The murder suspect in the brutal slaying of four college students reportedly whispered "I love you" to his family as he agreed to be extradited from Pennsylvania to Idaho for his latest court hearing.
The bodies of four students - Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21 - were found in an off-campus student house in Moscow, Idaho.
According to reports, several of the students were brutally stabbed while sleeping in the early hours of November 13, 2022. After weeks of investigation, Kohberger was arrested as a suspect on Friday (December 30), per Law & Crime.
At the time of his arrest, an attorney acting on behalf of the Goncalves family, Shannon Gray, stated: "Well, I think everybody was relieved, the family was relieved, and, you know, it's long from over. That chapter's kind of closed, at least, and then now the next chapter starts the whole criminal justice process. And so I think everyone had a little bit of relief and was able maybe to sleep at night. And then, now it's back to the grind again."
Kohberger, 28, is a Ph.D. student studying criminal justice and criminology at Washington State University (WSU) but was arrested at his parents' home in Pennsylvania. Shortly following his arrest, WSU released a statement revealing that they had cooperated with law enforcement officials in relation to Kohberger's arrest.
"This morning, the Washington State University Police Department assisted Idaho law enforcement officials in the execution of search warrants at Mr. Kohberger's apartment and office, which are both located on the WSU campus," the school said. "WSU Police are working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials as they continue their investigation."
This week Kohberger appeared before a court in Pennsylvania where he answered several "yes" or "no" questions about his decision to waive his extradition rights. Presiding Judge Margherita Worthington asked him: "Mr. Kohberger, do you suffer from any mental health diagnosis or take prescribed medication or medication that would impact ability to understand what we are doing here today?"
When he answered: "No," he was then asked whether he wanted to waive his rights and "voluntarily return to the state of Idaho to face prosecution." He then answered: "Yes," per The New York Post.
The hearing lasted all but 10 minutes before he turned to his family and quietly said "I love you" as he was led out of court.
Judge Worthington ordered that Kohberger would be surrendered to the state of Idaho within 10 days, however, several outlets have reported that this surrender could be as soon as 72 hours.
Once in Idaho, Kohberger is set to face four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary for his suspected role in the killings, CBS detailed.