The family of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger issued a statement Sunday after his arrest in connection to the murders of four Idaho college students, reminding the public that suspects are “presumed innocent until proven otherwise.”
Authorities announced they charged Kohberger in the murders of four people in November. Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21, were found stabbed to death in a rental home near the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho.
“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,” Kohberger’s family said in a statement released by attorney Jason A. LaBar.
Their statement said that they “will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother.” For the victims, they said that “there are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them.”
“We respect privacy in this matter as our family and the families suffering loss can move forward through the legal process,” Kohberger’s family said.
Kohberger appeared before a judge last Friday in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. His attorney told CNN on Saturday that he will waive his extradition hearing and will face charges in Idaho, and he later told The Associated Press that he “should be presumed innocent until proven otherwise.”
“We believe we’ve got our man,” Moscow Police Department Captain Anthony Dahlinger told The Associated Press on Saturday. Investigators obtained samples of Kohberger’s DNA directly from the suspect after he was arrested, Dahlinger said.
Bill Thompson, a prosecutor in Latah County, Idaho, said during a press conference Friday that investigators believe Kohberger broke into the University of Idaho students’ home near campus “with the intent to commit murder.” The bodies of the students were found on Nov. 13, several hours after investigators believe they died.
More details will be released after Kohberger makes his first appearance in an Idaho courtroom, Dahlinger said. State law prohibits police from releasing most investigation records while the investigation is underway, and investigators kept many details about the investigation secret to avoid damaging the case, he said.
“I just really hope that everybody out there can understand the ‘why’ behind us holding a lot of information close to our vest,” Dahlinger said. “This is the positive outcome that we were searching for the entire time.”
