By Pepper Fisher
MOSCOW, Idaho – Police in Pennsylvania arrested 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger Friday morning for the murder of four students in Moscow, Idaho. He is being held without bail and is awaiting extradition to authorities in Idaho.
Police also served a search warrant at Kohberger’s apartment in Pullman, Washington, where he is a graduate student at Washington State University.
At a 1:00 pm news conference, Moscow Police Chief James Fry thanked the public for their patience as investigators built their case for the arrest of the suspect and explained why his agency has been so tight-lipped about their investigation.
“I recognize the frustration with the lack of information that’s been released. However, providing any details in this criminal investigation might have tainted the upcoming criminal prosecution or alerted the suspect of our progress. We will continue to provide as much information as we can as the process moves forward.”
Also speaking at the news conference was Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson, who explained why they were not going to be able to answer most questions about the investigation at this time.
“There’s a pending case now in court, and I and my office and the investigators have to live with the restrictions that our Supreme Court places on pretrial publicity. The factual basis for the charges are summarized in what’s called a probable cause affidavit that is on file with the court. According to the rules of the Idaho Supreme Court, that is sealed until Mr. Kohberger is physically back in Latah County and has been served with the Idaho arrest warrant. At that time, we expect that that affidavit will be available to you.”
Thompson said Kohberger is scheduled to appear again in court in Pennsylvania next Tuesday. He then explained the process of getting the suspect extradited to Idaho.
“The process at this point is, since he was arrested in another state, he has the opportunity to either waive extradition and return voluntarily to the state of Idaho or, if he prefers not to waive extradition, then we will initiate extradition proceedings through our governor’s office. If we do that, it can take a while for him to get here. So, again, I’m asking for your patience and understand that’s just the way the system works.”
Chief Fry and Prosecutor Thompson both urged the public to call their tip line with any information they may have about Kohberger as investigators continue to build their case.
(Photo: Chief Fry and Prosecutor Thompson)