In November, university students Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were fatally stabbed.
A 28-year-old man has been charged with the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students discovered at a residence.
Bryan Christopher Kohberger, age 28, was captured in Monroe County, northeastern Pennsylvania, some 2,500 miles distant.
According to prosecutor Bill Thompson, he is currently charged with four counts of first-degree murder.
Police and the prosecution disclosed Kohberger’s indictment during a press conference on Friday.
The search for the murder weapon continues, they added.
Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death in the early morning hours of November 13 in Moscow, Idaho, leaving their small community searching for answers.
Fears of a similar attack drove nearly half of the over 11,000 students at the University of Idaho to leave the city and enroll in online classes.
Prosecutor Thompson stated that investigators believe Kohberger broke into the residence of the students “with the purpose to commit murder.”
Kohberger is also accused of burglary in Idaho, according to Thompson.
On Tuesday, an extradition hearing is set.
Kohberger is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University, which is only a short drive from the University of Idaho.
James Fry, the chief of police in Moscow, stated that more than 300 interviews and 19,000 tips had been received regarding the inquiry.
Kohberger was arrested and charged after several weeks of inquiry that had not produced any arrests until now.
Officers requested the public’s assistance in locating a white Hyundai Elantra automobile spotted near the residence around the time of the murders.
The Moscow Police Department filed the request on 7 December, and by the next day, a dedicated FBI call center was needed to handle the influx of tips.
Mr. Fry stated, “We are still looking for the weapon.” “I can confirm that we have located an Elantra.”
Xana Kernodle’s mother, Cara Northington, claimed she learned about her daughter’s arrest after waking up and conversing with a friend.
“It has been an ordeal. This entire situation has been a literal nightmare “She said to NBC. However, I feel as though a tremendous burden has been lifted from my shoulders.
Ms. Northington stated that she does not know the individual who was detained in Pennsylvania on Friday, but she is relieved he was apprehended.
“Knowing that whoever was guilty of this is still at large caused a significant amount of anguish,” she said.
