Idaho Police Said 2023 Trial Was Possible Days Before Murder Suspect Arrest

Moscow Police Chief James Fry mentioned that a 2023 trial was possible just days before a suspect was arrested in connection to the murders of four University of Idaho students.

While speaking to KREM-TV in Spokane, Washington, on Wednesday, Fry was asked about police withholding information on the case as the investigation continues and said, "It's not just about today, it's about in a year from now or whenever we make an arrest and go to trial."

"We want to have that pool of people who can look at the case and not have all the facts to that to make the decision to find this person guilty," Fry added.

Those comments by Fry came just two days before 28-year-old Bryan Christopher Kohberger was arrested by law enforcement officials in connection with the fatal stabbings of four college students in Moscow, Idaho, the Associated Press reported.

According to the AP, the Moscow Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Kohberger on first-degree murder charges.

In addition to the comments made by Fry, former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer predicted to Newsweek that an arrest would be made within a year from the day the four victims were murdered.

On November 13, the Moscow Police Department responded to a call of an unconscious person at the 1122 King Road residence, located near the University of Idaho. Upon arrival, officers found four deceased victims, later identified as Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20.

The local coroner's office later confirmed that all four victims were fatally stabbed, with several stab wounds. One of the victims appeared to have defensive wounds, but there were no signs of sexual assault, police previously said.

In a tweet on Friday afternoon, Jake Garcia of Idaho News 6 announced that he independently confirmed that the suspect, Kohberger, is listed as a graduate student in the criminology department at Washington State University.

There were also reports online that Kohberger attended DeSales University as a criminology student; however, Newsweek has been unable to verify this claim.

Newsweek reached out to both DeSales and Washington State University for confirmation.

Prior to the arrest announcement on Friday, the ongoing investigation has prompted online sleuths to spread a wide range of theories on how the crime unfolded.

The speculations have also led to a legal fight between a TikTok creator and professor at the University of Idaho. The TikTok creator, Ashley Guillard, previously accused Rebecca Scofield, an associate professor and chair of the history department at the university of being involved with the four murders, prompting a lawsuit to be filed by Scofield.