The suspect in the killings of four University of Idaho college students reportedly plans to waive his extradition hearing this week in order to expedite his return to the Gem State, said his attorney.
The individual, identified as Bryan Christopher Kohberger, faces four counts of first-degree murder. The chief public defender for Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Jason LaBar, said that the suspect was "shocked a little bit."
Idaho College Murders Suspect
The remarks came on Saturday, a day after the 28-year-old suspect was arrested inside his home state on charges related to the murders of 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves, 21-year-old Madison Mogen, 20-year-old Xana Kernodle, and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin.
Kohberger also faces a charge of felony burglary, according to Prosecutor Bill Thompson of Latah County, Idaho. On Sunday, LaBar released a statement on behalf of Kohberger's family, saying that there were no words that could describe their sadness.
The family's statement read, "First and foremost we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children." They added that they would respect the legal process and have chosen to cooperate with law enforcement until the truth comes to light through the trials, as per CNN.
LaBar did not discuss the murder case with Kohberger when they talked for roughly an hour on Friday evening, said the attorney, who added that he did not have probable cause documents related to the case. He said he was only representing Kohberger in the issue of his extradition, which the attorney called a "formality."
He said that it was a procedural issue and that the Commonwealth had to prove that Kohberger resembles or is the person who the arrest warrant is for and that he was in the area at the time of the horrific crime.
According to Yahoo News, Kohberger was known to some Pennsylvania brewery employees to have made "creepy" and inappropriate comments, said the owner of the business. Following the suspect's arrest, some people started to reflect on their interactions with the individual.
The "Creepy" Suspect
The owner of Seven Sirens Brewing Company in Bethlehem, 34-year-old Jordan Serulneck, said that the suspect had gone by himself to the brewery several times and would simply sit at the bar.
The conversations that they had happened several months ago, possibly when Kohberger was a student at DeSales University in Center Valley, which was less than six miles south of Bethlehem, said Serulneck. In June 2020, the suspect received his bachelor's degree from DeSales and in June 2022, completed his graduate studies.
The business owner said that Kohberger did not do anything in front of him or management, but noted that the suspect would make comments under his breath or if only one person was working at the bar.
Serulneck said that the brewery sometimes had "unusual characters" which was normal but noted that Kohberger was memorable due to some interactions that he had with female patrons and staff.
The bar had a system where staff added notes that would pop up when Kohberger's ID was scanned. Serulneck said that it was implemented by his employees to keep an eye on Kohberger, NBC News reported.