What is a 'turtle suit'? Idaho suspect Bryan Kohberger forced to wear anti-suicide vest in jail
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently.
MOSCOW, IDAHO: In custody, Bryan Kohberger must don an anti-suicide vest, popularly known as a turtle suit, as he awaits extradition to Moscow, Idaho, where he will be charged with the murder of four University of Idaho students.
Bryan, 28, was arrested Saturday, December 31, at his parents' home in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. On November 13, the bodies of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were found stabbed to death.
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A PhD student at the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at WSU, Bryan is willing to be extradited to Idaho from Pennsylvania. According to his attorney, he is stunned by the arrest and intends to deny the murder charges. Kohberger was initially placed on suicide watch, but is now believed to be off it as he prepares to defend himself, Daily Mail reports.
'My adrenaline is still kind of running'
In the Chestnuthill Township, near the Pocono Mountains, an old friend of the suspect has admitted to the media how afraid he was to learn of Kohberger's arrest. The realization that he had been so near the person suspected of committing such a heinous deed left Schyler Jacobson in "complete shock," he claimed in an interview. Jacobson spoke to WBRE, and stated, "I looked at the picture and I couldn’t believe who it was. It was Bryan Kohberger. I would text him and be like 'Hey, you wanna go for a run?' We’d go for six/seven mile runs at night so when I saw who it was I was just like in complete shock, it was so close to home." Bryan, who was detained while residing at his parents' home in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, was a student at the University of Washington at the time of the killings and was only about 20 minutes away from the crime scene. Jacobson added, "I’m still kind of like shaking knowing about that. It’s just unreal to think somebody could actually do that to somebody. It’s absolutely mind-boggling, my adrenaline is still kind of running after finding that information out."
What is turtle suit?
A suicide vest, sometimes known as a smock, is a single-piece outer garment that is tear-resistant and keeps inmates from making a noose out of their clothes to end their lives. Inmates who were deemed to be at risk of committing suicide were frequently left in cells naked or wearing paper gowns until they were invented and put to use in the 1990s.
As reported by Daily Mail, Angenette Levy, a host of the Law and Crime Network, shared a picture of Kohberger and added the caption, "Notice the vest he is wearing," to draw attention to it. Levy responded, "You can't cut it to hang yourself," in response to a follower's question regarding the suit. "It is like a suit." The vest is "designed with high-quality fabric and craftsmanship, the Suicide Prevention Smock offers comfort, coverage, and warmth without compromising safety, security, and overall effectiveness," according to the manufacturer PSP's website.
The vests cost $425 at retail. They are occasionally given to prisoners who are thought to be the targets of violence from their fellow inmates and are also known as turtle suits. The vest cannot be made into a weapon that could be used against guards or other prisoners, which also helps to prevent suicides.
