On Jan. 12, the suspect arrested in connection with the murder of four University of Idaho students was scheduled for a preliminary probable cause hearing.
If found guilty, Bryan Kohberger, 28, will face four counts of first-degree murder for the killings of Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen. Chapin and Kernodle were 20, while Goncalves and Mogen were 21.
The students were found stabbed to death on Nov. 13, in a home near University of Idaho’s campus in Moscow, Idaho.
Kohberger waived his right to a speedy probable cause hearing, which would have taken place within 14 days of his Jan. 12 appearance in court. The judge scheduled June 26 for the preliminary hearings, and ordered that Kohberger be kept in custody at the Latah County Jail with no bond, according to CNN.
Kohberger was arrested on Dec. 30, at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania. Following apprehension, Kohberger chose to be handed over to Idaho authorities rather than be held in Pennsylvania.
Kohberger also faces one charge of burglary. He has yet to enter a plea.
According to a probable cause affidavit released on Jan. 6, DNA evidence recovered from the Kohbergers’ home closely matched DNA found on a knife sheath left at the crime scene.“At least 99.9998% of the male population would be expected to be excluded from the possibility of being the suspect’s biological father,” the affidavit said.
The affidavit also notes surveillance footage of a white Hyundai Elantra captured near the crime scene. A white Hyundai Elantra was found parked outside of the Kohbergers’ home, according to Monroe County Chief Public Defender Jason LaBar. Kohberger received a new license plate for a Hyundai Elantra five days after the murders, according to the Washington State Department of Licensing.
The affidavit also cites a roommate living in the house where the bodies were found, who claims to have seen a masked man dressed in black the morning the killings occurred. The roommate, identified by the document as “D. M.,” said she saw a “figure clad in black clothing and a mask that covered the person’s mouth and nose walking towards her.” D. M. described the figure as “5’ 10” or taller, male, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows.”
A court order has been issued preventing the prosecutors and the defense from commenting beyond public records.
A neighbor of Kohberger’s in Pullman, Washington, who asked to remain anonymous, told CBS that Kohberger had brought up the murders in conversation a few days after they occurred. “He asked if I had heard about the murders, which I did. And then he said, ‘Yeah, it seems like they have no leads. Seems like it was a crime of passion,’” the neighbor said.
University of Idaho students returned from winter break on Jan. 11. In the weeks following the murders, security measures were heightened on campus, while students were given the option to complete classes remotely.
“It definitely seems like a different place. I’m hanging out with some more people. Definitely staying in groups,” University of Idaho sophomore Shua Mulder told KXLY.
“I don’t know if it will ever feel the same, but I think just being conscious of knowing what’s happened and having more protections in place has been huge,” “I don’t know if it will ever feel the same,” sophomore Paige Palzinski told KXLY.
