Brian Kochberger ‘striving to be rehabilitated’ wearing suicide vest in prison

Brian Kochberger, a suspect in the brutal murder of four University of Idaho students, was fitted with a suicide prevention vest while in Pennsylvania custody and is “seeking to be rehabilitated.”

Kochberger, 28, was arrested during an early Friday morning SWAT raid at his parents’ home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, and is being held at the Monroe County Correctional Facility without bail.

Law enforcement sources told Fox News that the accused killer was wearing a suicide prevention vest ahead of his extradition hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

The vests are made so that they cannot be folded or torn, so that prisoners cannot “use the fabric to create a weapon or suspension mechanism,” the report said.

Kohberger, a Washington State University graduate student, is charged with four counts of stabbing Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylie Gonsalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21, in their rented home in Moscow, Idaho. home November 13th.

Officials confirmed that Kochberger lived on the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington, about a 10-minute drive from Moscow.

The accused forensic student is “a little shocked” by the allegations against him, his lawyer told CNN on Saturday.

Koberger intends to forego his extradition hearing to expedite his transportation to Idaho, Monroe County’s chief public defender Jason LaBar said in a statement to a news outlet.

“Mr. Kochberger is very keen to have these charges dropped from him and is looking forward to getting these issues resolved as soon as possible,” Labar said.

LaBar calculated that Kochberger could be flown back to Idaho in as little as 72 hours after Tuesday’s hearing, he told CBS News.

Once he appears before a judge in Idaho, officials will release Kochberger’s affidavit, which will likely reveal unreleased information about the murders and the investigation leading to Kochberger’s arrest, Attorney Thompson told reporters at a news conference Friday, citing Idaho law.

Labar later told CNN that Kochberger arrived in Pennsylvania around December 17 to celebrate the holidays with his family after he completed his first semester of a doctoral program at WSU.

“Actually, his father left and they drove home together,” Labar said.

According to Google Maps, the trip from Pullman, Washington to Albrightsville, Pennsylvania is over 2,500 miles and takes about 37 hours.

Kochberger’s white Hyundai Elantra, which police had been looking for for weeks as key evidence, was found at his parents’ home when authorities arrived, Labar confirmed.

According to the lawyer, Kochberger’s father, Michael, opened the door, and he and his son cooperated with the police.

Labar also told CNN that he recommended that Kochberger undergo a psychological analysis before the trial began.

He remains in the cell alone “under round-the-clock surveillance by security guards,” Labar said.

Labar added that he did not want to talk about the case with Kochberger, since he did not receive a written statement about the probable cause and only represented his interests in the extradition case.