Suspect in Murder Case Caught... Turns Out to Be a Graduate Student Majoring in Criminology

Suspect Arrested in Killing of Four Idaho State University Students
PhD Candidate Studying Criminology at Nearby University

On the 29th of last month (local time), the Moscow Police in Idaho, USA, are guarding the scene of the shooting where four University of Idaho students were killed. Photo by AP News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] The suspect in the killing of four University of Idaho students has been arrested. It has been about 47 days since the incident occurred. The suspect is known to be a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in criminology at a nearby university.

On the 30th (local time), James Fry, police chief of Moscow, Idaho, announced at a press conference that Brian Christopher Korberger (28) was apprehended as the prime suspect in the murder case, according to the Associated Press.

Korberger is accused of breaking into a three-story rental house near the University of Idaho on the morning of the 13th of last month and killing four people with a weapon. The deceased victims were all students in their 20s attending the University of Idaho. Authorities estimated from the autopsy results that they were attacked while asleep.

The investigation had been stalled for some time. Residents were left anxious as no suspects were identified for several weeks. Moscow, where the University of Idaho is located, is a rural small town with a population of less than 30,000. About half of the approximately 11,000 students at the university had left Moscow to attend online classes.

Then, on the 7th, the investigation began to gain momentum. At that time, the Moscow police released information that a white Hyundai Elantra sedan was parked near the crime scene and requested cooperation from citizens. Following this, numerous tips came in, and the police were able to find a car matching the model and year, suspected to have been used in the crime.

The suspect, Korberger, is a doctoral student at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, Washington. WSU is located less than 10 miles (16 km) from the crime scene. Korberger is known to have studied criminal law and criminology there and even served as a teaching assistant (TA).

Bill Thompson, prosecutor of Latah County, Washington, said, "Korberger appears to have entered the victims' home with the intent to commit murder." However, foreign media reported that detailed information related to the charges was not disclosed. The trial to extradite Korberger, who was arrested in Pennsylvania, to Idaho is scheduled for January 3 next year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.