Moscow chief who oversaw Kohberger investigation hired in Tri-Cities
KENNEWICK – An Eastern Washington police department’s newly hired chief oversaw the investigation into the grisly homicides of four University of Idaho students and the arrest of suspect Bryan Kohberger.
James Fry, 56, took over the West Richland Police Department on Monday after finishing a 30-year career with Moscow, Idaho, that included eight years as chief.
He oversaw the Moscow Police Department as it navigated a highly publicized investigation into the stabbing deaths of the Idaho students in November 2022. The homicides in their off-campus Moscow home brought the small town just 9 miles from the Washington state line into the national spotlight.
Law enforcement narrowed in on Kohberger as the suspect, and ultimately led to his charges of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. Kohberger accepted a plea deal that offers removing the death penalty as a sentencing option, in exchange for his guilty plea in all counts, according to a letter to victims’ families from the prosecution.
The victims were Mason Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. The three North Idaho women were college roommates, and Ethan had stayed over with his girlfriend, Xana Kernodle, the night they were killed. Former Moscow Police Chief James Fry joins new force
Fry joined a Tri-Cities police department that has undergone some turmoil in the past year after the union gave Former West Richland Police Chief Thomas Grego and Mayor Brent Gerry a vote of no confidence.
City officials have maintained Grego did nothing wrong, but he was accused of harassment, retaliation and abuse that led to multiple no confidence votes by the West Richland Police Officers Association.
Grego announced his retirement from the 17-officer agency in February and left soon after. Former Wenatchee Police Chief Steve Crown took over as the interim police chief in March.
West Richland has been largely quiet about the details of the police chief search and never released the names of finalist candidates. City officials sent a release Monday announcing that Fry was hired and started work.
“His experience, credentials and proven leadership will be invaluable as we continue to grow as a community and invest in the safety and well-being of our residents,” Gerry said in a news release announcing the hiring.
The position pays $156,000 to $210,000 a year. City officials did not say what his exact salary will be. Kohberger hearing scheduled after plea deal
Fry began working at the Moscow Police Department in the college town of about 26,000 in 1993 as a reserve officer. He stepped into a permanent role as an officer in 1995.
He then moved up through the ranks, serving as the department’s detective unit lieutenant, the captain of the campus division, before becoming chief of the 35-officer department.
Fry announced his retirement in February 2024 and ran for Latah County sheriff but lost to the incumbent in November.
“Chief Fry has served our community for nearly 29 years and throughout it all he has served as a shining example of professional community policing that is reflected throughout all aspects of the Moscow Police Department,” then Mayor Art Bettge said in a release about Fry’s retirement.
The Kohberger case drew national attention as investigators worked to track down the suspected killer, Kohberger, in Pennsylvania. Kohberger was a graduate student at Washington State University in the neighboring town of Pullman.
He was scheduled for his murder trial in August. A hearing is scheduled for his change of plea 10 a.m. Pacific time Wednesday.