Police chief investigating Idaho murders says he believes suspect Bryan Kohberger acted ALONE – after alleged killer asked cops if they’d apprehended anyone else on being arrested
- Chief James Fry said police believed they have the ‘individual who committed these crimes’ in custody
- Bryan Kohberger, 28, a criminology student, was arrested on Friday in PA for the murder of the four University of Idaho students
- Victims Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin were killed on November 13
- The police chief could not reveal much about the case, as Idaho state law prohibits officers from releasing information until Kohberger appears in court
- Fry also said he regretted not being more forthcoming with information at the beginning of the investigation and will do so in the future
The Moscow Police Chief said he believed the murder suspect acted alone, despite the alleged killer asking cops if they had apprehended anyone else.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, a criminology student at Washington State University, was arrested on Friday in Pennsylvania, more than 2,000 miles from where four university students were killed in their beds.
Victims Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin were killed on November 13.
After being arrested, Kohberger, who has no prior criminal history, asked police if they had apprehended anyone else for the murder.
However, Moscow Chief James Fry said he believes ‘we have the individual that committed these crimes.’
Moscow Chief James Fry said he believes ‘we have the individual that committed these crimes’
Bryan Kohberger, 28, a criminology student, was arrested on Friday in PA for the murder of the four University of Idaho students
He also confirmed that the white Hyundai Elantra police were looking for in the early weeks of the investigation was located in the home of the suspect’s parents in the Poconos.
However, authorities are still searching for the murder weapon.
Although Fry could not comment on whether or not Kohberger had ‘targeted’ the group of students, who only lived 11 miles – or a 20 minute drive – away, or if the murders were ‘premeditated.’
The Moscow Police Department continues to encourage anyone to come forward with information, as they’re ‘still putting pieces together.’
‘We’re still gathering information,’ he told Fox News. ‘That’s why we’ve still asked people, you know, send us tips on the individual, send us any information you have because that’s all going to be part of that picture. Still, it’s going to give us even more information.’
Since the 4pm press conference yesterday, Fry revealed the department received more than 400 tips about the case.
Victims Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin were killed on November 13
He also said he regretted not being more forthcoming with information at the beginning of the investigation.
‘I took the responsibility at the very beginning for not getting out into the press and talking about it. That would be a thing I would change in the future. It’s a learned lesson,’ Fry told NBC News.
Fry said in the future he believes giving more information about what agencies are involved and when they’re getting search warrants will help ‘gives a little bit of calm’ to the community.
The police chief could not reveal much about the case as of Saturday, as Idaho state law prohibits officers from releasing information until the criminology student has made his first court appearance in Idaho.
He did, however, say it was ‘disappointing’ to learn that the alleged murderer was studying criminology, as this is ‘not something we want in our profession.’
‘We hold ourselves to a higher standard, we hold ourselves to an ethical standard,’ he told Fox News. ‘But we can’t pick and choose what people study.’
Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee, said his family has begun digging up clues linking her with suspect Bryan Kohberger
He said the family have started to see connections between the two but he was not ready to share them yet (pictured Kaylee and Madison)
Police plan to release more information after the suspect appears in an Idaho court (pictured: Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin)
Kohberger has agreed to be extradited to Idaho from Pennsylvania. His attorney said he is shocked by the arrest and plans on denying the murders.
‘Mr. Kohberger is eager to be exonerated of these charges and looks forward to resolving these matters as promptly as possible,’ Monroe County Chief Public Defender Jason LaBar, who only representing the suspect until his extradition, told CNN.
He added that the suspect will agree to waive his extradition hearing, which was set for Tuesday, to be sent to Idaho.
Although initially placed on suicide watch after being held without bail, Kohberger is now off watch as he prepares to argue his innocence.
The developments come as Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee, said his family has begun digging up clues linking her with suspect Bryan Kohberger.
As the investigation into Kohberger unfolds, Steve said that once police told him and his family about the suspect, they got to work trying to find answers as to why Kaylee and her friends were targeted.
He said the family have started to see connections between the two but he was not ready to share them yet.
‘Now that there’s a person and a name that someone can specifically look for and see if there’s any connections in any way. So they’re just trying to figure it out,’ the family’s attorney, Shanon Grey, told ABC News.
How the Idaho murders case that shocked the world unfolded
Sunday, November 13 2022: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death at their home in Moscow, Idaho in the early hours of the morning, sometime between 3am and 4am.
Earlier that evening, Mogen and Goncalves were captured on a Twitch livestream close to a food truck while waiting for an order of pasta carbonara.
A sorority driving service drove the young women home around 1:56am.
Kernodle and her boyfriend Chapin had returned from the Sigma Chi frat house around 11 minutes earlier.
Two other female roommates who survived the attack went to bed around 1am and didn’t wake up until the next morning.
Goncalves called her ex-boyfriend Jack DuCoeur seven times between 2:26 and 2:44, her sister Alivea said. He was quickly cleared as a suspect.
A 911 call was made at 11:58am that mornig.
At 2pm, students were told of the murders by the University of Idaho, with staffers urging them to ‘shelter in place.’
Monday, November 14 2022: Moscow Mayor Art Bettge said the killings were a ‘crime of passion,’ only to later backtrack. He said that theory was one of several under consideration.
Tuesday, November 15 2022: Moscow Police called the killings an ‘isolated, targeted attack’ and added that there was ‘no imminent threat to the community at large.’
But angry locals – as well as the four victims’ families – slammed what they described as contradictory statements from investigators.
Wednesday, November 16 2022: Moscow PD Chief James Fry disclosed the fact that two roommates at home had survived.
He said there were no signs of forced entry, but refused to say who had made the 911 call, and why it had been made an estimated eight hours later.
Fry angered locals by backtracking on an earlier claim their was no danger to the wider community. He warned them to ‘please stay vigilant.’
Thursday, November 17 2022: The killings are officially ruled homicides by stabbings by Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt.
She said all four victims were likely attacked as they slept, and that each had multiple stab wounds.
Distressingly, some victims were found to have defensive wounds – suggesting they’d woken up while being attacked – but there were no signs of sexual assault.
Sunday, November 20: DailyMail.com exclusively reveals a local dog was skinned and filleted three weeks before the killings, sparking fears of a connection.
Cops later insisted this was not the case. They added that Goncalves’ dog was home at the time of the slayings.
November 22 2022: Cops admitted Goncalves had been followed around a supermarket around a month before the killings, but said they were unable to verify claims she had a stalker.
November 30 2022: Kaylee Goncalves’ father Steve said his daughter and friend Maddie Mogen had been sleeping in the same bed when they were stabbed.
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Latah claimed one of the victims was ‘undoubtedly targeted.’
Hours later, Moscow Police Department contradicted that claim, only to admit that they did consider the crime a ‘targeted’ one the following day.
Six people are ruled out as suspects: A man seen close to Goncalves and Mogen at the food truck; the driver who took them home; Goncalves’ ex-boyfriend; the surviving roommates and another student who’d moved out of the property several months earlier.
December 5 2022: Goncalves’ dad Steve slammed cops ‘absurd’ approach to the case, claiming Moscow Police Department had been too quick to clear potential suspects, and rule out links to other cases
December 7 2022: Cops make their first appeal for a white 2011 to 2013 Hyundai Elantra spotted at the crime scene around the time of the murders.
A white Hyundai Elantra is said to have been towed from suspect Bryan Kohberger’s home in Scranton, Pennsylvania on December 30 after he was arrested.
December 12 2022: Steve Goncalves reveals Kaylee had ‘big open gouges’ as a result of the deadly attack.
He branded cops ‘cowards’ for not sharing more information, and said his daughter’s wounds were more severe than Maddie’s.
December 18 2022: New footage emerges showing Goncalves and Mogen hours before their killings, walking through downtown while discussing a man named Adam.
Goncalves’ family lawyer later clarified that the Adam in question is a bartender.
December 27 2022: More leaked footage shows Goncalves and Mogen inside the Corner Club bar in Moscow shortly before returning home.
December 30 2022: Cops announce they’ve made an arrest in connection with the killings in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The suspect is named as University of Washington criminology Ph.D student Bryan Christopher Kohberger.
Kohberger was nabbed at his home by SWAT teams, and arraigned the same morning. He now awaits extradition back to Idaho.
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