Idaho murders – update: Bryan Kohberger’s parents to face families of victims at extradition court hearing

“It has been more than 50 days since four students at the University of Idaho were found fatally stabbed inside a house,” writes Clémence Michallon for Independent Voices.

“Two of the victims, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle, were 20 years old; the other two, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, were 21.

“For weeks, bits of information surfaced piecemeal; two of the victims had gone to a bar, then to a food truck, prior to their deaths. Investigators said they believed the attack had been targeted, but were unable to say whether ‘the target was the residence or its occupants’.”

Read the full piece below.

After months of cryptic statements and unanswered questions, family and friends of the four students murdered in Idaho in November finally received the breakthrough they had been hoping for on Friday.

Here, Io Dodds recaps the timeline of major events as far as we know them.

Suspected killer Bryan Kohberger’s parents are likely to face the families of victims at the extradition hearing today.

Mr Kohberger’s parents and two sisters will attend the hearing, but won’t be permitted to visit him while they are at the court, according to public defender Jason LaBar.

Steve Goncalves, the father of Kaylee Goncalves, told News Nation that he will at the hearing to look the suspect “in the face and let him know this is not going away anytime soon”.

British comedian Russell Kane says he is tired of being compared to the man charged with the November Idaho murders.

Kane apparently received “at least 100 messages” the following day from people noting the physical similarities between himself and Kohberger.

“Please stop telling me I look like a murderer in America,” the comedian wrote on Twitter, alongside a side-by-side headshot of both him and Kohberger.

Full story below.

Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested by FBI agents and officers of the Pennsylvania State Police near the Pocono Mountains early Friday morning, northeastern Pennsylvania.

He is facing extradition to Idaho.

Here’s what we know about the suspect.

Jordan Serulnec, who owns Seven Sirens Brewing Company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, told NBC News in a report published this weekend that Mr Kohberger was known for making inappropriate comments to female customers and staff.

The business has a system that allows staff to add notes to customers’ profiles when their IDs are scanned. After he read what his employees had written about Mr Kohberger, Mr Serulnec decided to confront the now-accused murderer.

Andrea Blanco has the story:

A criminology student accused of killing four University of Idaho students was stopped by police twice as he and his father made a 2,500-mile, cross-country trip from Washington state to Pennsylvania in the vehicle that has been at the centre of the murder mystery probe, it has been revealed.

Rachel Sharp has the full story.

Bryan Kohberger’s family released a statement saying they “care deeply” for the victims and their families but will continue to support their son and brother as the legal process moves forward.

“First and foremost we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children. There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them,” the family said in a statement released through his public defender Jason LaBar.

“We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother.

“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. We respect privacy in this matter as our family and the families suffering loss can move forward through the legal process.”

The university criminology department where murder suspect Bryan Kohberger was studying towards a PhD has said it is “aggrieved” at the allegations.

“The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University is aggrieved by the alleged horrendous acts of one of its graduate students,” it said in a statement.

“We are relieved that justice will be carried out. Our hearts are with the victims’ families.”

Mr Kohberger was in his first year as a PhD student in the department after completing a Master’s degree at DeSales University in Pennsylvania.

The 28-year-old lived in Pullman, Washington State, a 15 minute drive from where the four students were murdered.

Kaylee Goncalves’ father Steve says he plans to attend suspect Bryan Kohberger’s appearances in court in Idaho.

Mr Goncalves told NewsNation’s Brian Entin he wants to “look him in the face and let him know this is not going away anytime soon”.