BREAKING: Police arrest man in connection with brutal killings of four Idaho college students



Police have arrested a man in connection with the brutal murder of four college students in Idaho last month.

Law enforcement sources told WNBC-TV that a 25-year-old man was apprehended in the area of Scranton, Pennsylvania, more than 2,500 miles from where the gruesome crime took place. KHQ-TV, the news station local to the crime, confirmed the arrest, citing sources with family members of the victims and law enforcement.

The suspect, whose name was not immediately released, was arraigned in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, court on Friday, KHQ reported. The charges against him were not released.

The Moscow Police Department has scheduled a press conference for Friday afternoon, presumably to announce the arrest and provide details about the suspect and the charges against him.

Sources, meanwhile, told Fox News the suspect is a college student who does not attend the University of Idaho, where the four murdered students attended. CNN reported that the FBI made the arrest.

What is the background?

The case of the murdered students — 20-year-olds Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle and 21-year-olds Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen — has shocked and mystified the nation.

Police believe the students were attacked in the early morning hours on Nov. 13. They were brutally stabbed to death in a rental home that the three female victims — Xana, Kaylee, and Madison — shared with two other students, who were asleep on a different level of the house at the time of the attack.

Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have been investigating the incident. But investigators have released few details about the case, which has brought significant attention to the horrific crime.

Police did not disclose prior to Friday any suspects or persons of interest.

Law enforcement most recently said they were searching for a white Hyundai Elantra they believe was near the crime scene on the night of the attack.

New details in case of four Idaho students murdered last month | FOX 13 Seattle www.youtube.com

Family members of University of Idaho murder victims reveal possible entry into off-campus home, coroner offers new details in 'personal' slaughter that happened in bed



New details have emerged about the grisly murder of four college students in Moscow, Idaho. The bodies of the University of Idaho students were found at an off-campus house on Sunday.

Partial autopsy reports were released for the four victims — Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. Preliminary information revealed that the four University of Idaho students' time of death was approximately 2 a.m. on Sunday, but the first 911 call regarding the victims was not made until noon that day.

The autopsies performed by the Spokane Medical Examiner's Office found that all four college students were stabbed to death with a knife.

Latah County coroner Cathy Mabbutt said the murder weapon "would have been a bigger knife" to be consistent with their "pretty extensive" wounds.

Moscow Building Supply general manager Scott Jutte told the Idaho Statesman that a police officer went to the store multiple times this week to inquire about the possible sale of a KA-BAR brand combat blade.

"They were specifically asking whether or not we carry KA-BAR-style knives, which we do not," Jutte told the paper. "If we did, we could’ve reviewed surveillance footage. But it wasn’t something I could help them with."

Jutte said KA-BAR tactical knives are about six inches long and similar to the one used in the movie "Rambo."

The victims each suffered "multiple" stab wounds, but the coroner did not detail exactly how many times they were stabbed. The coroner did note that the victims were stabbed in different places and a different number of times.

Mabbutt told News Nation that each victim suffered a "lethal" stab wound to the "chest area or the upper body area."

The coroner said it "seems likely that they were sleeping" at the time of the attacks. She said that the victims were found in beds.

Regarding a possible suspect, Mabbutt said, "It has to be somebody that’s pretty angry in order to stab four people to death."

Mabbutt told Idaho News that the stabbings appear to be "personal."

The coroner informed KXLY that there were no signs of sexual assault.

\u201cLatah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt tells #Banfield that the University of Idaho student murder victims were found in bed, and it's likely they were asleep.\u201d
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) 1668748278

Jeffrey Kernodle, the father of Xana Kernodle, told Arizona’s Family that he believes the autopsy shows that his daughter fought off her killer until the very end.

"Bruises, torn by the knife. She's a tough kid. Whatever she wanted to do, she could do it," Kernodle said.

The coroner said that there was a "little bit of bruising" but "nothing significant."

Mabbutt believes that the victims bled to death from their stab wounds.

There were reportedly nail clippings found at the crime scene that were sent to a lab to be processed.

"It's pretty traumatic when there's four dead college students who have been stabbed to death in one location," Mabbutt said. "I've been coroner for 16 years. ... We have had multiple [victim] murders in the past, but nothing, nothing like this."

The final autopsy results will take another four to six weeks to process.

Moscow police Chief James Fry said at a press conference on Wednesday, "We do not have a suspect at this time, and that individual is still out there. We cannot say that there is no threat to the community. There is a threat out there, possibly."

Fry said that it "certainly is possible" that there could be more than one suspect in the case.

Fry noted that there were two additional roommates at the off-campus home during the murders. However, Latah County prosecuting attorney Bill Thompson said they are not suspects and have been cooperating with law enforcement.

A neighbor told NBC News that Mogen, Goncalves, and Kernodle lived in the six-bedroom home. Kernodle was dating Chapin at the time of the bloody attack.

There were reportedly no signs of a break-in at the home.

Xana's father said the front door has a keypad lock that requires a code for entry. He suspects that the killer may have entered the home through the rear sliding glass door.

"The door locks with a number code. Every time you go, you have to go around the house because of the number code. So they either knew that or went around and maybe found the slider door open," Jeffrey Kernodle said.

The sister of Kaylee Goncalves told KHQ, "There was a keypad on their front door. I will say, due to the closeness of the community and due to the safeness of it, I think a lot of people had access to that door."

"It wasn't a hit and run, it wasn't a car accident," the sister said. "Someone did this with a purpose of doing this. Not once, not twice, not three times, but four times."

Fox News obtained a photo of the home that shows blood oozing out of the side of the house.

Autopsy Confirms 4 Idaho College Students Were Stabbed To Death www.youtube.com

The Moscow Police Department released a map and timeline of the victims' movements leading up to their murder.

"The following map details the night of November 12th into the early hours of November 13th, with the locations and approximate times when Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen were in downtown Moscow while Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were at the Sigma Chi house," a statement read. "Anyone near these areas who observed suspicious behavior, has video surveillance, or can provide relevant information is asked to call the Tip Line."