#Grand jury indicts Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger

An Idaho grand jury has indicted the man suspected in the slayings of four college students in November, paving the way for an arraignment on murder charges.

A preliminary hearing in the case against Bryan Kohberger, 28, was originally scheduled for next month, following his arrest in December on four counts of first-degree murder and burglary for allegedly breaking into a Moscow, Idaho, home with the intent to commit a felony.

But the prosecutors’ decision to impanel a grand jury, which was not anticipated, allows the state to avoid the weeklong preliminary hearing that would have required it to present evidence before a judge, as well as permit the defense counsel to cross-examine witnesses.

Since January, lawyers, police and other officials have refrained from making statements after Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued a gag order, which is being challenged by a coalition of news organizations.

An Idaho Supreme Court spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed the grand jury indictment. Neither prosecutors nor Kohberger’s public defender could immediately be reached for comment.

Kohberger has yet to enter a plea; he is expected to do so at an arraignment Monday. The indictment will remain sealed until then.

The victims — Maddie Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20 — were stabbed to death in the early hours of Nov. 13 at their off-campus apartment house near the University of Idaho, where they were students. Chapin, Kernodle’s boyfriend, had been staying at the home overnight.

A motive remains unclear in the killings; Kohberger’s family said in January that they were cooperating with law enforcement to “promote his presumption of innocence.”

Investigators said they traced male DNA that was on a knife sheath left at the crime scene to Kohberger, who was then a doctoral student at Washington State University, less than 10 miles from the University of Idaho. Other evidence included security video from the area where a white Hyundai Elantra was spotted that investigators said was driven by Kohberger, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Authorities have not said whether Kohberger knew the victims or why he would have targeted them or the house. The murder weapon, believed to be a large fixed-blade knife, has not been recovered, police in Moscow have said.

Kohberger is being held in the Latah County Jail without bail.

The quadruple homicide stunned the small community of Moscow, where investigators grappled with what the town’s police chief would later describe as a “very complex” case.

Last weekend, the University of Idaho awarded posthumous bachelor’s degrees to the families of Goncalves and Mogen, who were seniors at the time of their deaths. Kernodle, a junior, and Chapin, a freshman, were also given posthumous certificates.

Erik Ortiz

Erik Ortiz is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital focusing on racial injustice and social inequality.

Shane Bishop contributed.