Suspect Arrested in University of Idaho Murders; Weapon Still Missing, Motive Unclear
Above: Bryan Kohberger | Monroe County (Pa.) Correctional Facility, Associated Press
Authorities in Idaho have announced the arrest of a primary suspect in connection to the November 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.
28-year-old Bryan Christopher Kohberger, a criminal justice graduate student at nearby Washington State University, has been identified as the suspect in the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves (20), Madison Mogen (21), Xana Kernodle (20), and Ethan Chapin (20), who were found stabbed to death at a home near the University of Idaho campus in Moscow in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022.
After nearly two months on the run, Kohberger was arrested by authorities in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania on December 29, 2022, on a fugitive from justice warrant. The warrant, per an announcement by Moscow Police, contained four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
According to Moscow Police, officers had initially responded to the scene — located on King Road — just before noon that day to investigate a report of an unconscious individual. It was then that they made the grisly discovery.
For a time, the only information investigators had to work with was that a white Hyundai Elantra had been seen near the crime scene around the time of the murders. Tips began pouring in after police called on the public for help identifying the vehicle, which has since been connected to Kohberger and, following his arrest, has been seized and impounded as evidence.
The Associated Press reported, citing an anonymous source within law enforcement, that DNA evidence gathered during the investigation also played a “key role” in identifying Kohberger as the suspect.
The AP also reported that all four victims were friends; three of them — Mogen, Goncalves, and Kernodle — lived at the house, and Chapin was dating Kernodle and had been visiting at the time. The victims had reportedly been stabbed in their beds and had likely been asleep when they were attacked. Police have said there has been no evidence of sexual assault.
The investigation remains highly active and ongoing. As such, many details remain confidential. Investigators reportedly have still not recovered the murder weapon, and a motive for the killings has yet to emerge.
Kohberger remained in custody in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, over the weekend and reportedly has no intention of fighting extradition back to Idaho. The affidavit for his arrest remains sealed until he is returned, per Latah County prosecutors.
