MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — After the University of Idaho murder suspect waived his right to an extradition hearing Tuesday, the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) held a press conference regarding his arrest and the agency's next steps in the investigation.
28-year-old Bryan Kohberger was arrested in Monroe County, Pa., early Friday morning concerning the murders of four University of Idaho students. Kohberger waived his right to an extradition hearing on Tuesday and agreed to willingly return to Idaho to face first-degree murder charges.
After Kohberger waived his extradition, PSP Major Christopher Paris, PSP Colonel Robert Evanchick and Monroe County First Assistant District Attorney Michael Mancuso held a press conference to discuss the arrest.
Evanchick said he did not imagine the murder investigation would make its way to Pennsylvania but said the culmination of cooperation and communication ultimately led to Kohberger's arrest.
"The officers, troopers and federal agents worked together tirelessly, putting in long, difficult hours," Evanchick said. "Communication and cooperation are imperative to success and to ensure the integrity of the case remains maintained."
According to Paris, PSP was contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about assisting in the surveillance of Kohberger just days before his arrest. As the investigation progressed, PSP's criminal investigation section began working with authorities in Idaho to secure fugitive from justice warrants for Kohberger.
Once those warrants were obtained, the PSP Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) was selected to execute those warrants. In total, four warrants relating to this case were served: one for Kohberger, one for the house he was arrested at, one for the white Hyundai Elantra and the arrest warrant.
"From their perspective, we essentially tasked them to go out and serve an arrest warrant for someone accused of a quadruple murder," Paris said.
SERT began preparations to serve the search and arrest warrants against Kohberger on the night on Dec. 29. In the early morning hours of Dec. 30, Kohberger was arrested without incident and taken into custody.
"It's my sincere hope that this marks a clear step in the right direction of effectuating justice for those folks," Mancuso said.
The probable cause affidavit related to the case will remain sealed until Kohberger is back in Idaho and given a copy of the document. However, Mancuso said Kohberger's decision to waive extradition is "a significant development."
"Having read those documents and the sealed affidavits of probable cause, I definitely believe that one of the main reasons the defendant chose to waive extradition and hurry to return back to Idaho was a need to know what was in those documents," Mancuso said.
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