Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger returns to Moscow in handcuffs to face formal charges

Suspected killer Bryan Kohberger has returned to Moscow in handcuffs to face charges in the murder of four University of Idaho students.

Kohberger, 28, agreed to be extradited from Pennsylvania to Idaho during a brief 10-minute hearing Tuesday afternoon in Monroe County.

On Wednesday evening, a plane carrying the alleged killer landed at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, which is just across the state line in Pullman, Washington. He had made a halfway pit stop at an Illinois airport.

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show the moment Kohberger stepped out of a Pennsylvania State Police Pilatus PC-12 jet surrounded by cops as it pulled to a halt after a nearly 12-hour journey – parked next to a hangar away from the commercial terminal .

Suspected killer Bryan Kohberger has returned to Moscow in handcuffs to face charges in the murder of four University of Idaho students

A somber Kohberger, wearing red prison jumpsuits and a black jacket, was ushered off the plane into a waiting police SUV before being taken to Latah County Jail in Moscow, a 15-minute drive away.

He was escorted on the long flight west by four armed officers from the Pennsylvania State Police and met by officers from the Moscow Police Department and the Idaho State Police.

A crowd of locals from Moscow and Pullman were also waiting – they stood next to their cars in the airport parking lot to watch the plane land.

The WSU graduate student in criminology now faces a arraignment hearing within the next 24 hours, at which he will be formally charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.

Kohberger has insisted he had nothing to do with the brutal stabbings of college students Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, as well as Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, 20, and is expected to plead not guilty when he appears before Judge Megan Marshall appears.

Kohberger’s return to Idaho is the latest twist in a case that has drawn the nation’s attention for over two months.

Madison, Kaylee, Xana and Ethan were found dead in their beds on the morning of November 13 – in a scene so brutal, police told DailyMail.com: “It’s one of the worst we’ve seen. “

Bryan Kohberger arrives at Moscow’s Pullman Airport after being flown from Pennsylvania following his court appearance yesterday

A Latah County Sheriff’s Department vehicle, part of a trailer transporting Bryan Christopher Kohberger

A crowd of locals from Moscow and Pullman were also waiting for Kohrberger – they stood next to their cars in the airport parking lot to watch the plane land

Police arrived at the home after an 911 call about an “unconscious person” was reported from the phone of one of the victims’ roommates at 11:58 am.

Going inside, they found Xana and Ethan dead on the second floor while Kaylee and Madison were found on the third.

All four died from stab wounds – with Latah County Coroner Kathy Mabbutt saying the lacerations that killed the quartet were inflicted with a large fixed-blade knife.

Police also announced that the four had died between 3am and 4am and all four were enjoying the last few evenings in Moscow before returning home just before 2am.

Kaylee and Madison were at a popular local bar called The Corner Club and were caught on camera buying a batch of carbonara pasta from a local food truck before catching a cab home.

Kohberger will be flown in from Pennsylvania following his court appearance Tuesday

Kohberger is accused of murdering four Idaho University students on November 13, 2022

Meanwhile, Ethan and Xana were at a party at Sigma Chi’s dorm, which is close to the crime scene on King Road, before arriving home around the same time as Madison and Kaylee.

Two other roommates, Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen, were also sleeping on the property at the time of the murders but survived the carnage.

The brutal killings initially appeared to have left the Moscow Police Department perplexed, as little information was released during the first six weeks of the investigation – moreover, police believed the killing was “targeted”.

Just before Christmas, police asked for help locating the driver of a white 2013 Hyundai Elantra who had been seen near the house, but made no further announcements until December 30, when they announced that Kohberger had been cornered during an early morning raid.

The criminology student was arrested at his parents’ home in the Poconos Mountains and sent to the Monroe County Correctional Center.

The 28-year-old Washington State University criminology student was arrested at his family’s home in Chestnuthill Township in Monroe County, Pennsylvania

A Latah County Sheriff’s Department vehicle, part of a caravan carrying Bryan Christopher Kohberger, a graduate student accused of first-degree murder in the stabbing of four University of Idaho students, arrives at the Latah County Jail

Kohberger, who appeared to be wearing a suicide vest in his booking photo, had been driving back to Pennsylvania from Pullman, Washington, in the same white Hyundai police were looking for.

Despite being stopped twice in Indiana, he was allowed to make the cross-country trip but was closely monitored by police for four days before his arrest.

The 28-year-old later told his lawyers he was “surprised” by the arrest and said he “looks forward to being exonerated” if the case goes to court.