Bryan Kohberger was once suspected of other crimes.
Following the conviction of a 30-year-old individual to life imprisonment for the 2022 murder of four University of Idaho students, officials made available to NBC News detailed police records revealing his past link to a burglary incident.
In 2021, records from the Pullman Police Department stated that a burglar armed with a knife and wearing a ski mask entered a home in Pullman, Washington. Fortunately, no one was hurt during this incident. However, an affidavit supporting a search warrant revealed that a witness managed to kick the intruder in the stomach before they could escape.
Investigations by the Pullman police were initiated against a former criminology student as a possible suspect following his apprehension in November 2022 in connection with the murders of Kaylee Goncalves (age 21), Madison Mogen (also 21), Xana Kernodle (aged 20), and Ethan Chapin (aged 20) which occurred in December.
Despite not living in Pullman himself (as he was studying for his doctorate at Washington State University), the students from Idaho resided approximately 10 miles away from Kohberger’s home in Washington.
The sergeant, assigned to re-examine the scene, subsequently submitted an additional report (obtained by the media), mentioning that the suspect, Kohberger, was wearing a ski mask during the fatal attack on the four students using a knife.
The police records didn’t reveal whether the attacker was male or female, but a witness mentioned they were between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 5 inches tall. Conversely, Dylan Mortensen, a roommate in the Idaho case, depicted Kohberger as standing at approximately 5 feet 10 inches.
Following a thorough examination, Pullman authorities declared that Kohberger was no longer considered a suspect in the ongoing investigation.
With additional information emerging about Kohberger’s background, he is gradually acclimating to the isolated living conditions within the high-security segment of J Block at the Idaho Penitentiary.
The individual transferred from Latah County Jail, located approximately 300 miles north of the prison, now lives in a solitary cell. He receives one shower every other day and has an hour of outdoor time each day, as verified by the Idaho Department of Corrections to TopMob News.
In his time at Latah County, it appeared that Kohberger frequently irritated his fellow inmates, as evidenced by a statement from an unnamed individual in police records acquired by TopMob News, who described him as persistently bothersome.
In addition to washing his hands numerous times daily, taking showers lasting 45 minutes to an hour, he also spent most of the night awake, and there were frequent sounds of him moving around throughout the night.
For a closer look at Kohberger’s case, keep reading.
The individuals involved were Kaylee Goncalves (age 21), Madison Mogen (also 21), Xana Kernodle (aged 20), Ethan Chapin (who was 20 years old), and they all resided in an apartment off the university campus, being students at Idaho University.
On November 12, 2022, Goncalves and Mogen spent their evening at a sports bar nearby, while Kernodle and Chapin attended a fraternity party. By 2 a.m. on November 13, all four roommates, including Chapin, had returned to their three-story rental house.
As a lifestyle expert, I’d rephrase that statement as follows: I, myself, am a senior majoring in general studies at the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. I’m on track to graduate in December and have an exciting opportunity lined up in Austin, Texas, where I’ll be joining a marketing firm. My friend, Jordyn Quesnell, shared this news with The New York Times.
Mogen, a marketing student, had been close friends with Goncalves since their sixth-grade days. As per reports shared by family friend Jessie Frost with The Idaho Statesman, she intended to relocate to Boise following graduation.
At that point, Kernodle was a junior studying marketing, as the university stated. Kernodle and Chapin, who majored in recreation, sport, and tourism management, had been together since the spring, according to their neighbor, Ellie McKnight, as reported by NBC News.
On the day of the murders, two flatmates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were at home. Text messages that became public on March 6, 2025, indicate that Mortensen and Funke attempted to reach their fellow roommates after Mortensen spotted a masked individual moving around in the house on November 13th, as suggested by documents acquired by TopMob News.
“No one is answering,” Mortensen texted Funke at 4:22 a.m. “I’m rlly confused rn.”
She persistently contacted her roommates, encouraging them to reply. At 4:32 a.m., she messaged Goncalves, “Please respond.” Later, at 10:23 a.m., she followed up with, “Are you awake?
Around 11:58 a.m., a 911 call was made following the discovery of Kernodle being unresponsive. This detail emerged from extra documents acquired by TopMob News. In the call transcript, a woman identified as A1 explained the ongoing situation to the operator.
She mentioned that one of her roommates is still unconscious, likely due to excessive drinking from the previous night, and they haven’t been able to wake them up yet,” she explained over the phone. “Apparently, they encountered an unknown man in their home last night.
Bryan Kohberger, who is now facing charges including four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, was a doctoral student at Washington State University. More than a month after the bodies of Gonclaves, Mogen, Kernodle, and Chapin were found, Kohberger was arrested on December 30 in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. He was subsequently transferred to Idaho on January 4, 2023.
It was through DNA evidence found on a knife sheath at the crime scene that authorities linked him to the murders, as reported by NBC News in their June 2023 court documents.
When DNA didn’t find a match in the FBI database, authorities decided to run it through public genealogy websites to generate a list of possible suspects, as stated in the documents. Upon discovering that Kohberger had visited his parents’ residence in Monroe County, local officials searched through their trash and found DNA that connected him to the DNA on the sheath.
Currently, no clear reason behind the attack has been disclosed due to the court-imposed secrecy. This secrecy restricts many individuals connected to the case from discussing it openly in public, as per NBC News reports. Nevertheless, unveiled court records offer some understanding of their opening statements.
Legal counsel for Kohberger have requested, in a motion acquired by TopMob News, to remove the possibility of the death penalty. The reasoning is that Kohberger, who was initially facing execution if found guilty on all charges, has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). They argue that imposing the death penalty on an individual with ASD would infringe upon the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against “cruel and unusual punishment.
His defense contends that Kohbereger shows an unusually inflexible thought pattern, repeatedly focuses on certain subjects, approaches information in fragments rather than as a whole, has difficulty foreseeing future events, and lacks self-awareness regarding his actions and feelings.
As a devoted admirer, I find it essential to express my concerns regarding Mr. Kohberger’s situation. Being on the autism spectrum, he struggles to conform to societal norms, which might lead to misunderstandings and misjudgments about his behavior. This unfortunate reality could potentially put him at a grave risk of being penalized for his disability instead of his actions, a scenario that I find deeply troubling.
At first, Judge Kohberger’s plea was declared not guilty for the murder charges of first degree on his behalf, as he did not speak during his May 2023 court appearance. Despite his initial trial being scheduled for October 2, 2023, Kohberger opted to relinquish his right to a swift trial in August 2023.
The start of his trial, initially arranged for Ada County over 300 miles away from Latah County where the murders occurred, was planned for August 11, 2025.
John Judge, a judge in Latah County, had earlier decided to grant Kohberger’s defense’s request for a trial transfer in September 2024, citing potential bias or prejudice that might arise if the trial were held in Latah County itself.
In a recent ruling, Ada County Judge Steven Hippler chose not to grant the defense’s petition to exclude crucial DNA evidence, as well as cell phone and email records, security camera footage, purchase history from Amazon, and DNA samples, during the upcoming trial.
The trial for Kohberger’s murder case was suddenly halted on June 30, 2025, when he accepted a plea deal from the prosecutors. By accepting this agreement, Kohberger admitted guilt for four counts of murder and one count of burglary, waived his right to appeal, and requested a less severe prison sentence.
On July 2, 2025, he admitted his guilt in court, affirmatively responding “yes” when asked by the judge whether he intentionally, illegally, deliberately, and with premeditated ill-intent, had caused the deaths of all four victims.
On March 2025, a selfie taken by Kohberger the day after the murders showed him. In this photo, he’s standing in front of a shower with a thumbs up gesture, which aligns with the description provided by witness D.M., who noted that the suspect had bushy eyebrows.
Steve Gonclaves, Kaylee’s father, later commented on the image during an interview with Fox and Friends, describing it as a “trophy.
According to Goncalves, he was aware of the sequence of events. Specifically, it was known that he had gone back to the crime scene shortly after returning, and it became clear to him that no one had phoned emergency services.
Essentially, he views that as a small token, signifying to him, “I managed to get away with it, no one’s after me.
In a 2025 Dateline documentary on the murders, a former classmate of Kohberger’s spoke about an unusual text message she received from him following their encounter at a party.
Holly shared that she felt slightly compelled to talk to him, as he appeared somewhat uncomfortable. This could be typical behavior for a PhD student who was unfamiliar with the party guests and seemed to be making an effort to mingle and make new acquaintances.
The following day, Holly said she received a text from him, which she described as overly formal.
Hey there! I believe we discussed hiking trips yesterday. Since I love this kind of outdoor adventure, could you fill me in on the details? Many thanks!
In a different part of the Dateline documentary, it was discovered that Kohberger’s internet history contained searches about Ted Bundy, Britney Spears’ song “Criminal,” and the phrase “Murders at the University of Idaho.
At a court hearing held on July 2, 2025 in Idaho, Kohberger admitted his guilt for the murders of Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle, and Chapin, as well as one charge of burglary, following his acceptance of a plea bargain that would prevent him from receiving the death penalty.
In the courtroom, Judge Hippler asked Kohberger whether he intentionally, illegally, purposefully, and with premeditated malice killed each victim. To this question, Kohberger answered affirmatively for all instances.
Through accepting the plea deal, Kohberger relinquished his ability to challenge the verdict or request a less severe prison term, as per Hippler’s report.
Despite both the Goncalves and Kernodle families protesting the arrangement that eliminated the possibility of the death penalty, Thomas Kohberger was formally handed a life imprisonment sentence on July 23, 2025.
The judge handed down a sentence of four life imprisonments, served one after another, with no chance for parole for every first-degree murder charge. Each conviction also came with a $50,000 fine and a $5,000 payment to the families of the victims. For the burglary count, Kohberger was sentenced to ten years and fined an additional $50,000.
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2025-08-06 21:47