‘Do me a favor and don’t follow too close’: New video shows traffic stop involving Idaho stabbings suspect

HANCOCK COUNTY, Ind. (WXIN) – Police released new video Wednesday of a traffic stop involving a man charged in connection with a quadruple murder in Idaho.

A Hancock County sheriff’s deputy stopped Bryan Kohberger and his father for allegedly tailgating on I-70 eastbound through Indiana, saying their white Hyundai Elantra was following a van too closely.

Kohberger and his father were making the 2,500-mile drive from Washington state to Pennsylvania for the holidays. His father had flown to Washington in order to accompany his son on the drive, Kohberger’s attorney, Jason LaBar, said.

They were stopped twice by authorities while on the road.

The first stop happened around 10:41 a.m. on Dec. 15, according to body camera footage provided by the sheriff’s office.

The deputy asked for Kohberger’s driver’s license and informed him and his father that they were “right up on that van” and had been pulled over for tailgating.

Kohberger and his father told the deputy they were heading to Pennsylvania from Washington State University and had been driving “for hours.” They also referenced an incident in Pullman, Washington, in which a man died in a SWAT standoff.

The incident, unrelated to the Kohbergers or the Idaho slayings, happened on Dec. 14.

The exchange is cordial, with Kohberger telling the deputy he works for Washington State University and was pursuing his PhD.

“Do me a favor and don’t follow too close,” the deputy said before returning Kohberger’s driver’s license and sending the pair on their way with a warning. The two were stopped less than 10 minutes later, again for following too closely, according to Indiana State Police.

The responding state trooper in the second stop also released them with a verbal warning. The video of that stop was released Tuesday.

Police announced Kohberger’s arrest in Pennsylvania on Dec. 30. He’s accused of killing 21-year-olds Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, and 20-year-olds Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Idaho on Nov. 13. He’s charged with four counts of first-degree murder and a count of felony burglary.

Kohberger agreed to waive extradition following his arrest and is being taken back to Idaho to face charges.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office said it delayed releasing the video to make sure it didn’t jeopardize the criminal investigation into the Idaho killings.

“This afternoon, we learned releasing the video will not hinder the investigation in Idaho and are therefore releasing the video to the media,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.