Family of Idaho Murder Suspect Breaks Silence After Arrest of Bryan Kohberger: 'No Words'
The family of the man accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students is speaking out for the first time since his arrest.
Moscow Police Chief James Fry confirmed during a press conference on Friday that Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested in Pennsylvania in connection with the murders of Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.
In a statement sent to PEOPLE by Bryan's lawyer Jason A. LaBar, the suspect's father, Michael Kohberger; mother, Marianne Kohberger; and sister, Amanda, said: "First and foremost, we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children."
They added, "There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them. We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother."
They continued, "We have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies in an attempt to seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions. We respect privacy in this matter as our family and the families suffering loss can move forward through the legal process."
According to an arrest document reviewed by PEOPLE, Kohberger is being held for extradition in a criminal homicide investigation based on an active arrest warrant for first-degree murder.
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson confirmed during the press conference that Kohberger is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary.
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Police previously announced that they were looking for a white Hyundai Elantra that was seen in the vicinity of the home on the night of the murders. According to Fry, a Hyundai Elantra was taken from the home where Kohberger was found in Pennsylvania.
Kohberger is listed as a Ph.D student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, according to the college's website. The university is eight miles away from the 1122 King Road residence in Moscow, Idaho, where the four students were killed.
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Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle and Chapin were stabbed to death in an off-campus house in Moscow in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, but no motive for the murders has been released at this time.
In a now-deleted post on Reddit, Kohberger — under the username Criminology_Student — asked ex-convicts to participate in a research project that "seeks to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime." The post goes on to read that the goal of the study is to "understand the story behind your most recent criminal offense, with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience."
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The post also said the research was approved by DeSales University and has Bryan Kohberger listed as the "Student Investigator" with a DeSales student email address.
According to the 2022 DeSales University commencement, Kohberger graduated in 2022 with a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice. In a public statement, the university also confirmed he was once a student at the university.
LaBar also issued a statement and said, according to NPR, "Mr. Kohberger has been accused of very serious crimes, but the American justice system cloaks him in a veil of innocence. He should be presumed innocent until proven otherwise — not tried in the court of public opinion."
In a news briefing on Friday, Latah County Prosecutor Thompson accused the suspect of breaking into the victims' home "with the intent to commit murder," per the outlet.
