Idaho Murder Suspect's Parents, Sisters Speak

In a statement, they reference their attempt to 'promote his presumption of innocence'
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 2, 2023 12:15 AM CST
Idaho Murder Suspect's Parents, Sisters Speak
Boise State University students, along with people who knew the four University of Idaho students who were found killed in Moscow, Idaho, days earlier, pay their respects at a vigil held in front of a statue on the Boise State campus, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, in Boise, Idaho.   (Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman via AP, File)

The family of Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of stabbing to death four University of Idaho students, has released a public statement. "First and foremost we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children," began the statement from Kohberger's parents and two sisters that was released Sunday through the 28-year-old's public defender. "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," it continued, per the Idaho Statesman.

As far as that support goes, "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," the statement added, reports NBC News. Kohberger intends to waive his extradition rights during a court hearing in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. Jason LaBar is representing Kohberger in the extradition but not the murder case; LaBar said Kohberger was "very aware, but calm, and really shocked by his arrest" during their hour-long conversation on Friday. Officials have said that under Idaho state law, they cannot share more details from the case until Kohberger’s extradition hearing, the New York Daily News reports.

In the meantime, the New York Times delves into what is known about the Washington State University PhD student, who was studying in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology and was arrested after returning to his family's Pennsylvania home. A standout passage from the Times:

  • One student in his grad program said "Kohberger seemed interested in the thought processes of criminals while they committed crimes and less interested in the social factors that might lead people to do so, saying that he believed some people were just bound to break the law. The fellow student ... described Mr. Kohberger as the black sheep of the class, often taking contrarian viewpoints and sometimes getting into arguments with his peers, particularly women."
(More University of Idaho stories.)

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