New Details About Man Accused Of Idaho College Student Murders Emerge

STROUDSBURG, PA — More details into how authorities identified and arrested Bryan Kohberger, the man accused in the murders of four University of Idaho students, as well as a patchwork of details about his past have come to light since his arrest Friday in Pennsylvania.

The arrest came nearly seven weeks after the students were found slain in a brutal crime that shook the small community and left the public wondering who was responsible as authorities remained extremely selective in the information they shared and combatted disinformation.

Even as police in Moscow, Idaho have not discussed a motive and the probable cause affidavit in the case remains sealed until Kohberger is physically in Idaho, news reports have uncovered some details that led to the arrest.

Kohberger, 28, has waived his right to an extradition hearing Tuesday, speeding up his transfer to Idaho to stand trial. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said Friday that Kohberger is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary.

An Escape To Pennsylvania

Monroe County Chief Public Defender Jason LaBar told CNN that Kohberger arrived several days before Christmas at his parents' house in Pennsylvania for the holidays. He was arrested Friday on a fugitive from justice warrant in Chestnuthill Township in Monroe County, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Sources added to CNN that prior to the arrest, authorities tracked Kohberger for multiple days.

Investigators zeroed in on Kohberger by confirming he owned a white Hyundai Elantra seen near the crime scene and then matched his DNA to samples found at the site of the killings, law enforcement sources told CNN.

Degrees Of Separation

Kohberger had just completed his first semester as a PhD student at Washington State University’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, the university said in a statement Friday.

The Washington State University Police Department assisted Idaho law enforcement officials in executing search warrants at Kohberger’s Washington apartment and his office on campus, the university said.

Pullman is about a 15-minute drive from Moscow, where the four students were found dead mid-November.

Kohberger graduated from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania with an associate of arts degree in psychology in 2018, said college spokesperson Mia Rossi-Marino. DeSales University in Pennsylvania said that he received a bachelor’s degree in 2020 and completed graduate studies in June 2022.

At DeSales University, Kohberger studied under Katherine Ramsland, a forensic psychologist who is the author of books like "How To Catch A Killer" and "The Mind Of A Murderer," The Daily Beast reported. A former classmate described him to the publication as "very intelligent" and "well spoken" but "seemingly detached."

Several people from Kohlberger's past have spoken out since news broke of his arrest, with mixed assessments of their interactions with the accused.

Jordan Serulneck, a brewery owner in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania told NBC News he had received complaints from employees about Kohberger’s “creepy” behavior toward women at the bar.

Serulneck told the outlet that Kohberger would ask the female staff or customers who they were at the brewery with, where they lived and what their work schedule was, and become upset when they would rebuff his advances.

“Staff put in [the bar system's notes], ‘Hey, this guy makes creepy comments, keep an eye on him. He’ll have two or three beers and then just get a little too comfortable,'" Serulneck said.

Students at WSU's Pullman campus, where Kohberger worked as a teacher's assistant, said that he had been acting differently over the weeks leading up to his arrest.

"He started grading everybody just 100s. Pretty much if you turned something in, you were getting high marks. He stopped leaving notes. He seemed preoccupied," one of his students, Hayden Stinchfield, told CNN.

Another man who would go on runs with Kohberger a decade ago told NBC News New York that Kohberger would engage in “positive conversations on the runs. Like kind of uplifting ... 'Hey, I want to get in shape.' Just kind of motivating. Nothing that was concerning."

Kohberger's family also issued a statement Sunday that said in part they cared deeply for the victims' families and and will let the legal process unfold while supporting their "son and brother."

Crack In The Case

Updates and details on the case had been scarce and no person of interest had been named over the course of the investigation until Friday, when Moscow, Idaho Police Chief James Fry confirmed Kohberger's arrest at a news conference.

At the news conference announcing the arrest, authorities asked anyone who might have information on Kohberger to come forward.

Police said they had been selective in what information they shared because they did not want to taint the prosecution or alert the suspect to their progress.

The four students who were found dead were identified as Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington, Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Xana Kernodle, 20, of Avondale, Arizona and Kaylee GonCalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho.

Autopsies showed all four students 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.

Police said Thursday the rental home where the students were found would be cleared of “potential biohazards and other harmful substances” to collect evidence starting Friday morning. The cleanup has since been halted because of a court request, authorities said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.