American police believe they have arrested the person who killed four university students at the University of Idaho on November 13.
The murder case has shaken the United States, especially since the police have apparently been without clear leads for several weeks. The breakthrough finally came on Friday.
The alleged perpetrator is 28-year-old Bryan Christopher Kohberger, reports news agency AP.
The arrest was later confirmed at a press conference with the police on Friday at 22:00 Norwegian time.
He was arrested in Scranton in the US state of Pennsylvania – more than 4,000 kilometers away from the crime scene. Kohnberger is charged with premeditated murder, several American media write on Friday evening.
Studied criminology
The students were found stabbed to death on the second and third floors of the apartment they rented in the small town of Moscow. All those killed were students at the university in the city, and according to the autopsy report, all were probably killed while they were sleeping. The police have not yet found the murder weapon.
Prosecutor Bill Thompson believes Kohnberger broke into the students’ apartment with “plans to kill”. DNA traces at the crime scene are said to have played a decisive role in identifying the alleged perpetrator, who has been under police surveillance for several days.
Kohnberger is a PhD student in criminology at Washington State University, which is a short drive from Moscow. On the university’s website, he is also listed as a scientific assistant in the same field.
– Really small
A graduate student at the Department of Criminology, Ben Roberts, describes Kohnberger as confident and outgoing.
– But it seems as if he always tried to fit in, adds Roberts.
– Honestly, I just thought he was really small, says the student to the Associated Press.
Roberts took several of the same subjects as the now suspected murderer, and believes Kohnberger always wanted to express that he was academically inclined.
– He would always, almost without exception, try to explain things as advanced as possible, says Roberts.
– Will sleep better
Madison Mogen (21), Kaylee Goncalves (21) and Xana Kernodle (20) were all killed in their own homes. The fourth victim, Ethan Chapin (20), was visiting his girlfriend, Kernodle.
The police have been investigating the case intensively for six weeks. They state that they have received more than 20,000 tips in the case, and they have conducted over 300 interviews.
As the weeks went by without anyone being arrested, the university found it necessary to hire security guards to escort the students around the campus.
MARK: Students from Boise, Idaho remember the slain students during a mark the week after the murders. (Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman via AP, File) Photo: Sarah A. Miller
– To call it a relief is to hit the nail on the head, says Brian Wolf, professor of sociology with a particular focus on criminology.
– The university has lost four family members, but you can safely say that we will all sleep a little better tonight, adds the professor.
