2002 road king cruise control

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Harley-Davidson Cruise Control Kit – Give Your Throttle Arm A Break

Hot Bike Staff July 1, 2011

1. The Cruise Control Kit components are pictured here. It includes the control module and cable for connecting to the throttle body induction module, replacement left and right handlebar switches, and all the mounting hardware.

2. Derek first rolled the Road King onto a lift. Next, he removed the seat, battery, left saddlebag, and left side cover. The battery was completely removed because the control module mounts to three holes on the left side of the battery box just above the fuse box.

3. Next, Derek prepared to install the module by connecting the pre-wired, 10-place plug. Note the rubber grommets for vibration isolation.

4. This is the control module installed and all the parts back in place. It looks like it belongs there.

5. Derek then routed the control cable to the induction module. It’s not mentioned in the instructions, but Derek says this task is easier with the gas tank lifted, so he removed the rear hold down screw.

6. The control cable (red arrow) runs along the frame under the gas tank, then down between the cylinders to the throttle. Note that Derek placed a plastic hammer under the tank to hold it out of the way.

7. The air cleaner assembly was also removed.

8. This is the cable bracket (red arrow) on the induction module.

9. It’s close quarters between the cylinders to mount the cable in its bracket and install the retaining Jesus clip. Derek was patient and used an extra long set of needle nose pliers.

10. Derek got the retainer clip (red arrow) on with no hassle. We hope you never have to mess with it again.

11. Next, Derek removed the stock right brake lever/master cylinder assembly and the handlebar controls.

12. The electrical connectors for the handlebar controls are located in the headlight nacelle. Derek had previously removed the nacelle to install other parts. You’ll have to at least remove the headlight and open the nacelle to access the plugs. The black connectors are for the right side and the grey connectors are for the left.

13. Derek finished installing the new right side handlebar control. Note the new Set/Res switch. The +/- symbols refer to the accelerate/decelerate functions of the same switch. To finish up, Derek installed the new left side handlebar controls and re-installed the seat, battery, saddlebag, and cover. He also adjusted the cruise cable using the Cable Lash Initialization procedure in the shop Service Manual.

14. Here’s the left side handlebar control with the new Cruise On/Off switch. Awesome! Now we’re ready to put on some miles without ravaging our wrist.

For iron-butt rides, we like a gel cushion to relieve the pain in our butt and cruise control to ease the cramp in our throttle arm. Getting soft in our advanced age? Probably. Nevertheless, we believe the only ache you should feel while riding is the heartache when you have to stop.

Harley-Davidson makes it easy to add cruise control to its 2002 and later Road Kings, since each one is pre-wired and pre-configured for it. Their Cruise Control Kit for FLHR/S Models (Part Number 77198-07) costs $339.95 and comes complete with new hand controls, module, and all hardware. The operating instructions are already included in the Touring Models Owner’s Manual.

To install this kit on a 2007 Road King Custom, we headed over to Mancuso’s Harley-Davidson Crossroads in Houston, TX, where our friend and mechanic Derek Rogers handled the complete project. Installation is straightforward but tedious due to the need to remove several parts and to fit a very tight retainer clip, which the shop mechanics affectionately call “the Jesus clip,” claiming it’s the hardest clip on the bike.

This article covers the complete install but focuses on the cruise control components. For example, replacing handlebar controls is standard and entirely explained in the instructions.

After Derek finished, we headed to the nearest highway for a test run. Operation is simple-it’s just like the controls in your four-wheel cage. The On/Off switch is mounted on the left handlebar. The Set/Resume/Accelerate/Decelerate switch is on the right. Turn on the system, cruise up to the desired speed, and press Set. Enjoy the ride. The system will automatically disengage if either brake is applied, if the throttle is rolled hard, or if the clutch is disengaged. However, when needed, the rider can gently increase speed up to 10 mph over the Set point without disengaging the control, then coast back to the Set point. Now we can wave or signal with either hand.

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cruise control quit working

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Hi all, been awhile since my last posting or two cents worth for others.:biker: Anyway heres my problem, sold my 04 fatboy and bought a 06 ultra classic CVO about 2months ago. Bike is a low miler(9500) when I bought it so not much wear on it. Cruise was working great for about 1500 miles then quit engaging a couple days ago. Red light is lit on the tack and does not turn green showing engagement. throttle roll back is working properly, brake switches are also working ok. Checked the pins going into the control box to see if the switch was at fault, but I have continuity when I push the switch to set and resume.:feedback:  

Try the switch diagnostics incorporated in the radio. Hold two radio buttons in while turning the ignition on then toggle to diagnostics. Press the handlebar switches one at a time to verify functionality.  

Schmidtys, I tied that but the only switches that it diagnoses are the audio ones. Am I doing something wrong, or is an 06 to old a model to have that feature?  

I had a similar problem on my old '04. Turned out to be a pinched wire in the right side handlebar.  

My guess would be that neither the right or left handle bar switches have ever been messed with, could it be pinched from the factory?  

Mine died, turned out to be the throttle position sensor. Located toward the neck of the bike on the throttle cable. Disconnected it, problem gone.  

Gotgold, I believe you are referring to the throttle roll back switch. I already checked and it is working fine.  

Throttle roll off.. sorry I can't ever remember the exact part name.  

I just replaced the cruise control switch in the switch block. To diagnose I used the instructions below 1. bike off, run/stop to run 2. push set/resume to set and hold. 3 with cruise on/off switch to on, turn on bike 4. cruise indicator light should be green, release set switch, light should turn red. 5. push to resume and release, light should turn green then red 6. push throttle closed and release, light should turn green then red 7. push rear brake pedal and release, light should turn green then red 8. pull front brake lever, light should turn green then red 9. on models with a clutch/neutral starter lockout, pull clutch lever, light should turn green then red whichever switch does not turn the light green, is your bad one. if light will not turn green at all and you have followed ALL directions and tried multiple times, your set/resume switch is bad. If light stays green even after releasing set switch, one of the dropout switches is stuck closed, usually the roll off throttle switch. unplug this and try again. From the tests I was able to isolate the problem and replace the appropriate switch. Regards Wayne  

so after going through all of the steps my light does not turn green when u pull the clutch in, so what is my next step so that i can fix the problem?  

400web, when I follow these instructions here is what happens. 1- when I release set switch it stays green. 2- when I push resume it turns red and stays red after releasing. 3- when I push throttle closed turns red and stays red after releasing, I have also tried unplugging it. 4- both front and rear brakes turn red and stays red after releasing.  

Are your brake lights working? Or are they ON all the time?  

Hi Fatcat It sounds the same as what mine was doing, I ran the diagnosis a while ago and took a long time to get around to fixing the problem. I got the instructions from off the net and decided that it was the set/resume switch, which has turned out to be the case. Also read that these switches are prone to getting water in them. The switch wasn't cheap and bit of mucking around to fit it. Wiring on the new switch was different colours and fits into a 12 point plug, so we cut and soldered into the old wiring. Fortunately it works alright now. If you are not sure probably best to talk to a dealer. I thought the risk of the $cost of the switch and fixing myself compared to paying a dealer to diagnose and repair was worth it. Regards Wayne  

Da made a good point. Might be a brake light switch, if it has one.  

Da Mack & Madmack, thanks for the input but if you look at my first post you'll see I already checked that.  

I would check the connector inside the fairing and the related wiring. The wires might have rubbed through on the inner support bracket, seen that happen enough times.  

400web, I was all set to buy the switch thinking that would be the problem. But at the last minute I decided to check it for continuity. Traced the wires to the pin going into the CCM and both the set button and the resume button show continuity when pushed, I would assume that means it is working, or is there some other way I should be checking it?  

Schmidtys, that sounds like a good next step. Think I tried everything I could without taking apart anything. Trying to eliminate everything possible before looking at it being the CCM gone bad.  

Hi Fatcat As I said mine appeared to be the switch from the testing that I did and that proved to be correct, so i didn't do any further testing. Can't offer any other advice. Regards Wayne  

Schmidtys, Had the fairing off for about 4 hours checking all the connections and all rub points and did not see anything. 400web/Wayne, I think it is time to go with your advice. I was assuming the set/resume switch is like three way toggle switch with off being the middle position. Now I am hoping I am wrong and there is more to that switch then I thought. $60 for that little sucker. Still a hole lot cheaper then the CCM. Thanks for the advice. Soon as I get it in (might not get it till monday) I'll post the Good or bad news.  

I hate electrical/electronics problems. I feel for ya but at the same time, keep us informed as to what you discover. Good luck  

Picked up switch yesterday afternoon. took 4 hours last night and another 3 hours today to install (what a pain in the rear).:mooning: Of coarse a lot of the time was spent looking for the right tools to do the job, and searching for a fairing screw that I dropped (fell right on top of the chrome pan at the bottom of the triple tree). Since the bike is a CVO all the wiring runs though the handlebars, but after a lot of swearing the job is done. Thankfully that was the problem:thumbsup, now I have cruise again. Thanks to all the members that gave me suggestions.:bikerguy:  

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02 Road King, cruise not working

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I purchased my king approx 6 months ago and my cruise has never worked. When I purchased the bike the guy told me that when he installed the 18" apes the wires weren't long enough to plug the cruise control in. I took the headlight off yesterday and seen that all the wires from the handle bars for the controls are all in the same plugs. I checked the connections on the 4 plugs (2 from each handlebar) and they are securely plugged in. Also checked the connection on the cruise box behind the side cover and the throttle wire going to the intake and all are secure. Also checked my fuse and it is good as well. The thing is when I flip the switch on the handle bar the red cruise light on the speedo never comes on at all. I called Harley and asked and they said it isn't very often the cruise module goes out but I don't know what else it could be. Any thoughts or suggestions are much appreciated. I don't have a service manual for the bike :dh:  

Did you check the connection on the throttle cable tosee it was plugged in as well? Cruise won't work unless it is connected.  

Actually Terry not quite true. I have a 2002 RK and I run with the roll off switch disconnected since it is bad. This may be different for newer models however. When I first experienced cruise control failures the HD Tech suggested I ride with the wires to the return cable removed. This allowed the cruise control to function but without the ability to disengage by twisting the throttle back. The Electrical Diagnostic manual details quite well on how to find the failure. It goes through pin by pin the voltage required or lack thereof when performing various tests. I had a cruise module go bad on my 2002 RK once and the manual pinpointed the failure quite quickly.  

If he lengthened the wires he could have gotten the wires crossed, or maybe put a wire in the wrong spot in the connector. The cruise is basically a GM set up. If I recall it should have a single hot wire when the ignition is on, and then the rest of the terminals get a temporary signal when the resume/cancel/acc/dec buttons are pressed. If you get all the signals suspect the module, of you do not get the signals check wiring/switches. Also be sure that the brake light works correctly with the front and rear switches. Either brake switch should disable cruise when applied. A factory service manual is a great investment if you plan on keeping the bike.  

I didn't check the one in the handle itself but will Tom. And I will pull them apart and back out of the handle bars and make sure that they are all wired correctly and in the correct spots. I didn't think about the wires getting crossed or checking at the switch itself. I will update after I do. Thanks for the advise and tips guys.  

I don't know if an 02 Road King has a Catalytic Converter (Cat) or not. But I do know on MOST cars if the Cat or the O2 sensors are bad your Cruise will not set. Could it be the same on bikes that have Cats???  

Sabo , Get me your Email address I can send you the cruise diagnostics in PDF till you get your manual mines for an 01 but should be similar I do not think anything changed with the cruise in those years . You can either send email address to my pm or to wtm914564 at frontier dot com  

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Four friends posted photos enjoying Idaho college life. Hours later they were killed. What happened?

Eight days after four students were found stabbed to death in an off-campus home, no arrests have been made and no suspects named. with authorities now walking back claims that there is no danger to the community, unanswered questions and fears continue to plague the college town. rachel sharp reports.

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“One lucky girl to be surrounded by these ppl everyday,” Kaylee Goncalves wrote on social media on Saturday.

In her Instagram post, the 21-year-old University of Idahostudent shared photos of her group of friends arm-in-arm, grinning carefree at the camera in a show of typical college fun.

Just hours later, four of the smiling students were dead – stabbed to death in a mystery quadruple homicide that has rocked the small college town of Moscow and left many unanswered questions.

The bodies of Ethan Chapin, 20; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Goncalves, 21, were found inside a home close to the university campus at around midday on Sunday (13 November).

For three days, local officials insisted that there was no ongoing threat to the community and that the murders were both “isolated” and “targeted”.

Students, locals and the victims’ families were less convinced, with many upping sticks and leaving town prior to the end of the college term.

On Wednesday, police suddenly walked back their claims around public safety, admitting “there is a threat out there still” and confessing that they have no suspect or suspects in mind.

Now, eight days on from the murders, authorities appear to be no closer to catching the killer. No arrests have been made, no suspects have been identified and no murder weapon has been found.

Instead, several key questions remain.

What was the motive for the attack?

Was there more than one killer?

Who placed the puzzling 911 call?

And why were police only alerted several hours after the murders when two other people were inside the home?

Here’s what we know – and don’t know – about the mysterious and tragic case:

The murders and mystery 911 call

The unsolved tragedy came to light at around midday on Sunday when police were called to a home on King Road, Moscow, to a report of an “unconscious person”.

Moscow Police officers arrived on the scene to find the four student victims dead on the second and third floors of the three-storey home – stabbed to death with a large knife.

Autopsy findings, released on Thursday, revealed that each victim was stabbed multiple times in different places on the body – sustaining injuries that caused them to bleed out inside their home. There was no sign of any sexual assault.

Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt said that it was not possible to determine from the injuries the order in which the four victims were attacked but said the autopsies showed the killings were “personal”.

She has also suggested that the victims were “likely sleeping” when the killer struck and their bodies were found in their beds. There was no sign of forced entry at the property, the front door was open and nothing appears to have been taken, police said.

No murder weapon was recovered from the scene. A local store has since claimed officers are looking for information about a Ka-Bar knife – a combat-style knife used by the military as well as outdoor enthusiasts.

As of Monday, officials are remaining tightlipped about who placed the 911 call and why they would have said it was an “unconscious individual” given the bloody nature of the crime scene.

Mogen, Kernodle and Goncalves lived together in the six-bedroom property with two other female students, while Chapin was dating Kernodle.

The two other roommates were home at the time of the attack but were unharmed. Police said that they were not necessarily witnesses to the incident, there was no hostage situation and they appear to have slept through the murders. The pair have been cooperating with investigators.

Police said that the roommates woke up on the Sunday and called some unidentified friends to the home because they believed that one of the victims on the second floor “had passed out and was not waking up”.

After the friends arrived on the scene, one person in the group made the 911 call from the cellphone of one of the surviving roommates.

The two roommates and an unknown number of unidentified friends were in the home when police arrived.

In the immediate aftermath of the grim discovery, a homicide investigation was launched and the college campus was plunged into lockdown.

The University of Idaho issued an alert to students to stay away from the area and shelter in place.

“Moscow PD is investigating a homicide on King Rd. near campus. Suspect is not known at this time,” tweeted the university on Sunday afternoon.

“Stay away from the area and shelter in place. More information will be made available when possible.”

Just one hour later, the shelter in place was lifted with authorities saying there was “no ongoing threat” to the public.

However, students were told to “remain vigilant” with the suspect “unknown” and still at large.

Last known movements

New details continue to emerge about the events leading up to the murders and the victims’ last known movements before they died.

On Saturday 12 November – hours before the murders – Goncalves posted for the last time on Instagram, sharing the photo of herself and the other victims enjoying college life together.

That night, Chapin and Kernodle went to a party together at the Sigma Chi fraternity house on the university campus, while Mogen and Goncalves went to The Corner Club bar in the downtown area of the city.

They are all believed to have returned to the property sometime after 1.45am.

Twitch footage, seen by The Independent , captured Mogen and Goncalves stopping by a local food truck for a late-night bit to eat – not long before the murders unfolded.

The footage shows the two best friends arriving at the food truck at around 1.41am.

An unidentified man appears to be walking with them, before he steps back as they approach the truck.

Mogen and Goncalves go up to the truck and order food, while the man stands a few feet behind them – before pulling his hood over his head.

Mogen appears to spot someone she recognises and walks over to a man, hugging him briefly before returning to Goncalves’ side.

After ordering, the two best friends move over to the collection side of the truck.

The mystery man who arrived with them follows and stands close by.

Over the next 10 minutes, the group of young people and students are seen laughing and chatting away as they wait for their orders.

The man is seen chatting and laughing to another man in the line, while Mogen and Goncalves appear to laugh and joke with each other and take photos.

When their food is ready, Mogen and Goncalves leave together, walking away from the truck and turning left.

The man, who was chatting to another student at the time appears to notice them walk off and gestures toward them, before he turns and walks away from the truck, turning right – the opposite direction.

In a press conference on Wednesday, police confirmed that they were looking to speak to the other people in the footage – as four days on the killer or killers remains at large and investigators are yet to identify any suspects.

On 18 November, Moscow Police revealed that Mogen and Goncalves “used a private party” for a ride home after visiting the food truck. The driver dropped them off at their home at around 1.45am.

Kernodle and Chapin also returned home around 1.45am.

The two other surviving roommates had also been out on the Saturday night and returned to the property at around 1am, police said.

After arriving home, multiple calls were made from the phones of Goncalves and Mogen to the phone of Goncalves’ former longtime boyfriend between 2.26am and 2.52am. Between the two best friends, 10 calls were made, Goncalves’s sister revealed. None of the calls were answered.

The autopsies indicated that the victims were killed “early in the morning, sometime after 2am, but still during the night,” said Ms Mabbutt. The local mayor previously gave a time of around 3 or 4am.

Suspect or suspects?

Nine days on from the killings, no arrests have been made and no suspects identified.

Investigators are now exploring the possibility that more than one killer is responsible.

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson told NBC’s TODAY show on Thursday that it “certainly is possible” that there may be more than killer out there.

“At this point, the investigators are looking at all possibilities. They don’t have a specific suspect,” he said.

“We’re really hoping for any information from the public to help recreate everyone’s activities.”

His comments come after it emerged that a group of students had been threatened by a man with a knife weeks before the murders.

The university’s security issued a “Vandal Alert” to students and staff back on 12 September warning them about an assailant armed with a knife.

The warning, described as a “Threat with Knife”, reported that a group of students had been walking through the campus when the man threatened them with a knife.

The assailant was described as a white male aged 18 to 22 years old, who was dressed in all black and is “not affiliated with the university”.

No one was harmed in the incident but officials felt the need to alert students and staff to the threat – taking place in what is a notoriously safe small town where no murders have been reported since 2015.

During a press conference on Wednesday evening, officials said that they do not have any evidence to suggest that the September incident is connected to the quadruple homicide and said that the man turned himself in to law enforcement back then.

While there are no suspects identified, several people linked to the victims have been ruled out.

The two surviving roommates who were at home at the time of the attack, the man seen in the food truck surveillance footage, and as suspects, the friends who were inside the house when the 911 call came in as well as the person who gave Goncalves and Mogen a ride home are all ruled out as suspects, police confirmed on 20 November.

Police also said that the calls to Goncalves’ former boyfriend are not believed to be connected to the killings.

Instead, officials are urging businesses and homes within “two areas of interest” to share all outside surveillance video taken between 3am and 6am on 13 November – whether there appears to be motion and content or not.

The areas include: West Taylor Ave (north boundary), West Palouse River Dr (south boundary), Highway 95 south to the 2700 block of Highway 95 S (east boundary) and Arboretum & Botanical Garden (west boundary).

Contradictory comments from officials

Over the course of the past five days, officials have given varying accounts about a possible motive in the attack – and have also gone from insisting there is “no ongoing threat” to the community to warning “there is a threat out there”.

Police initially described the slayings as “an isolated, targeted attack” and continued to insist “there is no imminent threat to the community at large” – stopping short of providing evidence which led them to that conclusion.

On Monday, Moscow Police Capt Anthony Dahlinger told local paper The Idaho Statesman that the four students are all being considered victims and not suspects in the killings – ruling out the possibility of a murder-suicide – and said a suspect was being sought.

“We certainly have a crime here, so we are looking for a suspect,” he said.

Moscow Mayor Art Bettge described the killings as a “crime of passion” and a “one-off type of situation”.

“Something had occurred that resulted in these deaths – there was no robbery,” he said. However, in an interview with Fox News Digital, the mayor appeared to admit that all potential motives were on the table.

“It’s one of any of a plenitude of possibilities, including burglary gone wrong, robbery gone wrong… any of those is a possibility and not one to the exclusion of others,” he said on Monday.

Family members of the victims have balked at the assertion – given the killer or killers remain at large – with Goncalves’ sister warning on social media that “no one is safe” and urging students to leave town.

Many students also felt unsafe given no arrests have been made and left Moscow for the Thanksgiving holiday early in light of the horror attack.

On Tuesday, Moscow Police released a detailed press release doubling down that there was no danger to the community.

On Wednesday, officials walked back this assertion and appeared to admit that their insistence that the public is not in danger may have been premature.

When asked how he could be so sure there was no ongoing threat, Chief Fry said: “That’s kind of unknown... we still believe it’s a targeted attack, but the reality is, there’s still a person out there who committed horrible, horrible crimes.

“So there is a threat out there still, possibly. We don’t know it’s going to be to anybody else. But we all have to be aware of our surroundings and make sure that we’re watching out for each other.”

The victims

The four victims killed in Sunday’s attack were all close friends, with touching social media posts showing Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, enjoying college life together.

Chapin was a freshman and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, while Goncalves was a senior majoring in general studies and a member of the Alpha Phi sorority.

Both Kernodle and Mogen were members of the Pi Beta Phi sorority both majoring in marketing – the former a junior and the latter a senior.

The three young women were roommates, while Kernodle and Chapin were dating.

Mogen and Goncalves both graduated together from Lake City High School in 2019 and made the university’s dean’s list in spring 2021.

Several weeks ago, Goncalves posted a touching tribute for her “best friend” in celebration of her 21st birthday.

“swipe to watch me and @maddiemogen grow up together!!” she wrote, sharing a series of photos of the pair together.

“happy 21st maddie may🤍 I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to be the main character in all my childhood stories. see you at the bars in 14 days, 14 minutes, and 14 seconds, i love you!!!”

Mogen replied: “I love you more than life! My best friend forever and more.”

Tributes pour in

Tributes have been pouring in for the victims on social media while a vigil is planned on the university campus for after the Thanksgiving break.

The family of Goncalves shared a heartbreaking statement on social media where they revealed the 21-year-old was looking forward to a new start in Texas in a couple of months’ time.

“She was looking forward to her job in tech starting on 1/1, a move to Texas, road trips in her just purchased Range Rover, and a trip she planned out to Europe,” they wrote.

Describing her as “our defender and protector”, the family vowed to fight to get “justice” for her death.

“She’d never stop fighting for us and demanding the truth and justice and neither will we,” they wrote.

Goncalves’ grieving loved ones also urged people to “refrain from spreading harmful rumors” about the deaths, reminding people that they can see the comments and posts shared on social media.

The owners of local family-ran restaurant Mad Greek, where Mogen and Kernodle both worked part time, also paid tribute to the students in a Facebook post.

“Xana and Maddie have been servers here for several years and brought so much joy to our restaurant and all of those they encountered,” the tribute read.

“You will be greatly missed. Thank you for being a part of our family/team and for helping me so much over the years. Until we meet again.”

Multiple law enforcement agencies including the Moscow Police Department, the Idaho State Police and other state and federal agencies are now working together to solve the case which has rocked the small, college town and left students on edge.

Anyone with information about the homicides is asked to call the Moscow Police Department at 208-883-7054

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Watch CBS News

Never-before-seen photos and details about the man accused of murdering four Idaho college students

By Peter Van Sant

January 7, 2023 / 11:02 PM EST / CBS News

Under a dark Idaho sky, investigators flew Bryan Kohberger to the college town of Moscow. Police delivered him to the Latah County Jail. On Jan. 5, in an orange jumpsuit, his face vacant, the 28-year-old made what will likely be his first of many appearances in this court.  

He stands charged with the murder of four students from the University of Idaho: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison "Maddie" Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle. Investigators say he stabbed them to death in the home the women shared. 

JUDGE: The maximum penalty for this offense, if you plead guilty or be found guilty is up to  death and imprisonment for life. Do you understand?  

BRYAN KOHBERGER: Yes.  

Kohberger has not yet entered a plea.

In an affidavit , investigators laid out their understanding of the grim details about the night of the killings:  They say the killer left his DNA on a "leather knife sheath" found on a bed next to Maddie Mogen. And, most hauntingly, they say a surviving roommate thought she heard crying and "saw a figure clad in black clothing and a mask."    

The man walked past, as she stood in "frozen shock."  She locked herself in her room.  

The investigation is fast-moving. Authorities have not disclosed a motive or if he had a connection to the students, but we are learning more about just who Bryan Kohberger is.   

WHO IS ACCUSED KILLER BRYAN KOHBERGER?

Just 15 days before his arrest, Bryan Kohberger and his father were driving home from Washington State University for winter break to the family's home in Pennsylvania.

OFFICER (body cam video): Hello MICHAEL KOHBERGER: How you doing? OFFICER: How ya'll doin today?

The journey interrupted by two traffic stops, almost 10 minutes apart, in Indiana for tailgating.

MICHAEL KOHBERGER (to officer): We're gonna be going to Pennsylvania, a couple more miles. OFFICER: Oh, OK. MICHAEL KOHBERGER: …to the Pocono Mountains. We're a little, we're slightly punchy. We've been driving for hours. 

Police body cam video shows Kohberger and his father talking calmly with an officer about the trip.

OFFICER: Hours? And days? BRYAN KOHBERGER: Hours. MICHAEL KOHBERGER: Hours. Well, we've been driving for almost a day. OFFICER: Do me a favor and don't follow too close, OK?  

Then they are released with a warning.

Kohberger had been at the university since August, studying to get his Ph.D. in criminology. He was also a teaching assistant in the Department of Criminal Justice. He lived in an apartment complex on campus and had an office there.

According to the newly released affidavit, Kohberger had applied for an internship with the Pullman Police Department in the fall. He wrote in his application essay that "he had interest in assisting rural law enforcement agencies with how to better collect and analyze technological data."

Benjamin Roberts took four classes with Kohberger.

Benjamin Roberts : He seemed very comfortable around other people. He was very quick to offer his opinion and thoughts. And he was always participating fairly eagerly in classroom discussions.

He says Kohberger appeared highly intelligent.

Peter Van Sant : Does anything else come to mind that Bryan said to you in the past that today you think might be of interest?

Benjamin Roberts : There was a comment that he made, and it was kind of a flippant guy talk thing. At one point, he just idly mentioned, you know, "I can go down to a bar or a club and pretty much have any lady I want."

Kohberger arrived at the university after earning his bachelor's in psychology and master's degree in criminal justice at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.  

While at DeSales, authorities say Bryan Kohberger posted this survey, approved by the university, on the website Reddit asking ex-cons about the crimes they committed. One question he asked: "Before making your move, how did you approach the victim or target?

James Gagliano : This could be a piece of circumstantial evidence.

James Gagliano is a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent and CBS News consultant.

James Gagliano: The fact that the suspect was interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in criminal justice and was especially interested in … the mental state that people who had committed murders in the past … yes, it could be interesting to note. But I know a lot of researchers that study those things, too, that would never commit a quadruple homicide.

And if Kohberger was involved in these murders, genetic genealogist CeCe Moore questions why he would be so careless as to allegedly leave his DNA at the crime scene. 

CeCe Moore : People are talking about how smart he supposedly is. And I just can't see how that could be true, because any student of forensic science or criminology would have to know that it's virtually impossible not to leave your DNA behind at a very violent, intimate crime scene like this.

CeCe Moore : You know, Ted Bundy thought he was smart. But he wasn't that smart, as it turns out.

After the murders, Roberts says Kohberger appeared disheveled, tired and chattier than usual.

But nothing could prepare Roberts for what he learned o f Kohberger's arrest.

Benjamin Roberts : Looking back over the last four months, I feel like there should have been signs that I should have seen. And I didn't ... I was blindsided.

Jason LaBar : This is out of character for Bryan, these allegations.

Monroe County public defender Jason LaBar represented Kohberger before he was extradited to Idaho.

Jason LaBar : The family would want the general public to know that Bryan is a caring son and brother —that's he's responsible, that he is devoted to them.

In a statement the family said, "we care deeply for the for the four families who have lost their precious children" ... and that they "seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions."

Jason LaBar : He is innocent until proven otherwise.

LaBar says Kohberger came from a close-knit family. He grew up in eastern Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains. His father was as a maintenance worker and his mom worked in the school system. Bryan has two older sisters – one who works as a family therapist, and another sister who appeared in a 2011 low budget slasher film, "Two Days Back," about a group of young students viciously murdered by a serial killer. She now works as a school counselor. 

Bree : My heart goes out to Bryan's family.

Kohberger's friend, Bree, says she met Bryan at a party when they attended Pleasant Valley High School. She asked "48 Hours" not to use her last name.

Bree : Bryan was really funny. He wasn't outgoing at all. But he also wasn't shy.

She says they bonded over their love of the outdoors.

Bree : I don't necessarily remember the conversations, but you definitely remember how someone makes you feel. … I just remember feeling OK — I was just with a friend. … Just felt natural.

Bree recalls Kohberger was an average student with only a few close friends. In a yearbook photo, Kohberger's caption said he aspired to be an Army Ranger.

Casey Artnz also knew Kohberger from high school . She posted this Tik Tok following Bryan's arrest.

CASEY ARNTZ TIK TOK: "I used to be friends with Bryan Kohberger" ... "I'm in actual shock right now."

Casey Arntz : He was an overweight kid. … So, he did get bullied a lot.

But Arntz says people saw a change in Kohberger the beginning of senior year.

Casey Arntz : He lost like 100 pounds . … He was a rail. … It was after that weight loss that a lot of people noticed a huge switch in him.

Casey Arntz : My brother has since come out to say that even though they were friends, Bryan bullied him.

Casey Arntz : He had said that he would put him in like a chokeholds and stuff like that.

Bree says Kohberger started using heroin, which ended their friendship.

Bree : You just saw him becoming more self-destructive. … He really stayed secluded.

It's unclear when exactly Kohberger went into recovery, but both Bree and Casey say years after he graduated high school it appeared as if he was getting his life together. He was going to Northampton Community College and working security for Pleasant Valley School District.

Bree : He was telling me that he wanted to get sober, that he was getting sober. … And he wanted to let me know like, "I'm gonna do better. I'm gonna be better."

Bree : I'm sorry ... (emotional)

 Casey Arntz : The last time I saw Bryan was in 2017 at one of my friend's wedding. … And I gave him a hug and I said, "You look so good. Like I'm so proud of you."

And both Bree and Casey say it appeared that Kohberger had a new focus — his studies in criminology.

Bree : He wanted to do something that impacted people in a good way.

Bree: People were not his strong suit. And think through his criminology studies, he was really trying to understand humans and to try and understand himself.

Now Bree, like many who knew him, struggles to connect the person they once knew to this unspeakable crime.

Bree : I think a lot of people who were close to him are feeling this massive amount of guilt … "Why didn't I see it? Did I miss something? … Where did it go wrong?

THE YOUNG LIVES LOST

Before it was a crime scene, it was a home to five close friends. Maybe none closer than Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.

On TikTok, the 21-year-old seniors looked like they were enjoying their final school year.

In the early morning of November 13, the two friends headed to a food truck. But their seemingly carefree existence would come to an abrupt end just hours later. Kaylee and Maddie were stabbed to death in the upstairs part of the house. A hundred miles away in northern Idaho, Kaylee's father Steve got the news.

Peter Van Sant : Steve, give us a sense of the shock of that moment.

Steve Goncalves : You just feel like you're getting crushed by a thousand pounds of weight.

Peter Van Sant : What do you want the world to know about your daughter, Kaylee?

Steve Goncalves : I want the world to know, they — they got robbed. Somebody stole from you.

Steve Goncalves says his daughter Kaylee would have made the world a better place. A general studies major, she was the middle child of five siblings. Goncalves says Kaylee was always up for a challenge.

Steve Goncalves : She grew up around two boys that were, you know, older than her. And uh, she didn't see any reason why she couldn't be as quick and fast and as good as those two boys were.

Peter Van Sant : What did she want to do with her life?

Steve Goncalves : Like most young people, it changed. She was gonna be a teacher. … But once she found out how long it was gonna take to pay back her student loans, she — she said, "Dad, you know, this thing that you do with computers seems to work pretty well."

She reportedly had a job lined up in Austin but made it clear that one day she hoped to settle down somewhere near her dearest friend Maddie Mogen.  Maddie was a marketing major, and she and Kaylee had been inseparable since the sixth grade.

Steve Goncalves : I just felt like it was more of a sistership than it was a friendship ... And she was just one of our kids.

So, it perhaps did not come as a surprise when Steve revealed at a November memorial that Kaylee and Maddie died side-by-side.

STEVE GONCALVES (memorial service): They went to high school together. … They came here together. … And in the end, they died together. In the same room, in the same bed. It comforts us. It lets us know that they were with their best friends in the whole world.

It was a belief Maddie's stepfather, Scott Laramie, repeated to another packed memorial just days later.

SCOTT LARAMIE (memorial service): The two of 'em were a force to be reckoned with. They stuck together through everything.

Maddie had a boyfriend, Jake Schriger.

JAKE SCHRIGER (memorial service): She was the first person I talked to every morning and the last person I talked to before bed.

They had been together for more than a year. Schriger says Maddie had a talent for making people laugh.

JAKE SCHRIGER (memorial service): She was really funny. Her jokes really would come outta nowhere … And just be like, "Is that the — the cute little blonde girl that just said that?"

But Maddie and Kaylee weren't the only victims.  While two other roommates were in their rooms and unharmed during the attacks, on the second floor, the killer made his way to the room of Xana Kernodle.

JAZZMIN KERNODLE (memorial service): She was my baby sister, but she was so much wiser.

Xana's sister, Jazzmin.

JAZZMIN KERNODLE (memorial service): She would always tell me she wouldn't know what to do without me. And now I have to live this life without her.

A 20-year-old junior majoring in marketing, Xana was known for being focused on her studies. So focused, she didn't make much time for dating.

JAZZMIN KERNODLE (memorial service): Xana never had a boyfriend before, and my dad and I wondered if she was ever gonna get one (laughs).

That was until she met Ethan Chapin.

JAZZMIN KERNODLE (memorial service): The way she would talk and smile about him was something I've never seen her do before.

Ethan was a 20-year-old majoring in recreation and tourism management. Jazzmin says Xana and Ethan began dating in the spring of 2022.

JAZZMIN KERNODLE (memorial service): They had something so special and everyone around them knew.

Especially anyone who followed the pair on Instagram. For Ethan's birthday, Xana posted photos of them with the caption: "Life is so much better with you in it, love you!" It would be her last Instagram post. Just two weeks later, the young couple was found stabbed to death in Xana's bedroom.

At the University of Idaho, the pain of this tragedy is felt at the root and extends hundreds of miles away to a tulip farm in Skagit Valley, Washington. It's where Ethan worked before heading to college. His boss, Andrew Miller.

Andrew Miller : So, Ethan started – it was in the spring of — of '21. … It was the best Tulip Festival.

Miller says the annual tulip festival attracts close to half-a-million visitors, and Ethan stood out in the crowd.

Andrew Miller : Well, he's a big guy wearin' a big smile, right? I think that's the part that I – that kinda struck me right away.

Ethan – a triplet – worked there with his siblings, Maizie and Hunter, and lived in a rented house on the farm with their parents. The Chapin triplets were incredibly close says Reese Gardner.

Reese Gardner :  They were best friends. … If one did something, they all did something. … It was pretty cool to see.

Including attending the University of Idaho together.

Andrew Miller : And that was the funniest thing, it was like, of course it was a package deal. Like, all three of 'em were gonna go there.

Ariah Macagba : He was excited, I think, 'cause his siblings were going with him.

Ariah Macagba says Ethan's parents had decided to live in Idaho, too. Macagba says when she heard Ethan had been murdered, she couldn't believe it.  

Ariah Macagba : I think the first thing I did was message Ethan. I was like, "Hey, you're OK, right? Like, this isn't real." (crying) And — obviously, he didn't respond.

Reese Gardner scoured the internet for information.

Reese Gardner : And I just couldn't stop reading articles and … I just wanted to know what happened, and I wanted to know why.

But in lieu of answers, Gardner turned to tulips. He had an idea: name one after Ethan.

Reese Gardner : I thought, "There's — there's no better way … to remember someone who had such a big part, a big role in those farms."

Andrew Miller : Cause Reese called me … And it was, "Hey, can this be done, and are you interested in doing it?" And I was, "Yes, and hell yes."

But creating a new tulip is a long process, so instead, Miller suggested a mix of tulips that would be a perfect tribute to Ethan: yellow and white.

Andrew Miller : Yellow, of course, because Go Vandals. University of Idaho, right? That's significant. And then white is — is an eternal color, right? And tulips come up in the spring. It is a symbol of — of hope.

With his parents' blessing, they named the mix of tulips, "Ethan's Smile."

Andrew Miller : So, this will be a nice yellow or white tulip here in about four months.

The trio planted thousands of bulbs in the state of Washington and sent a couple thousand more to the University of Idaho.

Andrew Miller : And it really is our hope that we'll be able to continue to plant and that anybody that wants to remember him will be able to have their own Ethan's — Ethan's Smile Garden. …  It's a living legacy.

Now it is up to prosecutors to get justice for these young victims .

IN SEARCH OF ANSWERS

Forty-seven days after the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, and Xana Kernodle, authorities apprehended the man they believed was responsible.  We now know investigators had Bryan Kohberger in their sights early on but kept it close to the vest. So, in the early days, after the Nov. 13 murders, frustration swept over Moscow, Idaho.

James Gagliano : I think in this instance people were expecting a pretty quick arrest in this case, and it takes time.

Steve Goncalves, father of 21-year-old Kaylee, was trying as best he could to deal with news no one expects.

Steve Goncalves : Most things I'm prepared for. Most things as a dad, you can— you can handle. But somethin' like that, you just can't prepare for and you can't fix it.

Steve Goncalves : And, you know, just think if you do everything right, by the book, somethin' like this couldn't happen.

Peter Van Sant : Did you have any sense who might have done something like this?

Steve Goncalves : No … I didn't think anybody in her inner circles was — was capable of interacting and — and her doing something that could even deserve something like that.

As news spread of the murders, so did shock in the college community, which had not seen a homicide since 2015.

Matt Loveless : Parents drove hundreds of miles to pick up their kids to head home and stay home for the semester.

Matt Loveless is a journalism professor at nearby Washington State University.

Matt Loveless : At this point, we don't know if they're gonna come back for — the spring semester there on campus. And that same thing happened in both our communities.

James Gagliano: And, so, when parents send their kids off to school, for something to happen like this, I think it's a parent's worst nightmare

James Gagliano : And it's a place, Moscow, Idaho, where violent crime really is not an issue.

As police started their investigation, they traced the victims' final steps. The day before the murders seemed to start ordinarily. Kaylee Goncalves posted photos with her roommates and Ethan Chapin, to her Instagram account with the caption, "One lucky girl to be surrounded by these ppl everyday." That evening, Ethan and Xana attended a party at a fraternity house on campus.  Kaylee and Madison were at a bar between 10 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. They were then seen at a local food vendor, the "Grub Truck."  It is believed they all returned home by about 2 a.m. on Nov. 13.

James Gagliano : So, in examining the timeline , police know that the crime took place sometime in the early morning hours. There were also two other University of Idaho students who were inside the house when the murders took place.

It was later that morning that a call was made to 911 from one of the surviving roommate's phones to report an unconscious person.  Police arrived at the house at 11:58 a.m.

James Gagliano : Police find the victims on the second and third floor of the house in bedrooms — a horrific and a very large-scale crime scene 'cause you're gonna be dealing with a number of different floors that need to be processed, the bedrooms where the crimes actually occurred, and then ingress and egress points. How did the — how did the alleged killer get inside the house? Through a front door? Through a window? Those are all things police will be looking at.

CHIEF JAMES FRY (to reporters): No weapon has been located at this time. There was no sign of forced entry into the residence.

On Nov. 16, three days after the murders, the Moscow Police held their first press conference.

CHIEF JAMES FRY (to reporters): We believe this was an isolated, targeted attack on our victims. We do not have a suspect at this time and that individual is still out there.

Coroner Cathy Mabbutt issued her report on Nov. 17.

Coroner Cathy Mabbutt: They were all murdered through stabbing with some kind of a, probably a larger knife…

She told police some of the four victims had defensive wounds, but none had signs of sexual assault.  Police continued to work the case, aided by the Idaho State Police and the FBI.

James Gagliano : I just believe that the Moscow Police Department probably just didn't have a lot of experience in working a homicide, especially one as heinous as this one.  

After about three weeks with no arrests, and what, to the public, appeared to be no real suspects, Steve Goncalves grew more concerned that authorities weren't doing enough and that the murders would turn into a cold case. So, he says, he started working with his own team to investigate the murders.

Steve Goncalves : So, we just thought, "This is the time. Let's get it out there, and let's not let it get cold. Let's get as many resources as— as possible."

Peter Van Sant : And did you have any sense whatsoever as to what a motive … might have been for these murders?

Steve Goncalves : Pretty girls and a handsome guy. I thought, you know, that might be somethin' to do with their, you know, stalking them in the sense of that.

Meanwhile, names of possible people of interest were trickling out — including members of the community and acquaintances of the victims. But they all seemed to be part of an unfounded rumor mill, many from online sleuths.  Goncalves even had people come to him to prove they were not involved.

Steve Goncalves : We — had certain suspects take their shirts off in our kitchen to show if they had scratches. And we tried to do everything in — in our powers to make sure that if we thought somebody was ruled out, we truly — we truly felt like, you know, we — we looked at 'em.

Law enforcement would end up receiving thousands of tips, but the investigation, by outward appearances, seemed to be stalled.  Nearly a month after the murders, on Dec. 7, police were seen packing up the victims' belongings to return to the families, who had lost so much. It was the police chief behind the wheel of the U-Haul truck. That same day, a plea was made to the public.

Police were interested in speaking with the occupant(s) of a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra with an unknown license plate, spotted near the crime scene, around the time of the killings.

AMANDA ROLEY | KREM REPORTER: Today's update is the first descriptive tip that we have received in several days. Detectives now want to speak with anyone who was inside a white Hyundai Elantra that was near this home on King Road around Nov. 13th.  

Police released photos of similar makes to the vehicle they were looking for.

CHIEF JAMES FRY (to reporters): We still believe there is more information to be gathered.

James Gagliano : Pushing that out to the media. Pushing that out to people on the internet. Pushing that out so that people can look for either a potential suspect, person of interest, or a potential vehicle. That goes a long way towards running down leads.

INSIDE THE INVESTIGATION

It turns out that about two weeks before the police asked the public to be on the lookout for a white Hyundai Elantra , they had already shared that information with surrounding law enforcement. And on Nov. 29, 2022, a white Elantra was located by Washington State University Police. The car was registered to Bryan Kohberger.

CBS News learned, that in mid-December, the Hyundai Elantra was tracked for several days by the FBI, using E-ZPass monitoring, fixed wing aircraft and ground support, as it was driven by Kohberger, along with his father, from Pullman, Washington, on that cross-country trip to the family's home in Pennsylvania.

On Dec. 15, the car was stopped twice in Indiana for those driving violations, by the Indiana State Police and the Hancock Sheriff's Office.

OFFICER: So, you're coming from Washington State University? MICHAEL KOHBERGER: Yeah. BRYAN KOHBERGER: Yup OFFICER: And you're going where? MICHAEL KOHBERGER: We're gonna be going to Pennsylvania.

Both agencies said at the time of the stops, "there was no information available on a suspect for the crime in Idaho, to include identifying information or any specific information related to the license plate state or number of the white Hyundai Elantra …" 

Police did not ticket Kohberger; they gave a verbal warning and the trip continued home. And then, Kohberger's holiday came to an abrupt halt . 

CBS NEWS REPORT:  A suspect is under arrest for the quadruple murder of four Idaho college students.

On Dec. 30, 2022, police made that announcement that Bryan Kohberger was under arrest for the murders. He was arrested at his family's home in Albrightsville, Pa., at 3 a.m., with approximately 50 law enforcement officers on the scene. 

MAJ. CHRISTOPHER PARIS | PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: There were multiple windows that were broken I believe to gain access, as well as multiple doors.

Authorities believe Bryan Kohberger acted alone.

Jason LaBar : Bryan was very shocked by his arrest. … Bryan did not know why they were there, but he was aware of the case in Idaho.

Monroe County public defender Jason LaBar represented Kohberger in Pennsylvania as he was awaiting extradition to Idaho.

Jason LaBar : Bryan indicated to me that he was eager to be exonerated — that he was willing to go back to Idaho.

On Jan. 3, at a hearing in Pennsylvania, Kohberger signed his waiver of extradition. And on Jan. 4, was flown to Idaho, where he is in jail, charged with the four murders.

On Jan. 5, Kohberger appeared in court in Moscow with his new public defender to hear the charges read against him. He has yet to enter a plea.

JUDGE MEGAN MARSHALL:  The maximum penalty for this offense if you were to plead guilty or be found guilty is death or imprisonment for life. Do you understand?   

BRYAN KOHBERGER: Yes.

That same day, that affidavit was released that laid out startling new details about the murder investigation. According to the affidavit, one of the surviving roommates actually saw the murderer and stood in a "frozen shock phase."  She is referred to as DM in the affidavit, and told police that earlier, she heard a female voice say, 'something to the effect of  "there's someone here." And later, a male voice say, "something to the effect of "it's ok, I'm going to help you." Later she opened her door "… after she heard crying and saw a figure clad in black clothing and a mask..." She described the figure as "5'10'… with bushy eyebrows."

The affidavit states that, according to DM, the male walked toward the back sliding door and DM locked herself in her room. It was later in the morning when that call was made to 911 from one of the surviving roommate's phones, to report an unconscious person. It is unclear what occurred in the hours before police were called. It is believed the murders took place between 4 and 4:25 a.m. Police say they discovered, on the bed in Madison's room, a knife sheath with a Marine insignia.

James Gagliano : I would imagine that a — crime scene as — as grisly and ghastly as this one — that there would have been … DNA left by the perpetrator.

According to the affidavit, the knife sheath was processed and "the Idaho State Lab later located a single source of male DNA on the button snap."  They were able to link it to DNA recovered from the trash at the Pennsylvania Kohberger family home.

It is not clear, what, if any, connection Kohberger had with the victims. However, the affidavit states that by using cellular phone data, police were able to place Kohberger's cell phone near the crime scene "on at least twelve occasions before November 13, 2022. All of those occasions, except for one, occurred in the late evening and early morning hours …"

Even with these new details, many question remain. A newly issued gag order prohibits officials and others involved in the case from speaking about the murders. Also, authorities have sealed a search warrant that was carried out at Kohberger's home in Pullman, Washington.

Jim Gagliano : This is one where you don't want a mistake. You don't want something to happen during this process that's going to give the alleged suspect an opportunity to beat the case.

Now, the case will work its way through the court system as parents, who lost their children, will be looking for answers.

Steve Goncalves : We find the truth, you know. You get the truth, and then that — that'll — that'll be everything.

IN REMEMBRANCE

You can see it in the stunned, silent faces of the kids. Faces that ask "why?" without even speaking. 

Young eyes glisten, bathed in the glow of candlelight at a vigil held for the young lives lost.  A ritual all too familiar across America. The flowers, the prayers, the vows to carry on. In Idaho, they hold on tight to each other and to the memories of those loved and lost.

EMILY (memorial service): Life is so unfair and unpredictable (crying).

For Xana Kernodle's friend Emily, the wound remains raw.

EMILY (memorial service): And it tears me apart knowing I can't hug her. (Crying) So hold those you love closer. Hug them a little tighter and tell 'em you love them. We'll find justice for you, Ethan, Maddie, and Kaylee. We love you all so much.

And for Ashlin, Maddie Mogen's memory is still vibrant.

ASHLIN (memorial service): You truly will live on forever -- not only in my heart, but in the heart of so many people that were impacted by your beautiful smile, your grace, your patience, your open heart, and your craziness.

Hunter Johnson remembers a pal he could rely on — Ethan Chapin.

HUNTER JOHNSON (memorial service): Ethan was always someone you could count on to make you smile and — cheer up your mood. … And I — feel so lucky to have shared so many great memories with him (emotional).

But those who are older perhaps sense that pain that runs this deep, never goes away. Kaylee's father, Steve Goncalves.

Steve Goncalves : You don't heal from somethin' like this. … it's never gonna happen. You're never gonna be healed. You're never gonna get through this. And when they die, part of you dies.

Steve Goncalves : We're tired of all these types of crimes. We're tired of all this stuff. And — we can rally around these terrible tragedies, and … We're hopin' that as a society we come back stronger. And we — we decide to not let this be accepted anymore, you know. That's what I hope for.

Bryan Kohberger's next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 12.

He will have a chance to enter a plea at a later date.

• Bryan Kohberger

"48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant first joined CBS News in 1984.

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The many closures and violations of iraq’s airspace.

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BAGHDAD, IRAQ - APRIL 14: The empty roads leading to Baghdad International Airport are seen as Iraq ... [+] has announced the closure of its airspace following drone attacks from Iran against Israel, in capital Baghdad, Iraq on April 14, 2024. (Photo by Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Iraq was one of the regional countries that temporarily closed off its airspace to civil aviation on April 13, 2024, amidst Iran’s massive, unprecedented drone and missile attack against Israel. Flight trackers showed the country’s airspace empty of commercial airliners for hours.

While many of the missiles and drones crossed through Iraqi airspace, Iraq did not join the United States, Britain, France, and neighboring Jordan in intercepting any of them. Nevertheless, an American Patriot battery in Iraqi Kurdistan intercepted one ballistic missile, and U.S.-led coalition jets entered Iraqi airspace to shoot down many of the slower-moving drones. Less than a week later, Israeli fighter jets entered Iraqi airspace and fired air-launched ballistic missiles at an air defense radar in central Iran.

Given its strategic position in a region long known for its volatility, Iraq has found its airspace repeatedly violated over the decades. Iraq has also repeatedly closed off its airspace for political and military reasons down through the decades and, in turn, had external closures imposed upon it.

Screenshot of Flightrader24 app showing Iraqi airspace empty of civilian airliners in the early ... [+] hours of April 14, 2024, hours after Iran launched an unprecedented missile and drone attack against Israel.

It’s worth briefly recounting several of these historical incidents to put April’s brief closure in perspective.

In May 1959, Iraqi fighter jets forced an Italian DC6B airliner to land in Baghdad as it was flying through Iraqi airspace on a flight from Tehran to Athens “for violation of Iraqi airspace.” Reportage at the time noted that Iraq required passenger planes crossing its airspace to adhere to follow specific corridors. The early incident aptly underscored Iraqi sensitivity to even mild or accidental violations of its airspace.

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Iraq would go on to ban certain overflights of its territory for political reasons. For example, in 1971, Iraq closed its borders with Jordan and briefly banned Jordanian planes from using its airspace in protest of King Hussein’s crackdown on Palestinian guerrillas the year before, the Black September incident.

In June 1978, Iraq announced it wouldn’t authorize Soviet planes flying to Ethiopia to land on its territory or use its airspace. Moscow had flown over $1 billion worth of arms to Ethiopia in the preceding year, and many of these flights used Iraqi airspace.

Between 1959 and 1962, Baghdad alleged that Turkish planes committed 15 violations of its airspace. The most serious occurred in August 1962, when Baghdad accused Turkey of sending fighters over 40 miles into Iraqi airspace, shooting down an Iraqi plane and killing its pilot. Iraq accused Turkey of committing “savage aggression.”

Turkey briefly carried out fighter patrols along the Iraqi border with sorties every half hour that month. It justified the patrols in response to an attack by Iraqi planes four miles inside Turkey that killed two gendarmes. A Turkish American-built F-100 Super Sabre intercepted Iraqi aircraft over its territory hitting one, which crashed inside Iraq. Turkey promptly ended the border patrols “in the interest of good neighborly relations.”

In the mid-1970s, during the Second Iraqi-Kurdish War, Iraq charged that Iran’s air force had violated its airspace in a “flagrant and premeditated fashion.” Iran, then under the rule of the last shah, had backed Kurdish rebellions against Baghdad, funneling arms and money to Kurdish rebels and supporting them with cross-border artillery strikes. However, the shah decided to strike a deal with Iraq in 1975 and dropped Iran’s military support to the Iraqi Kurds.

After the Iranian Revolution deposed the shah four years later, Saddam Hussein, having taken over as Iraq’s undisputed ruler that year, invaded Iran in September 1980, igniting a war that lasted eight years and left approximately a million dead. From the first days of the war, Iranian jets would routinely bomb Iraq, with its F-4 Phantoms often flying extremely close to the ground and deep inside Iraqi airspace. In a daring attack on April 4, 1981, Iranian jets bombed the enormous H-3 Iraqi Air Force base in western Iraq’s Anbar province, destroying over 40 aircraft and suffering no losses.

The Iranian Air Force wasn’t the only regional air force to launch strikes deep inside Iraq during that bloody war. Israel destroyed Iraq’s Osirak reactor in Baghdad using a strike package of F-16s escorted by F-15s in June 1981. The following December, two Israeli fighters briefly violated Iraqi airspace near the Saudi border but retreated after the Iraqis detected them.

In an incident that wasn’t disclosed until 2012, the Iraqi and Turkish air forces would briefly duel again on September 14, 1983. Unlike the August 1962 incident, this time, the Iraqis would afflict a loss against Turkey. The incident occurred over Zakho in Iraqi Kurdistan near the Iraqi-Turkish border. Two Turkish jets, F-100F Super Sabres, violated Iraqi airspace and were intercepted by a French-built Iraqi Mirage F-1EQ, which shot down one of the Turkish Sabres with a Super 530F-1 missile. The pilot survived and was returned to Turkey, which kept the embarrassing incident under wraps.

Another noteworthy incident involved Iraq’s neighbor Syria, with which Baghdad often had strained ties. In April 1987, a Soviet-built Syrian MiG-21 Fishbed accidentally strayed into Iraqi airspace and was shot down. The incident occurred during a thaw in Iraq-Syria relations , so it did not lead to tensions between Damascus and Baghdad. The former merely lamented that the shoot down was “unjustified.”

The Iran-Iraq War ended in August 1988. The following January, Iraq announced it would reopen its airspace to civilian flights from Iran for the first time since 1980. But peace was not about to prevail in the Persian Gulf region.

Saddam Hussein’s invasion and annexation of Kuwait in August 1990 saw Iraq facing unprecedented isolation. The United States formed a multinational coalition to expel Iraq’s forces from Kuwait. The Iraqi military was unprepared to face the juggernaut and technological superiority of the U.S.-led coalition.

During the opening of Operation Desert Storm, U.S. F-117 Nighthawk stealth bombers dominated news broadcasts as they bombarded Baghdad. The coalition succeeded in promptly destroying Iraq’s French-built KARI command, control, and communications system that integrated Iraq’s vast network of primarily Soviet-built surface-to-air missiles.

While the precision-guided munitions of the coalition garnered much attention and adulation during that war, civilians were not entirely spared. The bombing of an air-raid shelter in Baghdad’s Amiriyah neighborhood, using PGMs, killed over 400 Iraqi civilians sheltering there after the U.S. said it had mistaken it for a command center.

During the Package Q Strike , dozens of F-16s and F-117s repeatedly bombed Iraq’s Tawaitha nuclear research facility, where the Osirak reactor was located in the face of heavy Iraqi air defenses.

While the Persian Gulf War officially ended with a ceasefire on February 28, 1991, the U.S. established sizable no-fly zones over the north and south of Iraq after Saddam Hussein sent helicopter gunships to crush simultaneous Kurdish and Shia revolts ruthlessly. These no-fly zones would remain in place until 2003 when the U.S. outright invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam’s regime.

Israel, which sat out the Gulf War despite Iraq bombarding its cities with Scud missiles, sent F-15 fighters over northern and western Iraq, where they searched for any remaining Scuds, in October 1991. Baghdad predictably denounced the overflight as a “grave violation of Iraqi airspace.”

Saddam’s forces, severely degraded by the Gulf War, would intermittently challenge the no-fly zones with little success throughout their existence. The U.S. would also carry out intermittent strikes against beleaguered Iraqi forces, including operations Desert Strike in September 1996 and Desert Fox in December 1998.

Iraq’s vice president declared in December 1998 “that any violation of Iraqi airspace will be met by Iraqi fire.” U.S. jets overflying southern Iraq fired at four Iraqi MiGs testing the enforcement of the zone the following month but failed to down any. Iraqi surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery were later fired at coalition jets in the southern zone again in February 2001.

Iraq never proved capable of shooting down any coalition jets during the no-fly zone period. It buried the remainder of its fighter jets, including its fast MiG-25 Foxbats, which had proven capable of evading coalition missiles, on the eve of the 2003 invasion. In a rare incident on December 23, 2002, an Iraqi MiG-25 shot down an American MQ-1 Predator drone armed with short-range, air-to-air Stinger missiles after both exchanged fire .

In the run-up to the invasion, Iraqi airspace was full of surveillance aircraft, including American U-2 and French Mirage IV spy planes, looking for any evidence that Iraq retained any weapons of mass destruction.

“With so many Western aircraft aloft in a country where coalition F-15s already patrol the northern and southern ‘no-fly’ zones, Iraq appears to have all but surrendered its skies to foreign air power,” observed a February 2003 news report.

From June 2002 right through to the March 2003 invasion, Operation Southern Watch, the no-fly zone covering southern Iraq, transitioned into the more proactive Operation Southern Focus. The latter operation saw the coalition respond more forcefully to Iraqi violations, aiming to degrade and destroy much of Iraq’s remaining air defenses ahead of the invasion.

In the lead-up to the invasion, the U.S. even briefly hired Israelis who had previously lived in Iraq and understood the Iraqi Arabic dialect well. They boarded a surveillance plane that flew high over Iraq to listen to radio traffic from the Iraqi military. Those Israelis concluded that Saddam’s remaining forces would not likely put up much of a fight and that many Iraqi soldiers would flee or surrender.

The U.S. proceeded with its invasion, bombarding Iraq again and rapidly advancing on and capturing Baghdad as the remnants of the Iraqi Army melted away.

The U.S. retained troops in Iraq until December 2011, peaking at approximately 160,000 deployed during the surge in 2007. Throughout that period, it de facto controlled Iraqi airspace, especially now that Iraq essentially had no air force left, which remained the case for many years.

“The U.S. military has hurriedly tried to turn over square mile after square mile of territory to Iraqi soldiers and police officers, but it has yet to yield control of a cubic inch of the country’s skies,” noted a 2006 report .

In 2008, the U.S. negotiated a security pact with the Iraqi government that would set the legal basis for America’s troop presence in the country. Significant obstacles to a pact included agreement on the status of U.S. bases in the country and America’s use of Iraqi airspace.

On February 25, 2009, U.S. aircraft shot down an Iranian drone flying an estimated 60 miles northeast of Baghdad after tracking it for an hour. The fact it didn’t inform Baghdad aptly demonstrated who controlled Iraq’s skies at the time. Under the terms of the Status of Forces Agreement between Washington and Baghdad, the U.S. was tasked with protecting Iraqi airspace for three years.

By the end of the 2000s, the Iraqi Air Force had little, aside from cargo planes and propellor-driven Cessna AC-208B, capable of firing AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles. Many of its pilots, who had served in the old air force, dreamed of the day they would finally fly F-16s.

The United States unceremoniously withdrew the last of its troops from Iraq in December 2011. However, U.S. forces would not be gone for long.

In June 2014, the Islamic State, commonly known by the acronym ISIS, group infamously overran Iraq’s second city, Mosul, and declared a territory spanning large swathes of contiguous Syrian and Iraqi territory, including one-third of the latter. The same month, a Syrian airstrike targeted ISIS militants at an Iraqi border crossing, but not on the Iraqi side. Baghdad welcomed the strike at the time as beneficial for both countries.

The U.S. intervened with airstrikes in August 2014 when ISIS militants attacked Iraqi Kurdistan and subjected the Yezidi minority in the Sinjar region to a vicious campaign of genocide.

U.S. airstrikes began against ISIS extended into Syria the following month. Unlike the case in Syria, the strikes in Iraq had the authorization of the Iraqi government. From the get-go, the Obama administration expressed reluctance over becoming Iraq’s de-facto air force. But Iraq sorely lacked fighter jets at the time and was thus heavily reliant on coalition air support.

The U.S. would also form a multinational coalition, mostly of Arab and European states, to rollback the ISIS-controlled territory with local forces, primarily the Iraqi Army, Kurdish Peshmerga, and, in Syria, Kurdish-led forces that would form under the banner of the Syrian Democratic Forces in 2015.

Iraq did begin receiving F-16 fighter jets in mid-2015, but it would take years still to rebuild its air power, with the F-16 fleet suffering chronic maintenance issues into the early 2020s.

In December 2014, Iranian F-4 Phantom fighter jets briefly entered Iraqi airspace to target ISIS positions near the Iranian border. Tehran also transferred Su-25 attack planes to Baghdad in June 2014. Ironically, those Soviet-era planes the Iraqi Air Force under Saddam previously operated these planes, flying them to Iran during the Gulf War.

Nevertheless, the U.S.-led coalition carried out the bulk of anti-ISIS airstrikes, and ISIS was declared territorially defeated in Iraq by the end of 2017, with Mosul recaptured in July of that year after a ferocious months-long urban war.

In a turnaround from the June 2014 Syria border airstrike, the Iraqi Air Force began targeting ISIS in Syrian territory using its F-16s in 2017 and 2018 .

Russia would intervene in Syria’s civil war in late September 2015, deploying fighter-bombers to the civil war-torn country at the invitation of Damascus. In November of that year, Moscow also flexed its muscles by launching cruise missiles at Syria from warships in the Caspian Sea. Some of these missiles flew over Iraq, prompting Baghdad to briefly close the airspace over the country’s Kurdish north “to protect travelers and because of the crossing of cruise missiles and bombers in the northern part of Iraq launched from the Caspian Sea.”

Iraq would close off the airspace of Iraqi Kurdistan for a much different reason less than two years later. On September 25, 2017, the Kurdish authorities in the autonomous enclave held an independence referendum, which received an overwhelming yes vote. Baghdad promptly closed Iraqi Kurdistan’s airspace to all civil flights, demanding regional authorities transfer the region’s two international airports and international border crossings to federal authorities. Iraqi forces also recaptured disputed territories, including Kirkuk and Sinjar, from the Peshmerga the following month.

Baghdad lifted the flight ban the following March. However, Turkey would continue a ban of its own against the Kurdish city of Sulaimani, alleging the leading party there was providing sanctuary for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, more commonly known by its Kurdish acronym PKK. That ban would extend until January 2019. It wouldn’t be the last of its kind.

During the summer of 2019, three suspected Israeli air or drone strikes targeted sites used by Iran-backed Iraqi militias across the country. Following these strikes, the Iraqi government banned unauthorized flights in Iraqi airspace. It restricted the U.S.-led coalition air operations in the country, requiring it to first obtain direct approval from Baghdad before carrying out any strikes against ISIS remnants in the country.

Tensions between Iraq would flare again after a U.S. drone strike killed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad International Airport in January 2020. Iraqi parliamentarians angrilydemanded the expulsion of U.S. forces. Russia once again pitched its long-range S-400 Triumf air defense missile system to Iraq, claiming it could provide “reliable protection of airspace.”

Iraq acquired medium-range Pantsir-S1 air defenses from Moscow in the 2010s, but these have limited utility for defending its entire airspace. As previously speculated here , Baghdad may turn to South Korea for its advanced, medium-range KM-SAM air defense system to upgrade its limited air defenses. A subsequent unconfirmed report claimed Iraq is interesting in eight of these systems as part of a deal valued over $2 billion.

Iraq would again temporarily close its airspace to civil flights in 2021 ahead of nationwide parliamentary elections.

In April 2023, Turkey imposed another flight ban on Sulaimani, announcing in June that it would extend it for another six months . More alarmingly, a suspected Turkish drone targeted Kurdish counterterrorism forces at a military airfield in Sulaimani province in September 2023, killing three and wounding three. Iraq’s military spokesperson noted the drone entered Iraqi airspace from Turkey’s border, declaring Baghdad “reserves the right to put an end to these violations.”

Less than a fortnight after the April Iranian attack on Israel and subsequent Israeli response, Iraq celebrated the 93rd anniversary of the establishment of its air force, showcasing its F-16s, a sign of its gradually reconstituted national air power.

In May, the Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced implementation of an agreement to reduce airspace allocated for U.S.-led coalition military flights, increasing airspace for civilian aviation.

Just this Sunday, the commander of Iraq’s newly established Air Defense Command told local media that the command’s operations center has “a high potential to control Iraqi airspace with all types of military and civilian aircraft.” Additionally, the official added, “the center will exercise command and complete control over Iraqi airspace.”

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