Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested and charged with four counts of murder and one count of felony burglary for the slayings of four University of Idaho students.
Nearly seven weeks after the slayings of four University of Idaho students suspect Bryan Kohberger was arrested on Friday, Dec. 30 in Pennsylvania in connection with the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
Kohberger, 28, was charged with four counts of murder and one count of felony burglary. He appeared in a Pennslyvania courtroom on Jan. 3 and waived his extradition to Idaho, meaning he had voluntarily agreed to return to the state to face the charges against him. He was transported back to Idaho on Jan. 4.
Goncalves, 21, Mogen, 21, Kernodle, 20, and Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death in an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13. Ethan was not a resident in the home but was staying overnight with his girlfriend Kernodle. Two more roommates at the 1122 King Road residence, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were home and unharmed. Early in the investigation, the surviving roommates were ruled out as suspects.
While it was initially believed that Mortensen and Funke both slept through the attack, the probable cause affidavit — which was released on Jan. 5 after Kohberger returned to Idaho — revealed that one of the surviving roommates said they saw the killer. The roommate described “a figure clad in black clothing and a mask,” who walked past her as he left the crime scene, and she heard crying on the night of the killings.
The affidavit also alleged that Kohberger was linked to the crime scene from DNA and cell phone pings.
Some of those who knew Kohberger were taken aback at the allegations, while others expressed less surprise.
Kohberger’s family broke their silence on Monday, Jan. 2 in a statement, “First and foremost, we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children. There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them. We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother.”
“We have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies in an attempt to seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions,” the statement continued. “We respect privacy in this matter as our family and the families suffering loss can move forward through the legal process.”
Meanwhile, the families of the victims expressed relief after Kohberger’s arrest, which occurred on the same day as a planned memorial for best friends Mogen and Goncalves.
“It was amazing they caught him the night before their memorial — such a blessing and relief for all of us,” Jessie Frost, a family friend of Mogen’s, told PEOPLE. “It brought a little peace that day.”
“It was one reason we waited to have a memorial,” Frost added, noting that Kaylee’s parents had hoped a suspect would be apprehended before the memorial took place.
In May 2023, Kohberger was indicted by a grand jury for the murder of the four students and is expected to enter a plea. His indictment allowed prosecutors to bypass the previously scheduled June hearing where the two surviving roommates of the victims would have possibly been cross-examined.
The next day, Kohberger stood “silent” as the court waited for his plea. The judge ultimately entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ for him.
The following month, news broke that a DNA sample taken from Kohberger matched DNA found on the sheath of a knife left at the crime scene. Investigators previously linked Kohberger to the scene of the crime through his father’s DNA, using genetic genealogy. Prosecutors say that a cheek swab taken from Kohberger provided a direct match.
Here’s everything we know about Bryan Kohberger so far.
Kohberger claimed he was “shocked” at the allegations against him
Monroe County, Pa., public defender Jason LaBar told CNN that Kohberger was “shocked a little bit” by the accusations.
LaBar, who represented Kohberger for the extradition procedures but won’t be his attorney for the criminal case, also told The Washington Post that Kohberger would waive his right to an extradition hearing in an attempt to get closer to his exoneration.
“He’s willing to waive because he’s looking forward to being exonerated,” LaBar explained. “Those were his words. Whether that means he’s innocent or not, it’s implicit in saying he wants to be exonerated that he’s innocent. He didn’t use the word ‘innocent.’ “
Kohberger may have been bullied — but some allege he was a bully himself
At least one individual who knew Kohberger when they were young recalled Kohberger as being quiet but friendly, and that he was bullied by peers over his weight.
“He was bullied a lot, it started because of his weight and it was mainly by females. He was pretty big,” Sarah Healy, who attended elementary, middle and high school with Kohberger in Pleasant Valley, Pa., told PEOPLE. “He was very quiet, very to himself. He was very into his books, he was really sweet and really quiet.”
Others who knew Kohberger didn’t recall him being bullied at all.
Casey Arntz, who was two years ahead of Kohberger in high school in Pleasant Valley, said she didn’t remember Kohberger ever being bullied and alleged that while Kohberger was always nice to her, he actually bullied her brother at times.
“I know that he had anger issues and he would have outbursts and stuff. I never saw them face to face. My brother said that when Bryan would get angry with him, he would kind of gaslight him and get physically aggressive,” Casey, 28, told PEOPLE. “Bryan never got physically aggressive with my brother, but he was kind of the person who would smash things or punch a wall or something like that.”
Casey added, “I never saw [Kohberger being bullied]. He was two years behind me. But then apparently when he lost the weight, some people are saying that he accepted apologies from the people that bullied him. And then other people are saying he bullied them right back.”
Casey’s brother Thomas Arntz, 26, told The New York Times that his and Kohberger’s friendship ended after what began as playful “ribbing and jabbing” escalated to “meanspirited” bullying, including Kohberger allegedly putting Thomas in a headlock.
“Over time it just got so, so bad that I just shut down when I was around him,” Thomas said. “I eventually just had to cut ties with him.”
An anonymous college classmate of Kohberger’s recalled him frequently taking contrarian viewpoints in classes and getting into heated arguments with other doctorate students, according to The New York Times. The classmate said Kohberger seemed to have more disagreements with women, including one incident that led to a female doctoral student storming out of the classroom after accusing Kohberger of “mansplaining.”
He allegedly used heroin as a teen
Several of Kohberger’s classmates from his teens recalled him using heroin, with some alleging that Kohberger offered the drug to others before he went to rehab in 2013. Lee Mack, who graduated from Pleasant Valley High School in 2012, told PEOPLE she befriended Kohberger after meeting him at a party.
“Bryan never gave off red flags that I knew of. He was always weird, but what teenage kid who’s trying to find himself isn’t weird, you know?” she said, noting that Kohberger briefly joined her friend group, but they grew apart after Kohberger allegedly offered another friend heroin.
“He offered my best friend heroin, and we just realized he was a little bit more far gone than we had expected to deal with, and so we had to end our friendship,” Mack said. She added that Kohberger later reached out to her two years after graduation. “He said, ‘Hey … I’m getting clean. I want to do something really good for my life and for people.’ “
Kohberger has a psychology degree
Kohberger earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at a local community college near his eastern Pennsylvania hometown, The New York Times reported.
Jack Baylis, who befriended Kohberger in eighth grade, told PEOPLE that Kohberger was very interested in psychology as a teen.
“He is super curious. Probably the most curious [person] who you’ll ever meet. Guaranteed,” Baylis said. “He was really into psychology, how people thought and whatnot. He’s always been really into that kind of stuff.”
“If you’re like, ‘Oh, why do people do like this? Why do men … blah blah blah?’ ‘Or why do women … blah blah blah?’ … He’d get all into those kinds of things, and wondering differences between just how different people think and all that,” Baylis added.
Reconciling the idea that his childhood friend is accused of killing four young adults hasn’t been easy, Baylis, who last saw Kohberger in 2021 when they shot airsoft guns together, explained.
“He’s always been nice to me, always friendly to me. Never seemed like a bad guy,” Baylis said. “I hope he’s innocent. I hope it was anyone else. Because you don’t want your friend to have been a murderer. It’s not fun.”
He received a master’s degree in criminal justice from DeSales University
DeSales University confirmed in a statement that Kohberger was an alum. “Kohberger received a bachelor’s degree in 2020 and completed his graduate studies in June 2022,” a message on the university website read. Kohberger received a master’s degree in criminal justice.
“We are devastated by this senseless tragedy. We also recognize the impact this news can have on our community’s well-being. DeSales has expanded counseling services for students, faculty, and staff,” the statement continued.
“As a Catholic, Salesian community, we extend deep sympathy and prayers to the friends and family of the victims.”
While studying at DeSales, Kohberger posted a since-deleted call on Reddit for ex-convicts to participate in what he said was a study sanctioned by the University on how “emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.”
One of his classmates at DeSales, Brittany Slaven, told The New York Times that Kohberger seemed rather interested in serial killers and developing theories on what happened at crime scenes based on photos presented in class, but that his behavior didn’t raise any red flags for her at the time. “At the time it seemed as if he was just a curious student, so if his questions felt odd we didn’t think much of it because it fit our curriculum,” she explained.
Casey Arntz recalled Kohberger being interested in criminal justice when he was still in high school, but she believed his addiction delayed his plans to go to college to study the subject.
“He definitely was interested in criminal justice back then,” she said. “And I’m seeing from other people now that from former friends and acquaintances and even teachers that said he was always interested in it and he loved crime movies and TV shows and stuff like that.”
He interviewed for a job with the local police
In April 2022, Kohberger interviewed for a job as a graduate research assistant at the Pullman, Washington, police department.
According to email correspondence obtained by the New York Times, Kohberger sent a note to then-Police Chief Gary Jenkins with the subject line “Thank you” after his interview.
“Chief Jenkins, It was a great pleasure to meet with you today and share my thoughts and excitement regarding the research assistantship for public safety. I look forward to hearing from you,” he wrote.
Jenkins responded, “Great to meet and talk with you as well.”
A local bar issued a warning to Kohberger months before the murders
Several months ago, Kohberger was warned about his interactions with women working and frequenting a bar in Bethlehem, Pa., Jordan Serulneck, the owner of Seven Sirens Brewing Company, told NBC News.
Serulneck explained that the bar staff scan IDs of all patrons and that they can add notes that pop up in their internal system. “Staff put in there, ‘Hey, this guy makes creepy comments, keep an eye on him. He’ll have two or three beers and then just get a little too comfortable,’ ” Serulneck recalled.
The brewery owner added that Kohberger would often sit alone at the bar “observing and watching” other patrons and that he asked female staff and customers questions about where they lived and who they were at the bar with. Serulneck said that if women weren’t interested in conversing that Kohberger “would get upset with them a little bit” and that Kohberger called a female staffer a “b—” when she wouldn’t answer his questions.
Serulneck said of his final interaction with Kohberger, “I went up to him and I said, ‘Hey Bryan, welcome back. We appreciate you coming back. … I just wanted to talk to you real quick and make sure that you’re going to be respectful this time and we’re not going to have any issues.'” Serulneck said that Kohberger seemed shocked at his remarks and told the owner, “‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. You totally have me confused.’ ” Serulneck says that Kohberger never returned to the bar after the conversation.
Kohberger was getting a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University
At the time of the murders, Kohberger was a Ph.D. student in criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, about eight miles from the Moscow, Idaho, residence where the four University of Idaho students were slain. The Washington State University Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology removed its graduate student directory from its website. They replaced it with a statement expressing condolences to the victims and their survivors.
“We removed the webpage containing the listing and contact information for graduate students in the CJC department. This decision was done to protect the privacy of our graduate students,” the statement reads in part. “We stand in sympathy with the families of the victims of this horrible crime and remain dedicated to the pursuit of justice.”
BK Norton, a classmate of Kohberger at Washington State University who took the same courses as him last semester, described Kohberger to PEOPLE as “intelligent but quiet.”
Norton said Kohberger was “more of a loner in the program,” and claimed that Kohberger made disparaging remarks about the LGBTQ+ community.
“I didn’t socialize with him because he had made anti-LGBTQ comments and I am a queer Individual,” Norton told PEOPLE. If indeed Kohberger committed the crimes, Norton said, “As a criminology student, I’m sure he knew what charges he’d receive.”
Norton said that Kohberger generally kept to himself, but noted, “I know that there were students meeting with him after the murders. He was quiet and stared a lot, but after the murders he seemed more willing to talk and hold a conversation.”
He was a teaching assistant at Washington State University
Joey Famularo had Kohberger as a teaching assistant in one of her classes at Washington State and previously spoke about her experiences with him on TikTok. She recalled that Kohberger was a tough grader early in the semester, but that his behavior changed after Nov. 12, 2022, when the murders occurred.
She noted that there were no real red flags about him and that her class of 150 students “didn’t see him very often,” but explained, “after November 12th, his behavior changed significantly.” Famularo noted that in October, Kohberger had failed all of his students on a test and left several comments on their work.
“Then starting November and December, he started just handing out 100s and leaving very minimal comments,” she said. “So that was, I think, probably the biggest behavior change.”
Kohberger was pulled over twice on a road trip before his arrest
After Kohberger was arrested, body camera footage was released that showed him getting pulled over twice in one day while on a cross-country road trip from Washington to Pennslyvania with his father. Kohberger was driving a white Hyundai Elantra — the same vehicle authorities were searching for in connection with the case — and was stopped both times for following a vehicle too closely. He was released with a verbal warning on both occasions. After Kohberger’s arrest, the vehicle was taken from his family home.
“At the time of the traffic stop, there was no information available on a suspect for the crimes in Idaho, to include identifying information or any specific information related to the license plate state or number of the white Hyundai Elantra which was being reported in the media to have been seen in an around where the crime occurred,” the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement obtained by multiple outlets.
His DNA was found on the sheath of a knife left at the crime scene
According to the affidavit, which was reviewed by PEOPLE, a sheath of the knife used in the murders was left at the scene in the bed where Mogen and Goncalves were found. The affidavit states that this is where detectives found DNA linking Kohberger, which they then matched to trash taken from Kohberger’s parent’s home in Pennsylvania. In June 2023, prosecutors revealed that a DNA sample taken directly from Kohberger matched DNA found on the sheath of a knife.
The affidavit also alleged that around 4:20 a.m. on the night of the killing, a white sedan referred to as “Suspect Vehicle 1” in the affidavit was seen leaving the area of the home at a fast rate of speed. The document also stated that the vehicle and phone associated with Kohberger returned to the scene between 9:12 a.m. and 9:21 a.m.
Additionally, the affidavit alleged that while investigating previous cellphone pings, authorities learned that the cell phone associated with Kohberger pinged in the area of the 1122 King Road home where the killings took place on at least twelve occasions prior to November 13, 2022.
“All of these occasions, except for one, occurred in the late evening and early morning hours of their respective days,” the affidavit read.
He spoke about the slain students during his extradition
Though Kohberger has largely remained silent after he was charged, a police source who was involved in the process told PEOPLE that he spoke to officers while he was being extradited.
“He seemed really nervous,” the source said. “He was narrating to himself everything that was happening. At one point, he was saying something to himself like ‘I’m fine, this is okay.’ Like he was reassuring himself that this whole thing wasn’t awful.”
While Kohberger didn’t speak directly to officers about the case, the police source said he did make an offhand comment about it. “He did say, ‘It’s really sad what happened to them,’ but he didn’t say anything more,” the source said. “He’s smarter than that.” Kohberger was read his Miranda rights during his arrest, and cannot be questioned about the case without an attorney present.
Kohberger followed all three female victims on Instagram — and messaged one
While authorities have not revealed if the victims knew Kohberger, the suspect’s now-deleted Instagram account — which was reviewed by PEOPLE before it was removed — followed the accounts of Mogen, Goncalves, and Kernodle. None of the victims followed him back.
Two weeks before the students were killed, Kohberger sent a series of messages to one of the victims on Instagram, an investigator familiar with the case told PEOPLE.
An account that authorities believe belonged to Kohberger sent a greeting to a female victim in late October. When he didn’t get a reply, he sent several more messages to her.
“He slid into one of the girls’ DMs several times but she didn’t respond,” the source told PEOPLE. “Basically, it was just him saying, ‘Hey, how are you?’ But he did it again and again.”
The source added that the victim may not have ever seen the messages, as they went into the message request folder on Instagram.
“There’s no indication that he was getting frustrated with her lack of response,” the source said, “but he was definitely persistent.”
Kohberger also allegedly visited the Mad Greek restaurant in Moscow — where both Mogen and Kernodle worked as servers — in the weeks leading up to the slayings. According to a former employee, he came in at least twice to grab vegan pizza — though it’s unclear if either woman ever waited on Kohberger or if they interacted.
He visited the Idaho student union before the murders
In February, three different University of Idaho students told PEOPLE they believe they saw Kohberger at the Student Union building on campus in the weeks leading up to the murders.
“It was really early in the semester,” recalled Chelsea, a sophomore at the University of Idaho. “He was at the food court [of the Student Union], drinking water. He sat by himself.”
“He was the type to stare,” she said. “He wouldn’t look away if you caught him staring. Like he wanted you to notice that he was looking at you. He didn’t smile, didn’t nod, didn’t say anything. Just stared.”
Another student told PEOPLE that Kohberger visited frequently enough that she assumed he was a student at the school.
“It’s not a huge school; it’s like a small town,” she said. “So you start seeing the same faces again and again. They become familiar, like you know that you’ve seen them in class or around campus. I definitely saw him more than once. He was just really quiet and really intense, staring. He made me uncomfortable.”
He allegedly had photos of a victim on his phone
A source familiar with the investigation told PEOPLE that Kohberger had photos of one of the female victims on his phone. They did not specify whether the images were taken by Kohberger or pulled from social media.
“He had more than one picture of her,” the source said. “It was clear that he was paying attention to her.”
In March 2023, an unsealed search warrant revealed items that were taken from Kohberger’s parents’ home after he was arrested.
The items included two knives, a Glock handgun with three empty magazines, black face masks, black gloves, a black hat, “green leafy substance in plastic bag,” a “book with underlining on page 118” and the suspect’s AT&T bill.
The warrant said that documents, vehicle paperwork, books, a prescription, a cell phone, a laptop, and a power cable were also collected.
FAQs about Bryan Kohberger
Who is Bryan Kohberger?
Bryan Kohberger is a young man who is facing murder and burglary charges in the gruesome November murders of four University of Idaho students.
How old is Bryan Kohberger?
Bryan Kohberger was born in 1994. He is currently 28 years old.
Where is Bryan Kohberger from?
Kohberger is a Pennsylvania native and his parents still live in Albrightsville where he grew up. This is the same area where he was arrested. Graduation records show he spent time in both Bethlehem and Central Valley while attending college.
Who are Bryan Kohberger’s parents?
Bryan Kohberger’s father is Michael, and his mother is Maryann. Michael and Maryann had three children together — two daughters and a son. Their eldest daughter, Amanda, was born in 1988, and their second daughter Melissa was born in 1991. Bryan is their youngest child and was born in 1994.
Who are Bryan Kohberger’s sisters?
His older sister Melissa Kohberger was a school counselor and his other sister, Amanda, had been working as an actress. Both have been let go from their jobs.
What school did Bryan Kohberger attend?
Kohberger is a graduate student in the Department of Criminology at nearby Washington State University.
Who is Bryan Kohberger’s wife?
As of 2023, Bryan Kohberger is not known to be married.
Does Bryan Kohberger have any children?
The Idaho murder suspect Kohberger does not have any children. In fact, there is no clue about his girlfriend or wife.
What is Bryan Kohberger’s net worth?
Bryan Kohberger has a sizable net worth as a prominent television personality and entrepreneur, however, his exact amount is unknown. A source reports Kohberger’s fortune with his parents Maryann Kohberger and Michael Kohberger filing twice for bankruptcy.
How tall is Bryan Kohberger?
Bryan Kohberger is of average height, standing at 5 feet and 8 inches tall. He maintains a healthy weight, tipping the scales at around 65 kilograms.
What is Bryan Kohberger’s religion?
About Bryan’s religion, reports from March 2023 suggest that Bryan has been attending Mass while in jail.
“I’ve not heard about him being especially religious in the past, but apparently he does have this Mass that he attends,” NewsNation reporter Brian Entin said during an appearance on the network’s show Banfield (per Newsweek). “He has conversations there with the priest. What he’s talking about, we don’t know but we’ve confirmed that he is going to to Mass.”
What did Bryan Kohberger do?
Kohberger, 28, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary in connection with the stabbing deaths in Moscow, Idaho.
Who are Bryan Kohberger’s victims?
His alleged victims are Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
What happened to Bryan Kohberger?
Bryan Kohberger, now 28, was indicted in Idaho last month and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. At his Idaho arraignment in late May, Bryan Kohberger declined to offer a plea, so the judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
When was Bryan Kohberger arrested?
Kohberger was arested in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania on Friday, December 30, 2022.
What evidence did they find on Brian Kohberger?
Law enforcement previously said they had obtained DNA from the knife sheath and matched it to DNA from Kohberger’s father found in the trash outside the family home. Now, the new documents show a match directly from a cheek swab taken from Kohberger.
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