Idaho suspect charged as SWAT team descends on mountain town to catch man after four students murdered in their beds
30 December 2022, 19:31 | Updated: 31 December 2022, 08:49
A 28-year-old man has been charged with the murder of four university students who were stabbed to death in their beds.
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Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested at his parents' home near Scranton, Pennsylvania, more than 2,500 miles away from the crime scene at the University of Idaho.
SWAT teams descended on the mountain town on Friday morning to make the arrest.
It came after Xana Kernodle, 20, her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21, were stabbed to death in Moscow, Idaho as they slept on November 13.
A white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra was spotted at the rental accommodation where the killings took place in Moscow, Idaho.
It matched a vehicle found during Kohberger's arrest, NBC reported.
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said investigators believe Kohberger broke into the students' home "with the intent to commit murder".
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Police say they have collected 16,500 tips from the public and examined 4,000 photos of the crime scene over the past six weeks.
But investigators have warned against social media sleuths working to solve the case themselves.
Captain Roger Lanier said last week: "Tracking down rumours and quelling rumours about specific individuals or specific events that may or may not have happened is a huge distraction for investigators and oftentimes is the result of social media propagation."
Nearly half of students on the college campus have changed to online-only studying in the wake of the murders.
Idaho State Police are also monitoring the university daily.
Police say they are seeking to remove "potential biohazards and other harmful substances used to collect evidence" during investigations.
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