The suspect arrested in connection with the murders of four University of Idaho students appeared in court Tuesday in Pennsylvania, where he was taken into custody last week. Bryan Kohberger, 28, waived extradition rights in the brief hearing, and is expected to be sent to Idaho to face first-degree murder charges within days.
Police remained tight-lipped about the timeline of the investigation and arrest, but said more information will be available once Kohberger is extradited to Idaho.
Jason LaBar, the chief public defender for the county who represented Kohberger through the extradition proceeding, said he should be presumed innocent and "not tried in the court of public opinion," AP reported.
Idaho authorities could arrange for Kohberger's expedited return there as little as 72 hours after the hearing, according to LaBar, although legal procedure technically allows a 10-day window to complete the extradition. Officials said they are coordinating with Idaho authorities on arrangements for the extradition. Major Christopher Paris, a commander with the Pennsylvania State Police, said there are "security concerns" about Kohberger's extradition, and said that logistics of the operation will not be shared. Paris said he would like to see the extradition take place "as soon as possible."
Once Kohberger is extradited, he is expected to appear in an Idaho court where, in keeping with state laws, authorities will then be able to share more details about the case against him and release a probable cause statement.
Little is currently known about how the police investigation into the Idaho murders led authorities to Kohberger, a graduate student in criminology at Washington State University. He was arrested on a fugitive from justice warrant on Friday, Dec. 30, at his parents' home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. Monroe County district attorney Mike Mancuso said it's unclear when Kohberger began traveling cross-country, but said that it was likely in mid-December. He declined to comment on reports that Kohberger was stopped twice by law enforcement while driving to Pennsylvania.
At a news conference held later that day, prosecutor Bill Thompson, of Latah County, Idaho, said Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary for his alleged role in the killings.
Kohberger's arrest came more than six weeks after University of Idaho students and housemates Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle, as well as Kernodle's boyfriend and classmate Ethan Chapin, were stabbed to death during the early morning hours of Nov. 13, at the women's off-campus rental house in the college town of Moscow.
Two additional housemates survived and apparently slept through the attack as it occurred on the home's upper floors, according to the Moscow Police Department. Amid growing public anxiety, speculation and rumors about the unsolved case, authorities ruled out a number of potential suspects, including the surviving roommates, but did not share information about anyone they were pursuing in connection with the brutal crime until after Kohberger was arrested.
Kohberger has denied allegations of his involvement in the murders, according to LaBar, who described him as "very calm" and said Kohberger believes that he will be exonerated during an interview on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday morning.
"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."
LaBar also said Kohberger's family was "shocked" by the arrest. On Tuesday, Manusco confirmed that Kohberger's parents had been home when he was arrested, and officials said the warrant was served in the early morning hours for "tactical reasons." Multiple doors and windows were broken to gain access to the house.
In a statement that the attorney released on the family's behalf over the weekend, Kohberger's parents and two sisters said they "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," the family said, adding, "We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother."
Kohberger's mother and two sisters were in tears in the courtroom as he waived his extradition rights.
At the time of his arrest, Kohberger had recently finished his first semester as a Ph.D. criminology student and teaching assistant at Washington State University. The school, located in Pullman, Washington, is about 15 minutes from Moscow by car.
In a statement released the next day, WSU's Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology said it was "aggrieved by the alleged horrendous acts of one of its graduate students" and "relieved that justice will be carried out."