A criminology PHD student has been charged with the murders of four students stabbed to death in their beds.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary.
The bodies of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Ethan Chapin were found in an off-campus student house on November 13 in Moscow, Idaho, US.
The small town, which is home to University of Idaho, was shocked to its core by the brutal slayings.
They all died from stab wounds with some showing defensive injuries.
The murder weapon has not yet been recovered.
A Hyundai Elantra believed to be connected to the case has been recovered, police say.
A professional cleaning of the house was halted following the arrest.
In a press conference announcing the murder charges, Moscow Police Chief James Fry assured more information about the suspected killer's motives would be revealed but Supreme Court restrictions prevent it at this time.
Kohberger will be extradited from Pennsylvania where he was arrested to Idaho to face charges. Once he appears in court in Idaho further information can be revealed.
Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said investigators believe Kohberger broke into the students' home "with the intent to commit murder".
Kohberger is being held without bond in Pennsylvania and will be held without bond in Idaho once he is returned, Thompson said, and the affidavit for four charges of first-degree murder in Idaho will remain sealed until he is returned.
He is also charged with felony burglary in Idaho, Thompson said. An extradition hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
Kohberger is a PhD student in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, which is a 15 minute drive across the state line from where the killing happened
He graduated from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania with an associate of arts degree in psychology in 2018, said college spokesperson Mia Rossi-Marino.
DeSales University in Pennsylvania said that he received a bachelor's degree in 2020 and completed graduate studies in June 2022.
But the case broke open after law enforcement asked the public for help finding a white Hyundai Elantra sedan seen near the home around the time of the killings.
The Moscow Police Department made the request December 7, and by the next day had to draft in the help of a special FBI call centre because so many were coming in.
By mid-December, investigators were working through nearly 12,000 tips and had identified more than 22,000 vehicles matching that make and model.
"We are still looking for the weapon," Fry said. "I will say that we have found an Elantra."
