Idaho Quadruple-Murder Suspect Waives Extradition

Bryan Kohberger. (Monroe County (Pa.) Correctional Facility via AP)

The suspect in the November killings of four Idaho college students waived his extradition from Pennsylvania to Idaho, where he will face murder charges.

On Tuesday, Bryan Kohberger arrived at Pennsylvania’s Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg. Judge Margherita Worthington asked if Kohberger waived his right to challenge his arrest, to which he replied: “Yes, I do,” according to reporters in the courthouse.

“Do you wish to waive the rights that I have just explained to you and return to the state of Idaho?” the judge asked. “Yes,” he answered before signing the extradition document.

His state-appointed attorney, Jason LaBar, previously indicated that he would waive extradition from Pennsylvania, his home state, to face charges. Speaking to CNN over the weekend, LaBar said prosecutors in Pennsylvania only need to prove that his client resembles the person described in the arrest warrant and that he was in the area where the crimes were committed.

Kohberger, 28, was arrested last week about two months after students Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; Ethan Chapin, 20; and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were found dead inside a rental home in Moscow, Idaho. Officials struggled for weeks to find a lead in the case, often relying on the public’s help for leads.

In a news conference on Dec. 30, Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary. The arrest affidavit, which would shed more light into his alleged crimes, will remain sealed until he is served with the arrest warrant in Idaho, Thompson said.

Kohberger, a doctoral student and teaching assistant in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University, was taken into custody early Friday by state police at his parents’ home in Chestnuthill Township in eastern Pennsylvania, authorities said.

‘Shocked’

There has been intense speculation about Kohberger and a possible motive, but LaBar has told media outlets that his client should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.  The case has drawn widespread attention due to the gruesome nature of the murders and because, according to the Moscow Police Department, two additional housemates survived and apparently slept through the attack.

(L–R) Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen. Obtained by CNN

“This is certainly completely out of character, the allegations, and really they’re just trying to be supportive with the understanding these four families have suffered loss, so they’re sympathetic towards that, and that’s why it should remain really private and they don’t want to try this case in the court of public opinion,” LaBar told the “Today” show, adding that Kohberger “believes he’s going to be exonerated, that’s what he believes, those were his words ... he’s really been very easy to talk to actually, and he’s in a calm demeanor like I stated.”

LaBar told the outlet that Kohberger’s family was “shocked” after his arrest. “They don’t believe it to be Bryan, they can’t believe this,” he added.

But Moscow Police Department Capt. Dahlinger told The Associated Press on Saturday that officials believe Kohberger was responsible for all four murders. “We believe we’ve got our man,” he said.

His parents, Michael and Maryann, and his two older sisters, Amanda and Melissa, said in a statement released Sunday by his attorney that they “care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children. There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them.”

The family said that relatives will continue to let the legal process unfold, and that “as a family we will love and support our son and brother.” They say they have fully cooperated with law enforcement to try to “seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions.”

During the hearing on Tuesday afternoon, LaBar said Kohberger could be back in Idaho on Tuesday night or Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.