Accused quadruple murderer formally charged over deaths of university students
Bryan Kohberger has been formally indicted over the gruesome murders of four University of Idaho students.
The accused quadruple murderer, 28, has lost his ability to attack the evidence that was used to arrest him after a grand jury formally charged him over the deaths last November.
The indictment also spares the two surviving housemates and other potential witnesses from having to testify under cross-examination prior to trial.
He is expected to appear for his arraignment in Moscow, Idaho, on Monday and enter a plea.
The four victims in the case, Xana Kernodle, 20; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; and Madison Mogen, 21; as well as Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death.
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The final photo of the victims, taken just hours before they were killed: Madison Mogen, 21, top left, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, bottom left, Ethan Chapin, 20, center, and Xana Kernodle, 20, rightThey were all students of the University of Idaho and were killed overnight in their beds at the off-campus apartment near the institution.
Kohberger is accused of sneaking into the college town rental home at around 4qam on a Saturday and butchering four students, some of whome who were allegedly sleeping when the slaughter began.
The killings left the close-knit communities of Moscow, Idaho, and Pullman, Washington, reeling.
The 28-year-old has been in custody since his arrest in Pennsylvania in January. He is being held in the Latah County Jail after being extradited to Idaho. He was a PhD student at Washington State University's department of criminal justice and criminology.
A preliminary hearing — where prosecutors must show a judge that there is enough evidence to justify moving forward with felony charges — had been scheduled to begin June 26.
But on Tuesday, a grand jury indicted Kohberger on the same criminal charges, effectively rerouting the case directly to the state’s felony court level and allowing prosecutors to skip the preliminary hearing process.
The 28-year-old suspect has been held in custody since January (Monroe County Correctional Facil)The grand jury had been empaneled behind closed doors and this move was not unexpected, Fox News reported.
Evidence tying the suspect to the case includes his DNA being recovered on a knife sheath left on a victim's bed, authorities said.
Other evidence included security footage where a white Hyundai Elantra is seen, which investigators said was driven by Kohberger, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Investigators also contend that a cellphone belonging to Kohberger was near the victims’ home on a dozen occasions prior to the killings, though it was apparently turned off around the time of the early-morning attack.
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However, the murder weapon hasn't been recovered, and authorities are yet to determine a motive for the alleged murders.
It has not been confirmed whether the alleged murderer knew the victims.
Police tape surrounds the home that was the site of the quadruple murder in Moscow, Idaho (Getty Images)When Kohberger was arrested at his parents' home, police seized dark clothing, medical gloves, a flashlight and other items from there.
From his Washington State University campus apartment in Pullman, investigators seized stained bedding, strands of what appeared to be hair and a single glove.
The bodies of the four victims were found on November 13, 2022, shocking the usually quiet town.
It took police over a month to build the case against their suspect and arrested Bryan Kohberger at his parents’ home in eastern Pennsylvania.
A roommate who lived in the home where the attack took place has told authorities she was awakened in the early morning hours of November 13, opened her bedroom door and saw a masked figure clad in black clothing walking past her.
Kohberger was a Ph.D. graduate student at Washington State University department of criminal justice and criminology (ZUMA Press Wire Service/REX/Shutterstock)The earlier arrest affidavit, a document detailing a summary of the evidence and the circumstances of the arrest, detailed how a housemate saw someone leave the house.
She told investigators that she was awoken by noises at about 4am, and thought she heard another housemate say something like, “there’s someone here.” She looked outside her bedroom and didn’t see anything.
Later she thought she heard crying coming from Kernodle’s room and looked outside again. That’s when she said she heard a male voice say something to the effect of, “it’s OK, I’m going to help you,” according to the affidavit.
She later opened her door a third time and saw a masked man in black clothing whom she did not recognise walking toward her and stood in “frozen shock” as he walked past her toward a sliding glass door, the affidavit said. She went back in her room and locked the door.
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