A former friend of the suspect charged with the Idaho killings is in “complete shock” and has described how the pair would go long runs together at night.
Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested at his parents’ home in eastern Pennsylvania, more than 2,500 miles away from the small town of Moscow where four students were stabbed to death as they slept. Police were searching for a suspect for more than a month before Kohberger’s arrest.
“I used to go on night runs with him, I didn’t want to run at night by myself so I would text him ‘Hey, you want to go for a run?’ and we would go for a six, seven mile run,” Schyler Jacobson, a former friend of Bryan Kohberger, told WBRE.
After learning of Kohberger’s arrest, he described being in “complete shock”, adding: “I’m still kind of shaking knowing about it. It’s just unreal to think that somebody could actually do that to somebody [else].
“It’s absolutely mind boggling, my adrenaline is still running after finding the information out. I feel for the families and I’m happy that justice can be served now.”
Kohberger has been charged with four counts of first degree murder for the killings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Ethan Chapin, 20. The students were close friends who shared a house together. Kohberger has also been charged with felony burglary.
Others who knew Kohberger spoke out about his habits, including a “very, very weird” dietary restriction.
“It was above and beyond being vegan,” Kohberger’s aunt who previously married into the family told The New York Post.
The aunt, who declined to be named, added: “His aunt and uncle had to buy new pots and pans because he would not eat from anything that had ever had meat cooked in them. He seemed very OCD.”
Kohberger obtained an undergraduate degree from DeSales University in Pennsylvania in psychology. The school released a statement following his arrest.
It said: “On Friday, December 30, DeSales University learned of the arrest of Bryan Kohberger in connection with the murder of four University of Idaho students.
“Kohberger received a bachelor’s degree in 2020 and completed his graduate studies in June 2022.
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“As a Catholic, Salesian community, we are devastated by this senseless tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families during this difficult time.”
Kohberger is currently a PHD candidate at Washington State University, just 10 miles over the border from Moscow.
Although the two universities often work closely, Kohberger is not believed to have had any classes at University of Idaho, according to university officials.
Authorities were left looking for leads in the case of the brutal killings for over a month. However, police said they discovered DNA at the crime scene which matched Kohberger’s.
On Friday, SWAT teams swarmed the small eastern Pennsylvanian town where Kohberger was staying at his parents’ home.
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He is being held without bail in Pennsylvania and is expected to be extradited to Idaho where he will also be held without bail. An extradition hearing was scheduled for Tuesday.
Authorities urged anyone with information about Kohberger to speak to police.
“This is not the end of this investigation, in fact, this is a new beginning,” Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said on Friday. “You all now know the name of the person who has been charged with these offenses, please get that information out there, please ask the public, anyone who knows about this individual, to come forward.”
He added: “Report anything you know about him, to help the investigators, and eventually our office and the court system, understand fully everything there is to know about not only the individual, but what happened and why.”
