The suspect in the Idaho murders shocked by allegations, expects to be ‘exonerated,’ as per attorney

January 3, 2023January 3, 2023 Editor

Bryan Kohberger reportedly plans to waive his right to an extradition hearing in a court appearance Tuesday

The suspect in the deaths of four University of Idaho students is “shocked” by the claims against him and expects to be “exonerated,” according to his public defender.

During a news conference on Friday, Moscow Police Chief James Fry confirmed that Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was detained in Pennsylvania in connection with the killings of Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.

In a recent interview, public attorney Jason LaBar of Monroe County, Pa., stated that Kohberger would most likely surrender his right to an extradition hearing in order to move closer to exoneration.

“He’s willing to waive because he’s eager to be exonerated. Those were his sentiments, according to LaBar to The Washington Post.  “Whether that means he’s innocent or not, it’s implicit in saying he wants to be exonerated that he’s innocent. He didn’t use the word ‘innocent.'”

LaBar is representing Kohberger in the extradition proceedings but will not represent him in the criminal case.

“We don’t know much about the case,” the lawyer told CNN. “I don’t have an affidavit or evidence of probable cause. I didn’t want to talk about the case with him since I’m only representing him in this procedural matter of whether or not he wants to be extradited back to Idaho.”

Kohberger is “a little astonished,” according to LaBar.

Due to Idaho state law, the affidavit of probable cause can’t be released to the public until the defendant appears in court. Details about Kohberger’s suspected connection to the victims or why he’s been arrested are not available at this time.

Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle, and Chapin were stabbed to death in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho, in the early morning of Nov. 13, but no motive for the murders has been released at this time.

Kohberger is listed as a Ph.D. student at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, according to the college’s website. Pullman is eight miles away from the 1122 King Road residence in Moscow, where the four students were murdered.

In a now-deleted post on Reddit, Kohberger — under the username, Criminology_Student — asked ex-convicts to participate in a research project that “seeks to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.” The post goes on to read that the study’s goal is to “understand the story behind your most recent criminal offense, with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience.”

The research was also approved by DeSales University, according to the article, and Bryan Kohberger is designated as the “Student Investigator” with a DeSales student email account.

Kohberger received a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from DeSales University in 2022, according to the 2022 commencement. The university also verified in a public statement that he was formerly a student there.

Authorities received a 911 call on Sunday, Nov. 13, regarding an “unconscious person” at the apartment where the students were discovered. They discovered the dead of Chapin, Kernodle, Mogen, and Goncalves on the second and third levels of the house when they arrived near campus.

The victims were all University of Idaho students and close friends. Kernodle, Mogen, and Goncalves shared a room. On November 13, Chapin was sleeping over with his lover Kernodle, who did not live at home.

Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, two other housemates, were at home during the attack but slept through it and were unharmed.

Anyone with information on the killings is asked to contact the Moscow Police Department at 208-883-7180 or [email protected].