WSU Releases New Bodycam Footage Showing Bryan Kohberger

Newly released bodycam footage of a traffic stop involving Bryan Kohberger, a suspected quadruple murderer, has given insight into his prior life. The incident occurred in October when Kohberger was pulled over by a Washington State University police officer for running a red light. In the footage, Kohberger can be seen pushing back at the officer and claiming he was forced to make a left-hand turn due to being stuck in the intersection. Kohberger, originally from a rural part of Pennsylvania, told the officer he was unfamiliar with the state law that forbids drivers from entering an intersection unless there’s enough space for their vehicle on the opposite side.

Kohberger, a 28-year-old with a master’s degree in criminal justice, asked the officer to explain the rules for him, and she obliged. Kohberger ultimately received a warning and was let off the hook. The footage has been released along with previously unseen documents and an official letter from the University of Idaho, where Kohberger was a Ph.D. criminology student, informing him that he is no longer welcome on campus.

Kohberger is accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students on November 13. The victims were identified as Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, all found murdered after a surviving housemate told police she heard strange noises and saw a masked man with “bushy eyebrows” leaving out the back door. According to reports, Kohberger allegedly went into their house at 4 a.m. and attacked them with a large knife. DNA recovered from a Ka-Bar knife sheath allegedly found at the scene helps link Kohberger to the murders.

Kohberger was taken into custody by state police and the FBI at his parents’ house in Pennsylvania on December 30, after officers served a search warrant on his apartment. He is being held without bail at the Latah County Jail, where a preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 26. Kohberger has not yet entered a plea. He also faces charges of eluding police and possession of illegal weapons. The white Hyundai Elantra he was pulled over in October is believed to be the suspect vehicle in the November attack. The prosecutor on the case has called in big guns from the state to join the death penalty case.