The graduate student arrested and accused of murdering four University of Idaho students has not yet entered a plea.
Suspect Bryan Kohberger remains jailed with no possibility of bail. In a short initial hearing, he waived his right to a speedy trial and acknowledged he did so knowingly.
Kohberger faces four first-degree murder charges in the deaths of four students found stabbed to death in an off-campus home.
While investigators have not released a motive, the father of one of the female victims believes Kohberger was stalking her.
Prosecutors have set a preliminary hearing for June 26th, which will be the first time evidence is presented in court. A judge will then decide if there’s enough evidence to proceed to a full trial.
Who Is The Suspect Brian Kohberger?
Kohberger is an accomplished student. He received an associates degree in psychology from Northampton Community College before completing a bachelor’s degree at DeSales University.
He then went on to complete a master’s degree in criminal science at DeSales before pursuing further education at Washington State University.
The school is close to the University of Idaho where all four victims attended.
Just a few months prior, Kohberger had applied for an internship with the Pullman Police Department. In his essay, he stated he was interested in helping rural agencies learn “how to better collect and analyze technological data in public safety operations.”
Kohberger had also been a teaching assistant in a criminal justice class at Washington State.
A student in his class, Hayden Stinchfield, recalls that Kohberger “was just kind of generally distant, not super present in class, even when he was literally in class.”
A Break In The Case
For over a month, police had no answers to give to the small community where the killings took place, which had not reported a murder in five years.
Then, just before the new year, a break in the case led to the arrest the community had been waiting for.
An affidavit revealed the lengths to which investigators recreated the scene and retraced the students’ steps to eventually bring Kohberger into custody.
November 12-13: The Students Party Separately
Police said victims Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20, attended a Sigma Chi party at a fraternity on campus.
Meanwhile, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, spent most of the night at The Corner Club, a sports bar in the college town.
They stopped to grab a bite at the “Grub Truck” food truck before getting a ride home.
All four students and their two surviving roommates were in the house before 2:00 am.
Just before noon on the 13th, police responded to a call from a roommate who believed one of the victims was passed out and not waking.
They found the four students, who had all been stabbed multiple times, on the second and third floors of the home.
November 25-29: The Search for an Elantra
Police asked local law enforcement to search for white Hyundai Elantras, believing the suspect to own one.
Within four days, Washington State University police officers reported a white Elantra registered to Kohberger.
It was not until December 7th that police announced to the public that they were interested in speaking with the owner of the vehicle, which was seen in the immediate area of the crime.
December 30: Kohberger’s Arrest Announced
With assistance from the FBI and Pennsylvania State Police, Kohberger was arrested at a home in Monroe Country, Pennsylvania on a fugitive-from-justice warrant.
Without a murder weapon, motive, or leads, it was a culmination of technological advancement that made the arrest possible.
“You’re looking at a combination of newer, sophisticated technology, combined with old-fashioned police work,” said Howard Ryan, a former New Jersey State Police crime scene investigator.
Cell phone records showed the suspect had been in the area of the house at least 12 times over the months leading up to the attack.
They showed that his phone had been placed in airplane mode for two hours surrounding the murders taking place.
And they also showed the suspect revisiting the scene of the crime the following morning, driving past the house where the two surviving roommates had not yet awoken.
While no murder weapon was recovered, police obtained DNA evidence from a large knife sheath found at the scene. They also collected evidence from the trash at Kohberger’s parents home.
A huge force of combined local, state, and FBI agents then embarked on a technological journey to track Kohberger’s movement across the country.
After asking the public for assistance, police combed through neighborhood surveillance cameras. They saw the white sedan leaving the area at a “high rate of speed” around 4:20 am on the morning of the murders.
Using traffic cameras and toll information, they tracked his movements across the country, spotting Kohberger’s car crossing into Colorado, being pulled over in Indiana, and eventually in Pennsylvania.
