Five months before four Idaho students were found brutally murdered in their shared home, suspect Bryan Kohberger appealed on Reddit to criminals to complete his survey about how they selected their targets and carried out offenses.
Kohberger, 28, is in custody awaiting extradition from Pennsylvania to Idaho.
He was arrested in the Poconos in the early hours of Friday morning in connection with the brutal murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, on November 13.
The 6ft tall, 185lb suspect is yet to make any public statement. He was studying a PhD in criminology at The University of Washington State's Pullman campus, just 15 minutes from where the bodies were found in the students' shared house last month.
In May, Kohberger took to Reddit to ask criminals to complete an anonymous survey about how and why they break the law.
Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the Idaho quadruple murders, once canvassed Reddit asking criminals how they planned their crimes and selected victims as part of his research for his criminal studies degrees
Earlier this year, Kohberger appealed to criminals on Reddit, asking them to share their experiences to help him with his college studies
'Hello, my name is Bryan and I am inviting you to participate in a research project that seeks to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.
'In particular, this study seeks to understand the story behind your most recent criminal offense, with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience,' he said.
Questions included: 'Did you prepare for the crime before leaving your home?', 'Why did you choose that victim or target over others?' and 'What was the first move you made to accomplish your goal?'
'After committing the crime, what were you thinking and feeling?' was another.
He also asked how criminals 'leave the scene' and whether they acted alone.
In the context of a criminology degree, the survey may seem perfectly innocent.
It gains harrowing sinisterism in light of his arrest on suspicion of quadruple homicide today.
No one from Kohberger's family or university has yet commented on his arrest.
Kohberger has an undergraduate in criminal studies and was onto his PhD. He was studying 15 minutes away from where the murders took place
It remains unclear if he knew any of the four victims from the November 13 murders, or why police suspect him.
Kohberger is however believed to drive a white Hyundai Elantra - the same car Moscow cops have been looking for for weeks.
A similar vehicle was towed from outside his home today.
The Moscow Police Department intends to hold a press conference later where more details are expected.
The department had been under intense fire from the victims' families who were frustrated with the slow pace of the investigation.
Police sources say they were watching Kohberger and trailed him to Pennsylvania, where his family lives.
Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, were murdered on November 13
English (United States) ·