STROUDSBURG, Pennsylvania – A graduate student arrested in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students agreed to be extradited from Pennsylvania so he can be formally charged and prosecuted.
Wearing a red jumpsuit to a short Monroe County court appearance Tuesday afternoon, Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, waived his right to an extradition hearing. That sets the stage for him to be returned to Moscow, Idaho, where he will be formally charged in the deaths of Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Xana Kernodle, 20.
A MYSTERY, NO LEADS, THEN A BREAK IN THE CASE:Timeline of the Idaho student murders investigation
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT BRYAN KOHBERGER:Suspect arrested in the slaying of 4 University of Idaho students
Suspect to face charges in Idaho after waiving extradition hearing
Appearing before Judge Margherita Pattie Worthington, Kohberger acknowledged his rights, declared he was mentally sound, signed the waiver and was removed from the courtroom within 10 minutes. He briefly acknowledged his parents and two sisters, and his mother covered her face as she left he courtroom packed with reporters.
“Mr. Kohberger is eager to be exonerated of these charges and looks forward to resolving these matters as promptly as possible,” Monroe County Chief Public Defender Jason LaBar told CNN before the hearing.
Kohberger faces potential charges of first-degree murder and felony burglary for entering the house with intent to commit murder, said Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson.
Police won't release details until suspect returns to Idaho
Little is known about why police suspect Kohberger in the Nov. 13 murders at an off-campus rental home, other than that they analyzed DNA evidence at the crime scene and were able to match it to him, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press and other media.
Authorities have said they cannot release details about the case, such as what led them to Kohberger or a potential motive for the crimes, until the suspect is in custody in Idaho. On Tuesday, a judge in the case issued a gag order prohibiting authorities and those involved in the case from speaking to media.
"We believe we've got our man," Capt. Anthony Dahlinger, of the Moscow Police Department in Idaho, said.
Latah County prosecutors in Idaho have said they believe Kohberger broke into the students' home near the university campus intending to commit murder. Their bodies were found Nov. 13, several hours after investigators believe they died.
Two other roommates inside the home slept through the attack, which sent panic through the small, remote town, leaving many students to finish out the semester via remote learning. Classes are due to resume next week.
Kohberger is set to be surrendered to Idaho police within 10 calendar days and will be held at a jail in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, until his extradition. LaBar has said Kohberger will be represented by Ann Taylor, the chief public defender in Kootenai County, Idaho, after his extradition.
Authorities said Kohberger lived in Pullman, Washington, where he was a doctoral student studying criminology at Washington State University, about 10 miles from Moscow. He grew up in Pennsylvania, where his family still lives.
Suspect pulled over in Indiana traffic stops after murders, video shows
On Tuesday, Indiana State Police released body cam footage of a traffic stop made by a trooper who pulled Kohberger and his father over on Interstate 70 on Dec. 15, while driving what appears to be a white Hyundai sedan. In the video, Kohberger tells the trooper that he was stopped a few minutes earlier by a different law enforcement agency, and the trooper says it was likely a local sheriff's deputy.
Neither ticketed Kohberger.
Several days before the stops, Moscow police had asked the public to be on the lookout for a white Hyundai sedan, but said they didn't have license plate information to share. The agency said it was sifting through an estimated 20,000 registrations to find the right vehicle. Police said they found a white Hyundai sedan as part of Kohberger's arrest.
Police arrested Kohberger at a home in Chestnuthill Township, Pennsylvania, where his family lives, on Thursday.
'THEY WERE BRIMMING WITH PROMISE':University of Idaho remembers slain students amid mystery and a killer still at large
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Contributing: Micaela Hood and Brian Myszkowski, the Pocono Record; The Associated Press
