The latest on the Idaho student killings investigation

Bryan Kohberger, the suspect arrested Friday in connection with the Idaho student killings, had an initial appearance in front of a judge in Pennsylvania and is being held without bond, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said during tonight's news conference.

Once Kohberger is in Idaho, he is expected to make an initial appearance before a magistrate and further hearings will be scheduled.

“This is not the end of this investigation. In fact, this is a new beginning,” Thompson said.

Because Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania, he has the opportunity either waive extradition and return to Idaho voluntarily. If he chooses not to return voluntarily, Moscow police will initiate extradition proceedings through the governor’s office, Moscow Police Department Chief James Fry said during the news conference.

“If we do that, it can take a while for him to get here,” he said.

Records show Kohberger was arraigned Friday morning in Pennsylvania and he has a court hearing on extradition Jan. 3.

Moscow, Idaho, resident Erin Staheli became emotional while expressing her relief at the news of an arrest in the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students.

Staheli praised the work of the police agencies and FBI for the arrest.

“I knew that they would, but it's just taking so long and I'm so happy for their families and everybody that's been worried that all the students, everybody that may not have come back to school,” she said.

Moscow, Idaho, Police Chief James Fry said that investigators are still actively searching for pieces of evidence in the case, including the weapon used to kill the four college students.

Fry also said the suspect's motive in the attack is still part of the investigation and would not publicly say whether suspect Bryan Kohberger knew the victims.

The police chief also did not specify whether a specific tip led to Friday's arrest, which occurred in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania.

“All I know is that he lives in in Pennsylvania,” Fry told a reporter when asked about Kohberger’s connection to Pennsylvania. He declined to provide any other detail.

State law limits what information authorities can release before Kohberger makes an initial appearance in Idaho court, Fry told reporters.

University of Idaho President Scott Green said he was thankful for both local and national support for the investigation into four slain students.

Green expressed gratitude for law enforcement in providing security to the school.

"We never lost faith that this case could be solved and are grateful for the hard work of the Moscow Police Department and their law enforcement partners," he said.

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson told members of the public that investigators are not done building their case against the suspect in the Idaho students' murder, and that officials still need help gathering more information.

"You will now know the name of the person who's been charged with these offenses," he continued, referring to the suspect identified by authorities, 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger. 

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said a criminal complaint was filed yesterday charging suspect Bryan Kohberger with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary.

"There's a pending case now in court and I and any office and the investigators have to live with the restrictions that our Supreme Court places on pretrial publicity. That said, I promise you we will share with you, through the court process or otherwise, whatever we are allowed to. I just appreciate your patience on that," he said in a press conference.

Thompson said factual basis for the charges are summarized in a probable cause affidavit, which is on file with the court. 

"It's sad to be here but happy to here at the same time," he added.

Kohberger had an initial appearance in front of a judge in Pennsylvania and is being held without bond, Thompson said.

“And the warrant from our magistrate judge here also provides for no bond. We understand that he’s scheduled to be back in court in Pennsylvania next Tuesday afternoon and that a public defender has been appointed for him there,” he said.

Once Kohberger is in Idaho, he is expected to make an initial appearance before a magistrate and further hearings will be scheduled.

CNN's Elizabeth Joseph contributed reporting to this post.

Moscow, Idaho, Police Chief James Fry acknowledged frustrations from the victims' family members and Idaho residents who were anxious for more updates during the course of the investigation.

"I recognize the frustration with the lack of information that has been released. However, providing any details in this criminal investigation might have tainted the upcoming criminal prosecution or alerted the suspect of our progress," the chief continued. "We will continue to provide as much information as we can as the process moves forward."

He went on to thank the investigators from multiple agencies involved in the case, the members of the public who reported tips and the media for helping sharing calls for help with the investigation.

Moscow, Idaho, Police Chief James Fry confirmed the arrest of 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, on a warrant for the murders of four University of Idaho students.

He said the suspect resides in Pullman, Washington, and is a graduate student.

Fry said police will aim to prove as much information they can about the extradition to Idaho and the criminal process, but due to Idaho state law they are limited in the information they can share today until the suspect has his initial appearance in court.

Because Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania, he has the opportunity to either waive extradition and return to Idaho voluntarily. If he chooses not to return voluntarily, Moscow police will initiate extradition proceedings through the governor’s office, Fry said.

“If we do that, it can take a while for him to get here,” he said.

Fry expressed appreciation for community members and people around the country for providing the department with tips. He noted that the department received more than 19,000 tips and conducted over 300 interviews. 

CNN's Elizabeth Joseph contributed reporting to this post.

Police opened Friday's news conference by confirming the arrest of a suspect in the killing of four University of Idaho students and laying out a series of key events in their investigation.

Here's a timeline of some of the major developments in the case:

Nov. 12: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were students at the University of Idaho who lived at a nearby off-campus residence in Moscow, a college town of about 25,000 people. They had two other roommates at the three-floor, six-bedroom apartment.

That night, Chapin and Kernodle went to a party on campus, and Mogen and Goncalves went to a downtown bar, police said.

Nov. 13: Mogen and Goncalves ordered at a late-night food truck at about 1:41 a.m., the food truck’s live Twitch stream shows. As they waited for their food, they could be seen chatting with each other and with other people standing by the truck.

The two students did not seem to be in distress or in danger in any way, said Joseph Woodall, 26, who manages the truck.

Chapin and Kernodle are believed to have returned home around 1:45 a.m., and Goncalves and Mogen used a private party for a ride home at about 1:56 a.m., according to police.

Two other roommates at the home who were not injured woke up later in the morning and summoned friends to the home because they believed one of the victims had passed out and was not waking up. A call to 911 was made just before noon about an unconscious person at the residence, police said.

Arriving officers found the door to the residence open and discovered the bodies of four fatally stabbed students.

There was no sign of forced entry or damage, police said.

Nov. 15: Moscow Police issued a statement saying an “edged weapon such as a knife” was used in the killings. No suspects were in custody and no murder weapon had been found, police said.

Nov. 16: Police Chief James Fry held a news conference – the department’s first in the case – and reiterated there was no suspect. He also noted that the two other roommates who were home at the time of the attack were uninjured. The chief said authorities are not focusing on them.

"We’re focusing on everybody that may be coming and going from that residence," he told reporters.

Nov. 18: Investigators said they had determined the victims were “likely asleep” before they were attacked.

Detectives by then had conducted 38 interviews with people “who may have information” about the killings and had taken the contents of three dumpsters near the house in case they held evidence, they said. Investigators also asked local businesses if there had been any recent purchases of a “fixed-blade knife,” according to the police update.

Hoping for tips from the community, investigators released a map and timeline of the victims’ movements last weekend. The map shows the four students spent most of the night separated in pairs.

Nov. 20: Police had fielded 646 tips and conducted more than 90 interviews, Chief Fry said at a news conference. He declined to identify who placed the 911 call from the home where the students were slain, saying only the call came from the phone of one of the surviving roommates. He wouldn’t confirm which one placed the call, but said that the caller is not a suspect.

Nov. 30: Moscow Police release a list of people who they believe are not involved in the crime, including the two surviving roommates, a man in the Grub Truck surveillance video, the private party driver who took Goncalves and Mogen home, the man Goncalves and Mogen called numerous times the night they were killed and any person at the home when 911 was called. Police believe the attack was indeed “targeted,” but investigators have not concluded if the target was the residence or its occupants.

Dec. 5: Regarding Goncalves’ possibly having a stalker, police said investigators identified an incident in October in which two men were seen at a business and one man appeared to follow Goncalves inside and as she exited to her car. The man did not make contact with her.

Investigators contacted both men and learned they were trying to meet women at this business. Detectives said they believe this was an isolated incident and not a pattern of stalking and said there was no evidence to suggest the men were involved in the killings.

Dec. 7: Investigators say they are interested in speaking with the occupant or occupants of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra spotted near the crime scene around the time of the killings.

CNN’s Veronica Miracle, Jason Kravarik, Ray Sanchez, Andi Babineau, Caroll Alvarado and Sharif Paget contributed to this report.