Idaho Murders Update: Bryan Kohberger’s Attorney Releases Statement

Bryan Kohberger, the suspect arrested in connection with the deaths of four University of Idaho students, plans to waive an extradition hearing so he can be quickly brought to Idaho to face murder charges, his defense attorney said.

Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were found dead in a rental house in Moscow on November 13.

Kohberger, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student and teaching assistant in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University, was taken into custody early on Friday morning at his parents’ home in Chestnuthill Township, Pennsylvania, authorities said.

Investigators believe Kohberger broke in “with the intent to commit murder,” Bill Thompson, a prosecutor in Latah County, Idaho, said during a press conference on Friday.

Kohberger’s attorney, chief public defender Jason LaBar, plans to tell a judge in Monroe County, Pennsylvania on Tuesday that his client will waive his extradition hearing so he can be quickly transported to Idaho.

“Mr. Kohberger is eager to be exonerated of these charges and looks forward to resolving these matters as promptly as possible,” LaBar said in a statement, according to CNN.

Kohberger is “shocked a little bit,” LaBar added.

LaBar also cautioned people against passing judgment on the case until a fair trial is held, The Associated Press reported.

“Mr. Kohberger has been accused of very serious crimes, but the American justice system cloaks him in a veil of innocence,” LaBar wrote in a statement. “He should be presumed innocent until proven otherwise— not tried in the court of public opinion.”

Newsweek could not immediately reach LaBar for further comment.

Moscow Police Department Captain Anthony Dahlinger told the AP on Saturday: “We believe we’ve got our man.”

Investigators obtained samples of Kohberger’s DNA directly after he was arrested, Dahlinger said. “He’s the one that we believe is responsible for all four of the murders,” he said.

Investigators have not said if they believe Kohberger knew the victims or provided a possible motive.

Many details about the case will be released after Kohberger makes his first appearance in an Idaho court, Dahlinger told the AP.

At Friday’s news conference, Thompson said the affidavit for four charges of first-degree murder will remain sealed until Kohberger returns to the state. He is also charged with felony burglary.

Idaho state law prohibits police from releasing most investigation records while the investigation is underway, Dahlinger said, and investigators kept many details about the investigation secret to avoid harming the case.

“I just really hope that everybody out there can understand the ‘why’ behind us holding a lot of information close to our vest,” Dahlinger said. “This is the positive outcome that we were searching for the entire time.”

When the arrest was announced, investigators had urged anyone that knows Kohberger to call a tip line to share information.

“We got 400 phone calls within the first hour after the press conference, which is great,” Dahlinger said. “We’re trying to build this picture now of him: Who he is, his history, how we got to this event, why this event occurred.”

Kohberger is being held without bond in Pennsylvania and will be held without bond in Idaho when he is transferred, Thompson said.