Idaho murders suspect pulled over twice on cross-country race home with dad, lawyer claims
MOSCOW, Idaho - Bryan Kohberger, the suspected killer of four University of Idaho students who police arrested in Pennsylvania Friday, made the 2,500-mile road trip home with his dad and was pulled over twice along the way, according to his public defender.
Jason LaBar, Kohberger’s Pennsylvania defense attorney in the extradition case, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment Monday.
However, he illustrated parts of the suspect’s cross-country race home in a televised interview, stating that Kohberger's dad flew into Spokane, Washington, and then drove down to Pullman in a pre-planned trip ahead of the drive home ahead of the holiday break.
"I don't know whether they were speeding or not or if they were even issued a ticket," LaBar reportedly told NBC. "I just know that they were pulled over in Indiana almost back-to-back. I believe once for speeding and once for falling too closely to a car in front of them."
Photo shows Bryan Kohberger, 28, who was being held for extradition in a criminal homicide investigation in the killings of four University of Idaho students. (Credit: Monroe County Correctional Facility)
An Indiana State Police spokesman told Fox News Digital he could not find evidence of any such encounters.
"We have examined records and do not find any record of any traffic stops or any interactions involving Bryan Kohberger, his father, or any Kohberger," Sgt. Glen Fifield said Monday.
LaBar did not immediately clarify which jurisdictions the stops happened in.
Kohberger, 28, was a PhD candidate at Washington State University in Pullman, roughly 10 miles from the University of Idaho in Moscow. The two communities lie just across state lines from one another.
A view of the Sigma Chi house at the University of Idaho through fog on Dec. 13, 2022. Inset: A reference image showing the type of Hyundai Elantra police are looking for. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital. Inset: Moscow PD)
Classes ended at WSU on Dec. 15 and the following day at UI. It was not immediately clear when Kohberger left Pullman, but he returned to Albrightsville, Pennsylvania by Dec. 17, according to LaBar.
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Police allege that sometime between 3 and 4 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2022, Kohberger entered a six-bedroom house and attacked four students in their sleep with a knife.
The ambush killed Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, 21-year-old best friends, as well as their housemate Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, both 20.
Two other young women on the home’s bottom level were left alone, according to police.
RELATED: Moscow, Idaho police still searching for fixed-blade knife after suspect Kohberger's arrest
Kohberger has a master’s degree from DeSales in criminal justice and was studying at WSU’s department of criminal justice and criminology.
Pennsylvania police arrested him on Friday after Idaho authorities charged him with four counts of first-degree murder and another charge of felony burglary for allegedly entering a residence with intent to commit murder.
In Washington, investigators searched his apartment for hours on the same day, removing boxes and bags of evidence as well as a desktop computer.
Kohberger is expected to waive extradition Tuesday and return to Idaho to face the charges.
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Through his attorney, he said he expects to be exonerated.
However John Kelly, a criminal profiler and psychotherapist who has interviewed multiple serial killers, told Fox News Digital Monday that if Kohberger did commit the crimes, he made a series of key errors, especially for someone with an education focused on criminology.
"Flight can be a sign of guilt," Kelly said.
But other mistakes include the indoor crime scene – virtually impossible to clean up, attacking so many people at once with a knife and allegedly believing he could avoid leaving behind evidence.