Idaho murder suspect likely to forego extradition hearing, attorney says

Bryan Kohberger seems inclined not to fight Idaho authorities, who want him under their jurisdiction as soon as possible — but he sounds confident he’ll beat the charges … according to his attorney.

Jason LaBar — Kohberger’s extradition hearing attorney — tells TMZ his client is likely for now waiving his right to have his forthcoming transport back to ID heard in front of a judge … which, if true, would mean Kohberger will be released this coming week without further delay sent back to Latah County – where he is expected to file a plea.

While LaBar notes that Kohberger has neither denied nor admitted — implicitly or explicitly — to the charges against him, he said his client told him he felt exonerated, which obviously suggests he believes he is innocent.

We’re told Kohberger and his parents were shocked by his arrest — they told us their home in PA was raided by FBI agents early Friday morning … where they were surrounded by law enforcement and ordered to comply, according to Kohberger LaBar did without a problem.

Part of the reason Kohberger wants to get this over with quickly has to do with telling his attorney he’s not on the run. On the contrary, says LaBar, Kohberger shared that on Dec. 18, he and his father drove a white Hyundai from Washington — where Bryan currently attends college — back to PA … a plan they seem to have always had.

The implication… Kohberger was neither in hiding nor on the run as the killings took place in mid-November. Just remember… Kohberger was a stone’s throw from the University of Idaho during that time — he was pursuing a degree in criminology from Washington State University — so this supposedly laid-back father-son road trip doesn’t really make him realize it so. It simply explains its movements during the holidays.

Of course, Kohberger has time to change his mind about the extradition hearing — which could bog things down. Otherwise, a jury trial will begin and prosecutors will have to show their cards on what exactly they have, implying him as the quadruple killer.

There have been reports that Kohberger has been under surveillance for some time and that the FBI has been tracking his whereabouts for the past few weeks. It also says police have DNA evidence – placing it at the crime scene – and a matchstick on the Hyundai seen in the area that night … which they reportedly traced back to Kohberger.

We will monitor this as well as the rest of the country. The Idaho case has gripped the nation – and now that there is a suspect, accountability is being demanded more than ever.