Bryan Kohberger, the 28-year-old man accused of killing four University of Idaho students, will waive his extradition to Latah County, Idaho, a move that will accelerate the process of return to the community where the crimes were committed.
Kohberger's public defender in Monroe County, Pa., where he was arrested by authorities Friday, made the announcement in a press release on Saturday afternoon.
"Mr. Kohberger intends to waive his extradition hearing to expedite his transport to Idaho," attorney Jason Allen LaBar, the chief public defender for Monroe County and Kohberger's counsel for the extradition hearing, said.
"Mr. Kohberger has been accused of very serious crimes," the statement continued, "but the American justice system cloaks him in a veil of innocence. He should be presumed innocent until proven otherwise - not tried in the court of public opinion. One should not pass judgment about the facts of the case unless and until a fair trial in court at which time all sides may be heard and inferences challenged."
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"Mr. Kohberger is eager to be exonerated of these charges and looks forward to resolving these matters as promptly as possible," LaBar added.
Kohberger's extradition hearing had been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. His arrest took place at a home in Chestnuthill Township on Friday, court docs say. Pennsylvania State Police say they assisted the FBI, the Moscow Police, and the Idaho State Police in the arrest.
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Sunday night, Kohberger's family released a statement on his arrest.
“First and foremost we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children," they wrote. "There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them. We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother. We have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies in an attempt to seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions. We respect privacy in this matter as our family and the families suffering loss can move forward through the legal process.”
The Nov. 13 killings of the four students -- Madison Mogan, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin -- garnered attention nationwide and shook the small town of Moscow, Idaho, a farming community of about 25,000 people that had not had a murder for five years. Fears of a repeat attack prompted nearly half of the University of Idaho's over 11,000 students to leave the city and switch to online classes.
Police say the four victims were stabbed to death in an off-campus house rented by the three female students in the middle of the night, some with wounds that suggest they fought back against their attacker. The investigation to this point has largely come up empty. Two roommates on the first floor who police say slept through the attack have already been ruled out as suspects.
The case broke open after law enforcement asked the public for help finding a white Hyundai Elantra sedan seen near the home around the time of the killings. The Moscow Police Department made the request Dec. 7, and by the next day had to direct tips to a special FBI call center because so many were coming in. By mid-December, investigators were working through nearly 12,000 tips and had identified more than 22,000 vehicles matching that make and model.
Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho; Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, Idaho; and Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington, were members of the university's Greek system and close friends. Mogen, Goncalves and Kernodle lived in the three-story rental home with two other roommates. Kernodle and Chapin were dating and he was visiting the house that night.
Autopsies showed all four were likely asleep when they were attacked. Some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times. There was no sign of sexual assault, police said.
