Bryan Kohberger, 28, was taken into custody on Dec. 30 for the killings of 4 college students at University of Idaho. Kohberger is a graduate student at Washington State University, which is ten miles from the crime scene. Police received thousands of tips such as security footage and text messages from people all over the country. Police noticed a white Hyundai Elantra seen in the area of the killings, which was later found to belong to Kohberger.
According to CNN, Kohberger’s DNA was found in the house where the murders occurred. Police took his DNA and looked for matches in a public database to find potential family members. Once the police traced his ownership to the white car, they tracked it all the way to Pennsylvania to his parent’s house. Law enforcement told the public they were closing in on him and knew he was in or near pennsylvania.
The FBI in Pennsylvania watched Kohbergers actions for four days until the Moscow police could obtain a warrant for his arrest. The FBI, once receiving the warrant from Moscow, arrested Kohberger with four counts of murder in the first degree, along with felony burglary. Moscow Police Department Chief James Fry stated in a press conference that the knife used in the murders had not yet been recovered. Some wonder if Kohberger worked alone or with another person since the police stated this case has only just begun.
In June 2022, Kohberger completed his graduate studies for the Master of Arts in criminal justice program at Washington University. A Reddit post was made by an anonymous source that showed Kohberger’s interest to participate in a project that shows how emotions and physiological traits influence someone while committing a crime. The post was later taken down after Kohbergers arrest was made public.
According to the New York Times, former high school classmates of Kohberger recall him having an analytical mind and at times he was remembered to be cruel. Kohberger had a court hearing on Jan. 3 and is being held without bail. Students at the University of Idaho may rest better at night knowing that the police have someone in custody.
