The suspect accused of murdering four college students in an off-campus house at the University of Idaho may be heading back to the state to face charges after he was transferred out of a county jail in Pennsylvania.
Bryan Kohberger was transferred out of the Monroe County Jail on Wednesday morning and placed into the custody of Pennsylvania State Police, officials confirmed to The Associated Press. A spokesperson for the state police declined to offer any specifics about how Kohberger would travel or the timeline, citing security concerns.
At a news conference Tuesday, Pennsylvania officials offered new details about Kohberger’s arrest, during which officers broke down the doors and shattered windows, The New York Times reported. Investigators said they executed search warrants to collect Kohberger’s DNA as well as a white Hyundai Elantra that matched the description of a vehicle near the crime scene.
Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were found brutally murdered in their off-campus home on Nov. 13. Prosecutors in Latah County, Idaho, have said they believe Kohberger broke into the home with the intention of committing murder, the AP reported.
Police have not outlined any motive, but new details are expected to be released when Kohberger arrives in Idaho. Under Idaho law, the details of the probable cause affidavit detailing the case against a suspect cannot be released until the suspect’s first appearance in an Idaho courtroom.
>>WATCH: Body camera video of Kohberger’s Dec. 15 police stop
At a hearing Tuesday, Kohberger waived extradition and Judge Margherita Patti-Worthington said he had to be extradited within 10 days. Major Christopher Paris of the Pennsylvania State Police told The New York Times that he hoped to send Kohberger back to Idaho “as soon as possible.”
“I definitely believe that one of the main reasons the defendant chose to waive extradition and hurry his return back to Idaho was to need to know what was in those documents,” Michael Mancuso, an assistant district attorney in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, told The New York Times.
Jason LaBar, the chief public defender in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, represented Kohberger at the extradition hearing. He described his client as “an ordinary guy” and said Kohberger is eager to be exonerated, the AP reported. LaBar said that Kohberger would be represented by the chief public defender in Kootenai County, Idaho.
Indiana State Police released video from body cameras showing two traffic stops where Kohberger was pulled over on Dec. 15, just minutes apart, KIRO reported. At the time, Kohberger was driving a white Hyundai Elantra from Washington to Pennsylvania with his father.
>>WATCH: Body camera video of Kohberger’s Dec. 15 police stop
In the video, Kohberger was pulled over first for following too closely, and the men tell the deputy they are driving home from Washington State University. Minutes later, an Indiana State Police trooper pulled over the same vehicle, again for following too closely, WTHR reported. The car was let go with a warning.
At the time of the murders, Kohberger was a Ph.D. student at Washington State University studying criminology and criminal justice.
©2022 Cox Media Group
