CNN
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Authorities closely tracked a man charged with killing four Idaho college students as he drove across the country around Christmas and was kept under surveillance for days before arresting him on Friday, they said. A source told CNN.
Brian Christopher Coberger, 28, was arrested in his home state of Pennsylvania in connection with four first-degree murders and the November stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, according to Lata County. was charged with robbery. Prosecutor Bill Thompson.
Still, investigators have not publicly confirmed whether they knew the suspect’s motives or victims.No murder weapon was found either, Moscow police chief James Fry said Friday.
In about seven weeks after a student was found stabbed to death in an off-campus home, investigators conducted more than 300 interviews and collected nearly 20,000 pieces of information to find the suspect. News of the killings, and a long period without suspects or significant developments, has rocked the University of Idaho community and towns around Moscow.
According to two law enforcement sources briefed about the investigation, investigators identified Coberger as a suspect by confirming DNA evidence and the owner of a white Hyundai Elantra seen near the crime scene. I focused.
Coberger, who authorities say lived only minutes from the scene of the killing, is a doctoral student in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University, the school confirmed.
Law enforcement sources said he drove cross-country in a white Hyundai Elantra and arrived at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania around Christmas. It is said that
An FBI surveillance team tracked him down for four days before his arrest while law enforcement worked with prosecutors to develop a probable cause sufficient to obtain a warrant, the two law enforcement agencies said. a source said.
Another source with knowledge of the case told CNN that genetic genealogy techniques were used to link Coberger to unverified DNA evidence. DNA was run through public databases to find potential family matches, and subsequent investigative work by law enforcement led him as a suspect, sources said.
Coberger was arraigned in Pennsylvania on Friday morning and is being held without bail, records show.
Monroe County chief public defender Jason Lover said in a statement to CNN on Saturday that Coberger intends to waive extradition hearings in order to expedite his transfer to Idaho.
“Mr. Koberger is eager to be exonerated from these charges and looks forward to resolving these matters as soon as possible,” LaBar said.
Even if a suspect is indicted, law enforcement’s work is not done yet, prosecutors said.
“This isn’t the end of the investigation. In fact, it’s a new beginning,” Thompson said Friday night.
Thompson asked anyone with information about the suspect to “come forward, call the hotline and report whatever you know about him to help investigators,” and continued to provide information. encouraged people to submit
Cary Goncalves, 21, since four students were murdered. Madison Morgen, 21 years old. Zana Karnodol, 20 years old. and Ethan Chapin, 20 Some community members are frustrated because investigators have yet to provide a full account of how the night unfolded. It released limited details, including the victims’ activities and the people they ruled out as suspects.
Fry told reporters Friday that state law limits the information officials can release before Kohberger’s first court appearance in Idaho. A probable cause affidavit detailing the factual basis for the charges against Coberger will be sealed until the suspect physically arrives in Lata County, Idaho, and an Idaho arrest warrant is served. said Mr Thompson.
Authorities say Coberger is a resident of Pullman, Washington, about nine miles from the scene of the murder. Pullman’s apartment and office on his campus at Washington State University were raided Friday morning by law enforcement, the university confirmed in a statement.
In June 2022, he completed graduate school at DeSales University, where he was also an undergraduate, according to a statement on the school’s website. He also earned an associate’s degree from his community college in Northampton in 2018, CNN confirmed.
In a since-deleted Reddit post after Coberger’s arrest was announced, a student investigator named Brian Coberger, who was involved in the DeSales University study, wrote, “Emotions and psychological traits when committing a crime. We asked for your participation in a research project to understand how the
“In particular, this research seeks to understand the story behind your recent crimes, with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings through your experiences.
CNN reached out to a DeSales University professor who was one of the lead researchers on the study, but they declined to comment. The university did not respond to requests for comment.