Idaho stabbings suspect ‘looking forward to being exonerated’

The lawyer for the suspect accused of murder in the University of Idaho stabbings said his client is “looking forward to being exonerated.”

Jason LaBar, a public attorney for Monroe County, Pa., told The Washington Post on Saturday that the suspect, 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger, plans to waive his right to an extradition hearing to send him back to Idaho to face charges.

“He’s willing to waive because he’s looking forward to being exonerated. Those were his words,” LaBar said.

Kohberger is facing four charges of first-degree murder and a charge of felony burglary in connection with the killing of four University of Idaho students in November. The students were found dead in a rental home in the city of Moscow near campus on Nov. 13.

Their deaths shocked the campus and caught national attention as police looked for suspects. Local authorities faced some criticism for not having significant leads to find a suspect for weeks after the deaths until Kohberger was arrested on Friday in Pennsylvania.

Officials have said the probable cause affidavit on Kohberger that led to his arrest must remain sealed under Idaho law until Kohberger has appeared in court in the state.

LaBar said he believed Kohberger would be in Idaho within 72 hours of the extradition proceeding that is scheduled for Tuesday, but authorities have 10 days to transport him.

LaBar has been assigned only to represent Kohberger in the Pennsylvania extradition proceeding, the Post reported. He said he met with Kohberger for an hour in person on Friday and spoke with him by phone for 20 minutes on Saturday.

Officials have said that the four victims — 21-year-olds Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves and 20-year-olds Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin — were found in their beds and some had defensive wounds. They have said they believe the students were targeted.

Kohberger is a graduate student at Washington State University and just completed his first semester as a doctoral student in the university’s criminal justice and criminology department.

Authorities also took possession of a white Hyundai Elantra that Kohberger had. They had been looking for a car matching that description that witnesses said was near the house around the time of the stabbings.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

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