Idaho student murders: Suspect Bryan Kohberger was pulled over by police twice on cross-country trip to Pennsylvania
Cami Mondeaux
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The suspect in the murders of the four University of Idaho students was stopped by police at least twice during his cross-country trip to Pennsylvania in December, more than one month after the fatal stabbings took place.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, was pulled over twice within a nine-minute time frame while driving on I-70 in Indiana on Dec. 15, according to Indiana State Police and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department. Kohberger was traveling with his father at the time, and he wasn’t issued a ticket for either traffic stop.
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Kohberger was initially stopped by police for following behind another car too closely and then stopped again roughly nine minutes later for speeding, his attorney told CNN. Kohberger and his father were traveling to Pennsylvania for the holidays at the time of the traffic stops.
Kohberger was driving a white Hyundai Elantra during the cross-country drive, which Idaho investigators had connected to the crime after it was discovered the vehicle was seen near the scene of the crime in mid-November. The car was later found at Kohberger’s parents’ house, where he was arrested on Friday.
However, at the time of the traffic stops, law enforcement did not yet have information about a possible suspect vehicle or license plate, according to Indiana police.
Kohberger was arrested in connection to the quadruple murder of the students in their off-campus home on Nov. 13 and has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. The suspect waived extradition during a court appearance on Tuesday, and he is expected to be transported to Idaho in the coming weeks for a criminal trial. Kohberger is likely to plead not guilty in the case, as his attorney has said he “believes he’s going to be exonerated.”
Kohberger is a Ph.D. student studying criminal justice at the Washington State University campus in Pullman, which is roughly 15 minutes away from the University of Idaho.
It’s still unclear Kohberger’s connection to the victims in the slayings, and police have not yet identified a motive. The probable-cause affidavit that would provide these details is not set to be released until Kohberger arrives in Idaho.
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The latest update comes after university students Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were killed in their home on Nov. 13. Each was murdered in bed and was stabbed in the chest and upper body with a large knife.
Two other roommates who were staying in the basement were left unharmed, and police have ruled them out as suspects, as well as two other friends who were present at the home at the time of the 911 call.