Idaho student murders investigation reveals Bryan Kohberger's 'scary' history Christopher Cann, USA TODAYAugust 20, 2025 at 3:01 AM Before he was arrested and convicted for the murders of four university students in Idaho, Bryan Kohberger raised concerns among his classmates and faculty members in W...
- - Idaho student murders investigation reveals Bryan Kohberger's 'scary' history
Christopher Cann, USA TODAYAugust 20, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Before he was arrested and convicted for the murders of four university students in Idaho, Bryan Kohberger raised concerns among his classmates and faculty members in Washington, leading to multiple formal complaints against the former criminal justice student, a new trove of police documents reveal.
Kohberger's behavior at Washington State University – where he was a doctoral student at the time of the murders – led a student to avoid walking home by herself, left another student crying after a tense classroom discussion and was so prevalent that students kept a tally tracking each time he made "discriminatory comments."
Citing the complaints against him, one professor suggested to her colleagues that Kohberger's funding should be cut and he should be pushed out of the criminal justice program.
"He is smart enough that in four years we will have to give him a Ph.D. Mark my word, I work with predators, if we give him a Ph.D. that's the guy that in that many years when he is a professor, we will hear is harassing, stalking, and sexually abusing of his, I thought would be his, you know, his students at wherever university he ended," the professor told police.
The hair-raising incidents were among those detailed in more than 550 pages of investigative reports compiled by the Idaho State Police as they centered on Kohberger as the suspect for the murders of four University of Idaho students on Nov. 13, 2022.
Kohberger in July was sentenced to life in prison for the murders after striking a plea deal with prosecutors in which he admitted to killing Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. The deal, which divided the victim's families, allowed Kohberger to avoid the death penalty and what would have been a highly publicized trial.
While the new documents shed light on his behavior toward fellow students in Washington, Kohberger's motive for carrying out the grisly murders remains a mystery.
Here's what the latest trove of case documents reveal.
In fear of Kohberger, student avoids the bus and walking alone
A sophomore at Washington State University told investigators about several "uncomfortable" and "strange" interactions she had with Kohberger.
She said that Kohberger had began lingering around her while she was working on her studies and had once asked her to get coffee, which she declined. When the woman was alone, Kohberger would go into the office where she worked on campus and would stand directly behind her until an adviser came in the room.
"Only then did Kohberger move away," she told investigators.
The woman told her bosses about the incident, and they said they did not want her alone with Kohberger, citing similar complaints from other students, police records said. Eventually, one of her bosses began taking her home "so she would not have to walk by herself or take the bus."
On one ocassion, Kohberger "cornered" the student, "standing in a manner where she could not leave without running into him," investigators said. "She described this as 'scary' especially when she was alone."
She said that – of all the students she interacted with at the university – "Kohberger was the only one to make her feel uncomfortable."
Other female students described similar interactions with Kohberger in which he tried to assert verbal dominance in classroom discussions, stared at them strangely and loomed over them. One student said she told her mother about Kohberger and referred to him as "the creepy guy."
Kohberger had a reputation for making sexist, homophobic remarks
Several of the students and faculty members told police that Kohberger had a reputation for making sexist, racist and homophobic comments.
A faculty member in the criminal justice program told police that Kohberger was a frequent topic of conversation at disciplinary meetings, where staff members would discuss complaints from students and professors regarding Kohberger's behavior, including his concerning remarks.
"The various complaints were about how KOHBERGER spoke to other staff and students, his stating of outspoken discriminatory comments which were homophobic, ableist, xenophobic, and misogynistic in nature," investigators wrote. "He would also stare at people and stand uncomfortably close or 'lean' over women, making them very uncomfortable."
A professor once spoke with Kohberger about his behavior, and Kohberger responded with a "deflection of personal responsibility saying that his comments had been misunderstood etc."
Citing several conversations he had with Kohberger, one male student said Kohberger "did not view value in women and saw them more as articles."
'Disrespectful to female instructors'
Multiple students described to investigators one incident in which Kohberger's tone and choice words led a student to leave the classroom and break down in tears.
During an open discussion on eyewitness misidentification, Kohberger became argumentative and agitated when he disagreed with a female student's point of view on the matter, police wrote.
Kohberger, multiple students said, tried to dominate the conversation and "said something very sexist." The student accused Kohberger of "mainsplaining" and left the classroom.
A faculty member told investigators that the student came to her in tears and told her about the incident. The student also filed a complaint against Kohberger with the university's civil rights and compliance group.
"He was perceived by female classmates as dominant and disrespectful to female instructors," a faculty member told police. "His behavior could be described as possibly sexist. He really did not like to be interrupted."
Kohberger was 'obsessed with serial killers'
Students and faculty members also described some of Kohberger's academic interests, especially his apparent obsession with serial killers and his research on "sexual burglars."
A faculty member said Kohberger's final paper in the fall of 2022 was on the study of burglars. "КОНBERGER had strong feelings that regular burglars had nothing to do with sexually motivated burglars," the professor said.
A student who had several uncomfortable interactions with Kohberger said he "would try and talk to her about the Ted Bundy murders because he knew she was interested in true crime."
She added that he "liked to talk about sexual burglary" because that was his field of study and that Kohberger "was interested in the emotions of what it felt like when committing a crime."
Describing Kohberger, one professor said he was "obsessed with serial killers."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Idaho student murders investigation finds killer's 'scary' history
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