


Bryan Kohberger will be arraigned in court on Monday for the deaths of four University of Idaho students on murder and other charges.
Kohberger, 28, a criminology graduate student from Washington State University, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in the Nov. 13 deaths of Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.
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The graduate student was indicted on the five counts on May 17. His arraignment begins on Monday at 9 a.m. Pacific time.
Here's everything to know about Kohberger's arrest and arraignment.
Timeline of investigation
The four students were murdered on Nov. 13. Between Nov. 14 and Nov. 25, investigators determined that a 2011-2013 white Hyundai Elantra vehicle was seen in the neighborhood multiple times between 3:29 a.m. and 4:20 a.m. on the night of the killings. The students were believed to have been killed between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.
A surviving roommate, listed as D.M. in court records, said she recalled seeing a figure in black clothing and a mask walking past her to exit out the back door. D.M. said she was in a "frozen shock phase" and then locked her door. She did not know the man but said he had bushy eyebrows and was tall.
On Nov. 29, a Washington State University police officer looked into white Elantras that were registered to the school. The search resulted in one 2015 white Hyundai Elantra with a Pennsylvania license plate registered to Kohberger. Police concluded that Kohberger's physical description was consistent with the description that D.M. gave investigators on the night of the murders.
Kohberger was pulled over twice by Indiana officers within a nine-minute time frame on Dec. 15. Local law enforcement did not know Kohberger was a suspect when he was pulled over for traffic stops, both for which he was not issued a ticket.
He was driving the vehicle of interest with his father. It was revealed later that FBI investigators eventually asked Indiana police to pull Kohberger over the second time to get body camera footage of his hands.
In late December, Kohberger was arrested following the monthslong investigation by state and federal law enforcement agencies that used evidence found in his car and home to connect him to the murders, such as a knife sheath. Other alleged pieces of information not specified in court documents are an ID card connected to a victim and photos of a female victim on Kohberger's phone.
Details of Monday's arraignment
Kohberger was set to have a preliminary hearing in late June. Because the grand jury indicted him, it means they found enough evidence to indict without needing both sides to present evidence or witnesses and that the charges will move forward.
The indictment also spares the surviving roommates from having to face cross-examination from Kohberger's defense team. Surviving roommate Bethany Funke fought a subpoena to testify at the original June preliminary hearing, eventually agreeing to an interview with Kohberger's legal counsel in Reno, Nevada, where she lives. It is unclear ahead of the arraignment whether she will appear at the hearing on Monday.
Kohberger is likely to plead not guilty or not enter a plea at all on Monday.
If Kohberger does enter a plea, prosecutors have 60 days to announce they are seeking the death penalty. In late March, the Idaho legislature passed a bill reinstating the firing squad as an alternative option for the death penalty instead of lethal injection. Gov. Brad Little (R-ID) signed the bill on March 24, and the law goes into effect on July 1.
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If he does not enter a plea, he will likely have to return to court in a few weeks.
Monday's arraignment will also begin the countdown of a six-month deadline for a right to a speedy trial. The defense could plead guilty to the murder charges to avoid the death penalty, but given the high-profile nature of the case, it is unlikely.