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The probable cause affidavit in the University of Idaho killings case was released on Thursday, showing exactly what led to the arrest of suspect Bryan Kohberger.
On December 30, Kohberger was arrested by law enforcement officials in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Kohberger, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student in the criminology department at Washington State University, was arrested on charges including four counts of murder in the first degree as well as one count of felony burglary.
His arrest came more than a month after four University of Idaho students were found dead in their off-campus residence. Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20, were determined to have been stabbed multiple times on November 13.
Read the University of Idaho killings Probable Cause Affidavit Here:
For weeks, police in Moscow, Idaho continued their investigation, as online sleuths and armchair detectives posed theories across social media.
After he was arrested in Pennsylvania, Kohberger waived his extradition and was transported to Idaho on Wednesday evening. Kohberger's former attorney, Jason LaBar, previously said in a statement that the suspect "is eager to be exonerated."
Kohberger's family issued a statement following his arrest, saying in part, "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."
On December 7, the Moscow Police Department released information on a white Hyundai Elantra that they believed was in the area of the crime on November 13. LaBar previously confirmed that the car was found at Kohberger's parents' home in Pennsylvania, CNN reported. Kohberger was also seen driving the car from Washington to Pennsylvania following the release of body camera footage from two traffic stops during his journey.
On Wednesday, Newsweek reported that Kohberger changed his license plates on the car, just days after the killings. His plates, registration and title were switched from Pennsylvania to Washington on November 18, according to a public records request reviewed by Newsweek.
Prior to the release of the probable cause affidavit, the Moscow Police Department announced that Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued a gag order, barring "any communication by investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and agents of the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney concerning this case."
On Wednesday night, Kohberger arrived at the Pullman-Moscow airport and was transported and booked into the Latah County Jail. In one video posted to Twitter by Brian Entin of NewsNation Now, law enforcement officials can be seen placing a helmet on Kohberger before he is transported to the jail.
About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more