The parents of University of Idaho victim Kaylee Goncalves say they are ‘incredibly relieved’ that a suspect has finally been arrested for the murders, as her grandmother calls for ‘justice’.
The arrest of Brian Christopher Kohberger, 28, comes the same day as the families of Kaylee, 21, and her best friend Maddie Mogen, 21, hosted a celebration of their lives.
Kristi and Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s parents, spoke of their relief in response to the arrest made at 3am on Friday morning.
The memorial service for their daughter and Maddie was set to take place at 6pm, hours after the announcement was made.
A memorial service for Kaylee Goncalves and Maddie Mogen was set to take place at 6pm - hours after news of the arrest broke
Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested after a SWAT team swooped in Scranton, Pennsylvania, at around 3am this morning. Local cops and the FBI took him into custody
Kaylee, Maddie and Xana Kernodle, 20, were stabbed to death in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13 - with Xana's freshman boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20, also killed in the massacre.
Cheryl Goncalves, Kaylee’s grandmother, told the New York Post: ‘Of course we’re relieved. This is what we wanted. We wanted him caught and now we want justice.’
According to Kaylee’s father Steve, his daughter suffered ‘greater’ injuries than her friend Maddie, who was asleep on the third floor in the same room.
A SWAT team swooped in Scranton, Pennsylvania, at around 3am this morning to arrest Kohberger at a property.
The FBI and local police worked together to arrest the alleged quadruple murderer, discovering a white Hyundai Elantra - the same make and model of car being sought by cops in connection to the killing - outside Kohberger's home.
Friday's sensational arrest is the first major break in the case, with Kohberger asking if 'anyone else was arrested' when he was taken into custody.
Kristi and Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s parents, said that they feel ‘incredible relief’ after the arrest was made at 3am on Friday morning
Kaylee, Maddie (pictured) and Xana Kernodle, 20, were stabbed to death in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13 - with Xana's freshman boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20, also killed in the massacre
A mural for the murdered students was left at the University of Idaho as a tribute in the months after the killings
Police are now searching Kohberger’s apartment in Washington - 10 miles from the crime scene - arriving at around 7.30am to cordon off the area.
Kohberger is being held for extradition in a criminal homicide investigation, based on an active arrest warrant for first-degree murder issued by the Moscow Police Department and Latah County Prosecutor’s Office.
Sources say that authorities knew who they were looking for and hunted the suspect down to Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains - more than 2,400 miles from Idaho.
NewsNation reported that Kohberger had a 'quiet, blank stare' when arrested by local cops and the FBI on Friday morning.
It is understood that Kohberger is a PhD college student at Washington State University, within the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, and did not attend the University of Idaho.
Goncalves, 21, was one of the four students brutally knifed to death in Idaho, Moscow, on November 13. There have been several claims that she was being stalked before her death
Kohberger graduated from DeSales University in Pennsylvania in May 2022 with a master of arts in Criminal Justice
According to the college website, Kohberger attended the college in Pullman - a 15-minute drive from where the students were killed.
He graduated from DeSales University in Pennsylvania in May 2022 with a master of arts in criminal justice.
Kohberger posted an appeal on social media for help with his research, which was looking at how ‘emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.’
His sister, Melissa, is a mental health nurse in New Jersey - specializing in 'trauma' and 'emotion regulation'.
Bill Thompson, the Latah County prosecutor, was also seen outside the apartment alongside investigators, gearing up with protective booties before heading into Kohberger's apartment in Washington.
According to Kaylee’s father Steve, his daughter suffered ‘greater’ injuries than her friend Maddie – who was asleep on the third floor in the same room
Idaho police have said the four University of Idaho students were murdered in their sleep between 3am and 4am (Pictured: Victims Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Maddie Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and 20-year-old Ethan Chapin)
Moscow cops have been hunting that exact vehicle in the past two weeks in connection with the killings.
Kohberger appeared in court this morning, with Moscow Police confirming that they will hold a press conference at 4pm EST.
A spokeswoman for the department declined to comment on the arrest when contacted by DailyMail.com.
Authorities were left baffled by the brutal killings and have repeatedly appealed to the public for help with the case.
Reports from both the coroner and police confirm that each of the students had been stabbed multiple times in the torso – and were ambushed in their sleep.
Police have found no evidence of a sex crime, and the victims had wounds on their bodies which indicated that they tried to fight off the attacker.
Initially cops said they thought all four were assaulted as they slept, with Goncalves father saying she had the worst injuries from the incident - suffering 'gouging wounds' and 'rips'.
