MOSCOW, Idaho — The man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students on Nov. 13, 2022, appeared in Moscow for the first time on Thursday. He showed little emotion.
With over 65 people in the courtroom, silence cut the air as Bryan C. Kohberger walked into a Latah County Courtroom to hear the charges against him. He appeared in an orange jumpsuit, only nodding his head at Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall.
Marshall read the five charges -- four counts of murder, and one count of burglary -- aloud. Marshall said Kohberger is charged with stabbing the four victims with "malice," with "forethought," with "premeditation" and that the crimes were "deliberate."
Marshall asked if Kohberger understood the charges against him. He only replied, "yes." That is the only time he spoke.
The penalty if guilty for each murder charge is life in prison, or death.
Kohberger was also denied bond and was issued a no-contact order between him and the victims' family members. He will be represented in further proceedings by a public defender from Kootenai County.
Watch the full hearing:
Kaylee Goncalves, one of the victims of the stabbings at the house on King Road on Nov. 13, was represented in court by her family, who sat in the front row. Her family had their arms around each other during the proceeding.
The Goncalves' family attorney also released a statement to the media after the hearing.
"It's obviously an emotional time for the family seeing the defendant for the first time," the attorney said. "They will be here for the long haul."
Kohberger was booked into the Latah County Jail Wednesday evening. Jail records show he's being held on suspicion of four counts of murder and one count of burglary in connection with the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, who were all pronounced dead around noon on Nov. 13 in their off campus home on 1122 King Road. The probable cause affidavit submitted by Moscow Police Cpl. Brett Payne was filed in court records and made public Thursday morning. It stated police found Kohberger through DNA on a knife sheath from the murder scene.
Per court order, Kohberger's court appearance was not televised live or livestreamed online.
Wednesday night, in a train of police cars, one truck likely holding Kohberger swiftly drove into a Latah County garage guarded by law enforcement vehicles. The garage was immediately closed with no visibility on Kohberger.
A Pennsylvania State Police plane transporting Kohberger from Scranton, Pennsylvania, landed at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport just before 7:30 p.m. MT on Wednesday.
Kohberger was arrested Dec. 30 in his family's home in Effort, Pennsylvania, in the early hours of the morning by a state police tactical team. He was brought into custody "without incident" police said Tuesday.
According to a Wednesday statement released by Latah County Sheriff Richard Skiles, he said that Kohberger will be evaluated by staff at the Latah jail.
"Mr. Kohberger’s housing classification will be based on the evaluation given by jail staff," Skiles said.
Kohberger waived his extradition Tuesday, meaning he wasn't going to fight his transport back to Idaho. Pennsylvania State Police said in a press conference they speculate it's because Kohberger wants "to know what is in the probable cause affidavit" which gave police reason to arrest him.
That probable cause affidavit was released Thursday morning, shortly before the hearing.
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