On November 13, 2022 the country was shocked by the brutal and tragic murders of four University of Idaho students. This developing story has the country mourning and perplexed by the vicious actions that seem to just not make any sense. The main suspect in the case, Bryan Kohberger, is facing four counts of first degree murder and also one count of felony burglary. On December 30th, 2022 more than a month after the murders Bryan Kohberger was arrested in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania
Bryan Kohberger was extradited from Pennsylvania to Idaho, but what does “extradition” mean?
Bryan Kohberger is a student at Washington State University studying Criminal Justice and Criminology. The University’s campus is 8 miles away from where the murders occurred. Because Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania, he needed to be extradited to Idaho.
What exactly is extradition? Extradition is a legal action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the corresponding law enforcement. In this case, Bryan Kohberger waived his extradition rights, meaning he will not fight extradition and he agrees to be immediately transported to the corresponding state where the case will be heard. He was transported within 24 hours of the Extradition hearing from Pennsylvania to Idaho. If his lawyers were to have fought extradition, they would’ve had to challenge the state’s evidence of his identity, if the state cannot prove he is the right person, it cannot extradite him.
Why did Kohberger waive his extradition?
Some people believe that Kohberger waived extradition because he wants to see the probable cause affidavit that gave the evidence necessary to produce a warrant for his arrest. Several reports have circulated that Kohberger is aiming to build a strong defense and challenge the evidence against him. Just this week we learned that Kohberger also waived his right for a speedy preliminary trial hearing, delaying the trial for another 6 months. This is most likely to allow the defense team enough time to build a strong defense in preparation for the trial.
