Bryan Kohberger, 28, is soon to be charged with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary in connection with the November 12th stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students in the small college town of Moscow in northwestern Idaho.
The doctoral student--who has been working toward his PhD in criminal justice at Washington State University, located less than 10 miles from the University of Idaho campus--was visiting family in Pennsylvania where he was apprehended by police on Friday in Monroe County. He will be transferred to Idaho to face the charges there, after agreeing to not fight extradition at a court hearing in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
According to the court order, Kohberger's transfer to Idaho must occur within 10 days. PA State Police Major Christopher Paris has confirmed that authorities in Pennsylvania and Idaho are discussing his transport, but the timing still remains unclear.
When taking him into custody on Friday, Kohberger was served with three search warrants, allowing for police to search his family's house and his white Elantra--which Idaho authorities have previously stated was spotted near the murder scene--as well as take photographs of Kohberger, along with a DNA sample.
Thanks to a source familiar with the case, law enforcement used genetic genealogy techniques to connect Kohberger to unidentified DNA evidence found at the scene. The DNA was first run through a public database--instead of the criminal database the police usually use--to find potential family member matches, before subsequent investigative work was done to narrow down the pool and identify the suspect.
While a motive has not been released, authorities were adamant of their confidence that Kohberger is responsible for the killings. A probable cause affidavit, which lays out the basis for the charges, will offer additional details. That, however, remains under seal until Kohberger is physically back in Idaho.
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