The chief of police in Moscow, Idaho, is standing by his assertion that the quadruple homicide of four college students was “targeted” in the wake of a suspect being apprehended.
Moscow Police Chief James Fry discussed the matter with Fox News in his first on-camera interview since 28-year-old graduate student Bryan Kohberger was arrested in connection with the gruesome stabbings. He told the network that while he could not go into more detail about why he believes the students were targeted, he stood by his department’s claim that the students were part of a “targeted” attack.
IDAHO STUDENT MURDERS: FIVE THINGS WE KNOW ABOUT SUSPECT BRYAN KOHBERGER
“[The connection] is still a part of the investigation that we are still putting together, we’re still getting information,” Fry told Fox News. “That’s why we ask people to send us tips on the individual … Because that’s going to fill in a part of the picture and give us even more information.”
When asked specifically about the statement on the students being targeted, Fry said “I still stand by our early statement.”
Police officials had confused the public earlier this month about the belief that Idaho State University students Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Kaylee Goncalves were killed in a targeted attack. However, the police clarified that they do believe the attack was targeted, but it is unclear whether the victims were the target or the house itself.
The suspect was arrested in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Friday morning, after a nearly two-month investigation. Kohberger, a doctoral criminology student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary, and is being held without bond.
Fry said it was “disappointing” to learn that Kohberger is a criminology student.
“It was a little disappointing honestly, that’s not what we want in our profession,” Fry told the outlet. “We hold ourselves to a higher standard, and hold ourselves to a higher ethical standard, [but] we can’t pick and choose what people study, so we will soldier on and continue this investigation.”
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Two law enforcement officials revealed that Kohberger was tracked driving across the United States from Washington state to Pennsylvania, after becoming a suspect through DNA evidence and the ownership of a white Hyundai Elantra, that matched the description of the vehicle spotted near the crime scene, according to CNN.
