BOISE, Idaho (Court TV) — Five hundred pages of newly released documents are offering a new look at the investigation into the murders of four University of Idaho students and the clues that led officers to Bryan Kohberger.
Bryan Kohberger, charged in the murders of four University of Idaho students, appears at the Ada County Courthouse, Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)
In the newly-released documents, prosecutors described walking through the home where Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found brutally murdered on Nov. 13, 2022. Prosecutors detailed the layout of the house as they theorized how the killer walked through the scene.
One of the roommates, whose name was redacted in the documents, told officers that she heard a male voice she did not recognize when the murders were taking place saying, “It’s OK Kaylee, I’m here for you.” Prosecutors theorized in the documents that the killer walked into Goncalves’ room first and then went to Mogen’s room, where both girls were stabbed to death in bed.
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Interviews with those who knew Bryan Kohberger offer startling revelations and red flags that weren’t caught before the murders. In the fall of 2022, Kohberger was a Ph.D. student in criminology at Washington State University, where he was also working as a teaching assistant. Professors and classmates told investigators that Kohberger’s behavior had caused problems within the department for months before he was arrested.
Female students complained that Kohberger’s behavior was condescending and disrespectful, and some also complained that he made them uncomfortable. The school encouraged students to have escorts and not meet alone with Kohberger, according to the reports reviewed by Court TV. When one classmate confronted him about the behavior, Kohberger allegedly replied, “I care how you feel, but you are wrong.”
While there are no records of Kohberger being in any romantic relationships, he told one classmate that if he were ever to have a sexual partner, they would have to be free from any physical or mental disabilities, need to be heterosexual and would have to be the “opposite of gender nonconformist.” Classmates described him as a “strong Catholic” and vegan who said he only ate one meal a day.
A photo from inside the house on King Rd. where four students were murdered shows empty bottles on a dresser. (Idaho State Police)
Before Christmas break, a faculty meeting centered around Kohberger’s behavior on campus, which had grown concerning. One professor, who was not identified, warned that “We will hear he is harassing, stalking and sexually abusing” his students, but that “he’s smart enough that in four years we will have to give him a Ph.D.” The staff recommended to cut his funding and remove him from the teaching assistant program, which had never been done previously.
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Months before the murders, Kohberger traveled to a hotel in Pullman, Washington, where he spent the night of June 30. While there, he spoke to hotel employees and discussed knives, sheaths, self-defense weapons and knife collections. One employee thought he may have been flirting with the staff, and said he left a key card at the front desk that was never picked up.
Investigative documents are also offering a rare glimpse into Kohberger’s life behind bars. Interviews with those who saw him in jail said that he goes through three standard-size bars of soap each week, as a result of hours-long showers and excessive handwashing, which also leave his hands red. He listed his favorite movie as “American Psycho.”
After his arrest, Kohberger noted the media coverage and remarked, “Wow, I’m on every channel.” An inmate who was housed with him noted that while he initially enjoyed coverage of his case, he soon stopped watching after becoming upset when his family or friends were mentioned. The inmate did say that Kohberger specifically enjoyed watching Court TV and coverage of the Alex Murdaugh trial.
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Kohberger is serving multiple life sentences after pleading guilty to avoid a potential death sentence. Former classmates say that Kohberger had expressed his support for the death penalty previously and had commented that he believed victims’ families should have a say in the penalty.
