In July, Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the stabbings of four University of Idaho students. While in his state’s criminal justice program, he earned a frightening reputation. His faculty and fellow students have claimed that Kohberger exhibited alarming behavior towards women. This pattern has led to numerous allegations of inappropriate actions by him.
In the wake of the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in November 2022, nine separate complaints emerged detailing Kohberger’s “rude and belittling behavior toward women.” A faculty member described his appearance as creepy. He realized that “the manner in which he communicated with women in the department was inappropriate and made them uncomfortable.” This kind of regretful behavior in class frightened his classmates and teachers. More importantly, was how it ignited genuine fear for his career as an educator.
One faculty member expressed deep reservations about Kohberger’s potential career trajectory, stating emphatically, “Mark my word, I work with predators, if we give him a PhD, that’s the guy… we will hear is harassing, stalking, and sexually abusing his students at wherever university.” This faculty member performed a brave act by calling a police tip line. They had more recently seen Kohberger with bloodied knuckles just days before the murders were committed.
Adding to the drama were reports from staff and members of questionable stalking activity. According to a classmate’s news account, Kohberger’s behavior raised such alarm that students reported him to the police for stalking. Unfortunately, this belief fueled the animus women experienced in the program. One graduate student—who requested anonymity due to backlash from university administration—said, “I just need to leave this place.” Her testimony brings to light the fear that some students felt while in his presence.
Kohberger’s engagements with classmates supposedly always had violent undertones. His fascination with sexual burglary, mixed with his academic interests, ruffled feathers among those who worked with him. As one Environmental Policy PhD student remarked, it was hard not to mention them all the time. His tone betrayed a disturbing enthusiasm for violence. After the killings occurred, he publicly commented that whoever committed the homicides “must have been really good.” This comment was particularly chilling as it exposed his doltish fixation on the killings.
What’s odd about this all is that Kohberger’s behavior seems to have undergone a radical transformation after the murders. After those killings, he quit bringing his cellphone into class, according to reports. This was a big shift for him, since prior to that accident, he was an avid phone user. Those same observers commented on his appearance during the weeks after, noting that he was increasingly unkempt. This abrupt change raised questions as to the state of his mental wellbeing.
A series of alarming incidents during Kohberger’s time in the program threw up more red flags. While he was on campus, a female graduate student reported an intruder in her home. The thieves even made off with personal items like perfume and underwear. The timing of these events only raised alarm bells further that they were in any way related to Kohberger’s placement into the program.
New Kawhi about Kohbergers’ past have recently come to light. His professorial comportment in the ivory tower today poses serious threats. Faculty and students alike warned campus administrators about this man’s behavior long before he murdered her. They were convinced that his behavior warranted more serious scrutiny.