was being held without bail on suspicion of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. If he opts not to return voluntarily to Idaho, the state will seek to extradite him from Pennsylvania, he said.
It is worth noting that firearm sales soared to record levels between 2020 and 2021, matching up to the increase in victims and shootings the country is grappling with today. There are over 45,000 deaths from gun violence each year in the United States.
