Bryan Kohberger has appeared in court in Moscow, where he has been formally charged with the murder of four University of Idaho students – less than an hour after explosive police files revealed he had visited the area around their home 12 times before the murder.
Kohberger, 28, wore an orange jumpsuit with “Latah County” printed on it for the brief hearing and remained unmoved as the charges — four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary — were read out.
He spent most of the 10-minute hearing looking directly at Judge Megan Marshall as she read him his rights and the five counts, responding “yes” when asked if he understood each count.
Kohberger remained unmoved the entire time, but became briefly agitated during the reading of the final count — the murder of Ethan Chapin, for which he faces life imprisonment or the death penalty. He later smiled at his defense attorney.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, wore an orange jumpsuit with “Latah County” printed on it for the brief hearing and remained impassive as the charges — four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary — were read out. He later smiled at his defense attorney
Kohberger spent most of the 10-minute hearing looking directly at Judge Megan Marshall as she read him his rights and the five counts of charges, responding “yes” when asked if he understood each count
The hearing ended with Kohberger being denied bail and Judge Marshall calling a status conference for Jan. 12 to decide whether to hold a quick preliminary hearing
Kohberger, 28, is accused of murdering Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin on November 13 in the quiet college town of Moscow, Idaho
Kaylee Goncalves’ family were also in court, and her mother shook her head and sobbed as the indictment of her daughter’s murder was read.
The hearing ended with Kohberger being denied bail and Judge Marshall calling a status conference for Jan. 12 to decide whether to hold a quick preliminary hearing.
Kohberger, now back in his cell at the Latah County Jail, was also forbidden from contacting the victims’ families or the two surviving housemates.
In court, Shanon Gray, the Goncalves family attorney, said: “It was an emotional moment for the family to see the accused for the first time and the family will be with it for the long haul.”
The appearance came shortly after Latah County released an affidavit with new details about the investigation — including Kohberger’s frequent visits to the area around the murdered students’ home, that he was seen by a roommate, and that his DNA was on a brown leather sheath for a Ka-Bar knife found next to bodies of victims Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21.
The affidavit also notes that Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, 20, were found on the second floor, with Xana discovered slumped on the floor of her bedroom.
According to the document, surviving housemates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke heard some of what happened when Mortensen told police officers they heard Goncalves say, “Someone’s here,” around 4 a.m.
Ten minutes later, she heard a thud and crying from Xana’s room and a male voice saying, “It’s okay, I’ll help you.”
At 4:17 a.m., a loudly barking dog was caught on a neighbor’s surveillance camera. Around the same time, Mortensen said she opened her bedroom door again and saw a tall man with bushy eyebrows walking through the sliding glass doors at the back of the house.
She described how she was “frozen in shock” when the man dressed in black approached her and said she locked himself in her room after he left.
A shoeprint was later found outside her door.
The explosive police affidavit released today also reveals that Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra was repeatedly caught on camera near the crime scene before speeding away from the home toward Pullman around 4:20 a.m. Pictured: The home in Moscow, Idaho, where four University of Idaho students were killed
Victim Kaylee Goncalves’ family exit Latah District Court in Moscow, Idaho after Bryan Kohberger was formally charged. In court, Shanon Gray, the Goncalves family attorney, said: “It was an emotional moment for the family to see the accused for the first time and the family will be with it for the long haul.”
The affidavit also reveals that Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra was repeatedly caught on camera near the scene of the crime before quickly driving away from the home toward Pullman at around 4:20 a.m.
Police quickly connected the vehicle to Kohberger and noted the similarity between his appearance and Mortensen’s description of the intruder at the tenement.
The dramatic new developments come less than a week after Kohberger was arrested Dec. 30 at his family’s home in Pennsylvania’s Poconos Mountains.
On Tuesday, after a brief hearing, Kohberger agreed to extradition to Idaho and landed at Moscow’s Pullman Airport on Wednesday evening.
The 28-year-old PhD criminology student made the long journey in a Pilatus PC-12 turboprop plane, escorted by Pennsylvania State Police officers — and landed around 6:30 p.m. local time.
On Tuesday, after a brief hearing, Kohberger agreed to extradition to Idaho and landed at Moscow’s Pullman Airport on Wednesday evening. He is pictured in his mug shot after being booked in Idaho
Kohberger was then taken in a police convoy to Latah County Jail, 15 minutes away, and checked into the facility at 6:44 p.m. according to the jail schedule.
A new mugshot accompanying the listing shows him sitting inside the prison building, wearing an orange top and sweatpants, and staring impassively at the camera.
Kohberger has insisted he had nothing to do with the brutal stabbing murders of college students Madison, Kaylee, Xana and Ethan and is expected to plead not guilty.
The 28-year-old previously told his Pennsylvania attorneys he was “surprised” by the arrest and said he “looks forward to being exonerated” if the case goes to trial.