Chilling theories on Bryan Kohberger's motive as prosecutor makes cryptic statement about 'intent'

Daily Mail​

15 hours ago

Following Bryan Kohberger 's confession to the brutal stabbings of four Idaho college students, one lingering question still remains: why did he kill them?
Speculation has been mounting about his motive after new details emerged of Kohberger's apparent fascination with crimes and serial killers, his troubled childhood and his alleged obsession with one of the victims, Madison Mogen, 21.
Over the course of the two-plus-year investigation into the slayings, authorities have been unable to find any digital connection between Kohberger and his four victims - Mogen, Ethan Chapin, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20.
There is also no known connection between Kohberger and the two surviving roommates, Bethany Funke and Dylan Mortensen.
All of this continues to fuel the mystery as to the motive, why he chose the victims and who may have been the intended target that fateful night.
But prosecutor Bill Thompson perhaps dropped the biggest clue so far that could point to Kohberger's motive, during the plea hearing on Wednesday.
Thompson said: 'We will not represent that he intended to commit all of the murders that he did that night, but we know that that is what resulted.'
If the prosecution believes that Kohberger didn't intend to commit all four murders, it begs the question: which of the slayings were targeted?
Here are four possible motives that could have led to the horrid murders.
'OBSESSION' WITH MADDY MOGEN
The prosecution's hint that Kohberger only had one intended target on the fateful night has ramped up the speculation that he was trying to kill Maddy Mogen.
Sources close to the investigation previously told Dateline that Mogen was believed to be Kohberger's target - based in part on the path the killer allegedly took after entering the three-story student home.
As a result, the other three students' deaths may have been collateral after he found Goncalves sleeping in Mogen's bedroom - before being intercepted by Kernodle, chasing her down the stairs, and killing her and boyfriend Chapin.
Kohberger was also rumored to have been obsessed with Mogen, although there is no official confirmation from authorities on this.
The 21-year-old worked as a waitress at the Mad Greek restaurant in Moscow, which served vegan-style cuisine matching Kohberger's strict dietary requirements.
Howard Blum, who wrote a book about the murders last year, suggested he may have first seen Mogen at the restaurant.
'The restaurant was the only one in town to serve the sort of vegan dishes that Kohberger's relatives told me he preferred. It was also where Mogen worked as a waitress,' Blum told Dateline.
'Did they talk? Did he ask her out? The prosecution and the defense have agreed that there is no evidence of any interaction – either in person or on social media.
'But I believe that wouldn't have been necessary for Kohberger to become infatuated with 21-year-old Mogen's pretty face, long blonde hair and sparkling personality. Obsessions came easily to him. He was, after all, a recovering heroin addict.'
Also last year, Goncalves' parents claimed to have found a social media account that bared Kohberger's name and linked him to Mogen.
'You would go to Maddie's Instagram account and look at her pictures, and he liked them,' Kristi Goncalves told 48 Hours in January 2024.
'He had liked them. Bryan's name was under a lot of Maddie's pictures. Liked her pictures, liked that picture and that picture, and that picture, and that picture.
'So, he was actively looking at the Instagram account.'
Kristi also alleged the account - which she says was deleted around the time of Kohberger's arrest - was following her daughter's page as well.
Sources said the killer went straight up to Mogen's room on the third floor, but found her best friend Goncalves also sharing her bed.
After killing the best friends, he returned downstairs where he is believed to have encountered Kernodle.
Not anticipating to run into her, Kohberger went on to kill Kernodle and her boyfriend Chapin.
There is nothing to suggest he knew the victims, only the theory that he might have crossed paths with Mogen prior.
KEEN INTEREST IN SERIAL KILLERS
Kohberger had an infatuation with infamous serial killers, so much so that he studied them in college.
Chilling internet searches revealed that Kohberger made several searches related to infamous serial killer Ted Bundy.
Bundy was put to death for a string of murders including the killings of female students in a sorority house in Florida.
Kohberger also penned a chilling 12-page essay detailing how to handle a crime scene that was eerily similar to the Idaho murders, a recent court filing revealed.
The essay, which he submitted in 2020 as part of his criminal justice Master's degree at DeSales University, depicted a crime scene where a white woman was found murdered at a trailer park after being stabbed to death with a knife.
In the essay, Kohberger also outlined the protective gear - including gloves, 'fiber-free' overalls and special boots - worn by crime scene investigators to avoid leaving DNA and prints at the scene.
Prosecutors argued the essay showed Kohberger's extensive knowledge of crime scenes. He graduated from DeSales in summer 2022, mere months before the murders.
His former professor Dr. Katherine Ramsland, a top serial killer expert, expressed her fears that she may have inspired Kohberger's crime.
Rasmland initially refused to believe he could be capable of killing, even after his arrest. But as she investigated the case more, she began to believe he may be responsible.
'We know that there's always a risk that we're attracting somebody that's going to do something terrible,' she told NewsNation on Tuesday.
'I know, everyone in this field knows that we could have students who might become offenders but we also know the vast majority of our students will not and will go into a field like law enforcement that will make the world better,' she added.
CHILDHOOD 'TRAUMA'
Kohberger came from a troubled childhood - that may have laid the groundwork for an unstable adulthood before he committed the gruesome quadruple murder.
When he was a child, Kohberger was involved in a car accident, though the details of the incident - including when and where it occurred - remain a mystery.
It is also unclear if Kohberger suffered any injuries in the accident.
But, the filing states that the incident is documented in the defense's reports from mental health experts and that his family members could have testified about the apparent trauma he endured.
Along with the car crash, which was listed under 'trauma history,' Kohberger's past drug abuse was also mentioned - as prosecutors revealed family members and mental health professionals could have spoken on this evidence.
As a teenager, Kohberger struggled with heroin addiction and was once arrested for stealing and selling his sister's iPhone.
According to 2014 court records, Kohberger's dad Michael called police to report his then-19-year-old son for stealing the cell phone.
Michael told police the teen had drug abuse issues.
Several former friends and high school classmates also spoke out about his heroin use following his arrest in December 2022.
Rich Pasqua told The New York Times that he and Kohberger would use heroin together in 2013 and 2014, while both working at a local pizza store in his home state of Pennsylvania.
Pasqua also described Kohberger as socially awkward and said he was bullied in high school over his weight.
Kohberger eventually kicked his drug habit following a stint in rehab, turning his attentions to studying criminology.
Prosecutors reveal that Kohberger's educational, family and religious history were also explored by his team.
After killing best friends Mogen and Goncalves, Kohberger returned downstairs where he is believed to have encountered Kernodle - killing her and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin (pictured together in July 2022)
RANDOM ACT OF CHILLING VIOLENCE
The final chilling theory as to why he chose to kill the four that night could be that it was a random act of violence.
Kohberger could have just decided to walk into the house that night to kill the teens, but again, it is unclear why he would have chosen that home specifically.
Kohberger's apparent attitude toward women has also come under the spotlight.
His phone was allegedly used to search for pornography along with terms like 'passed out', 'forced', 'drugged' and 'sleeping' in the weeks around November 2022 -the same time the gruesome murders took place.
A stash of images on his device allegedly included bikini-clad female students.