What We Know About The Suspect Arrested In Murders Of Four Idaho College Students

On Nov. 13, 2022, University of Idaho students 21-year-old Madison Mogen, 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death overnight in an off-campus house near campus.

Almost two months after the murders of the four college students, and after mountains of speculation online, a 28-year-old graduate criminology student has been arrested in connection to the brutal crimes.

On Dec. 30, 2022, Bryan Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania for the killings of four students at a home in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger appeared in court on Jan. 3 and agreed to be extradited from Pennsylvania to Idaho to face murder charges.

According to CNN, Kohberger finished his first semester at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, about a 15-minute drive west of Moscow, before driving home to Pennsylvania for the holidays accompanied by his father.

For weeks prior to the arrest, authorities had been looking for a white Hyundai Elantra they said could be connected to the case. On Dec. 15, while driving through Indiana in his Elantra, Kohberger was stopped twice for traffic infractions. According to the New York Times, they let him go with a warning.

According to law enforcement, Kohberger became a suspect after his DNA was matched to genetic material recovered at the crime scene. An FBI surveillance team tracked Kohberger for days before his arrest while law enforcement worked with prosecutors to develop enough probable cause to get a warrant.

Before an arrest was made, rumors and theories from amateur investigators swirled online, particularly on TikTok. Some people blamed the two surviving roommates, who were asleep on the first floor at the time of the crimes. Others suggested it was one of the victims’ boyfriends. Some claimed Goncalves was being stalked. According to USA Today, “the allegations have even gone so far as to elicit a lawsuit from a professor after a TikTok user falsely claimed she ‘planned’ the killings.”

Kohberger’s motive is not yet known. Once Kohberger is in Idaho, he is expected to make an initial appearance before a magistrate, and further hearings will be scheduled.