A suspect in the Idaho quadruple homicide was pulled over twice by police while he and his father were driving a 2,500-mile drive from Washington state to Pennsylvania.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, drove to his home state from his student accommodation in Pullman, Washington, just a 15-minute drive from his property, after the killings in Moscow, Idaho, last month.
His attorney Jason LaBar claims Kohberger’s father flew from Pennsylvania to Washington to meet his son before Christmas and drive home together.
On Friday, the criminal justice student was arrested in connection with the November 13 murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, drove to his home state from his student accommodation in Pullman, Washington, just a 15-minute drive from his property, after the killings in Moscow, Idaho, last month
The couple drove their white Hyundai Elantra — the same vehicle police had been chasing for several weeks following the quadruple murders
LaBar told CNN that Kohberger and his father traveled across the country in his white Hyundai Elantra — a vehicle that police had been chasing for several weeks.
He added that the two were stopped twice during their drive through Indiana, once for speeding and the other for following too close a car in front.
Investigators began tracking Kohberger’s movements across the United States, with witnesses claiming they saw him and his father making repairs to the car on December 16.
Police then confiscated the vehicle outside of his parents’ home when they stumbled upon the property in Chestnuthill Township, Monroe County.
LaBar said the Kohbergers got home around December 17 and an FBI team monitored him for several days before his arrest.
It’s unclear if Kohberger’s father, who filed for bankruptcy in 2010, or the rest of his family knew about the murders.
Bryan Kohberger examined in detail how forensics, DNA and other evidence techniques are helping prosecutors reach convictions just two weeks before the quadruple murders
The crime happened six weeks ago, 2,500 miles from where Kohberger was arrested. His father flew to meet his son in Washington and drove him back to their home in Pennsylvania
Kohberger was taken into custody in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, a small town in the heart of the Poconos Mountains more than 2,000 miles from where the gruesome killings took place
The public defender added that Kohberger was “shocked” after the indictment and claimed he would waive his extradition at a Jan. 3 hearing.
In a statement, he said: “Mr. Kohberger is keen to be cleared of these allegations and looks forward to resolving these matters as soon as possible.’
The suspected killer is expected to be returned to Idaho within 72 hours of the extradition hearing.
Ph.D. student Kohberger had previously studied under a Pennsylvania professor known for her expertise in serial killers, and was studying criminology at Washington State University at the time of the murders.
Investigators in Moscow, Idaho are yet to pinpoint a motive for the murders of the four students, but those who knew Kohberger say he had a deep interest in criminal psychology.
Kohberger earned a psychology degree from Community College in 2018 before studying psychology and criminal justice at DeSales University
Idaho Police said the four University of Idaho students were murdered in their sleep between 3 and 4 a.m. Pictured: victims Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin
Friends from high school claim that he struggled with heroin addiction in his younger years but apparently got over it.
Kohberger earned a psychology degree from Community College in 2018 before studying psychology and criminal justice at DeSales University.
He was tutored in part by renowned forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland, who wrote The Mind of a Murderer and How to Catch a Killer.
Ramsland declined to comment but has spent decades researching serial killers and mass murderers – and is best known for forging a close relationship with serial killer Dennis Rader – known as BTK.
Federal and state investigators are now combing through his background, financial records, and electronic communications as they work to identify a motive and build the case.
Kaylee and Madison were found on the top floor of the house in Moscow, Idaho. College lovers Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were found in a second-floor bedroom, while survivors Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke were sleeping on the first floor
Police were on the hunt for Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra, which officers began chasing around Christmas time when the suspect was driving across the country
The suspect attended college in nearby Washington state, where he majored in criminology
Investigators are also interviewing people who knew Kohberger, including from Washington State University.
Kohberger may face the death penalty in the state where his family can’t afford a lawyer to fight.
More than six weeks after the murders, investigators are still trying to find the murder weapon, which they believe was a large knife.
Kohberger’s family responded to the charges on Sunday and urged people not to pass judgment.
In a statement, they said: “We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother.
Police had previously refused to rule out that the killings were targeted, but it remains unknown what ties Kohberger may have had to the victims, who lived just eight miles from the suspect’s campus
Kohberger is said to have followed the students in the weeks leading up to the murders. Pictured is the home where the murders took place, just over 8 miles from where he worked as a graduate student and teaching assistant
“First and foremost, we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children.
“There are no words that can adequately express our sadness and we pray for them every day.
“We have cooperated fully with law enforcement to seek the truth and further his presumption of innocence, rather than assessing unknown facts and making false assumptions.”
Kohberger’s family has requested privacy during this time as they are working with law enforcement to get to the bottom of the case.
Moscow police chief James Fry did not want to rule out that the killer had an accomplice.
Details of the killings and the motives behind them have yet to be released, with law enforcement saying a sealed affidavit of arrest will be released once Kohberger is extradited to Idaho.