Bryan Kohberger's Jail Habits Revealed: Washed Hands ‘Dozens of Times' a Day, Stayed Awake ‘Almost All Night'
Corporal Brett Payne, the lead investigator in the case, spoke with an inmate at Latah County Jail who alleged that Kohberger, 30, 'became annoying' to share space with as he would spend '45 minutes to an hour in the shower,' and washed his hands 'dozens of times' per day.
He also reportedly kept an odd sleep schedule and 'would be awake almost all night' and could be heard 'moving around.'
As for Kohberger's temperament behind bars, the inmate recalled him losing his cool once when he misunderstood a a comment. According to Payne's report, the inmate shouted 'you suck' at an athlete on television and Kohberger 'immediately got up' and 'aggressively asked' if he'd been referring to him or his mother. Other than the brief altercation, the inmate said the convicted killer was 'highly intelligent and polite for the most part.'
While Kohberger allegedly chose not to speak about his own charges, he would 'often question' the inmate about what he did to land himself in jail.
As the National Enquirer previously reported, aside from his chat with the inmate, Detective Payne also spoke with Kohberger when he was taken into police custody after the brutal slayings of Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.
He said they initially made 'small talk,' as the 30-year-old admitted that he'd once 'thought about being a police officer' himself, according to the released case documents. Kohberger also spoke about his interest in criminal justice and his appreciation for the 'beauty' of the state of Washington, where he attended college.
However, when the subject shifted to the Idaho murders, Kohberger invoked his Fifth Amendment Rights.
More than two years later, he officially confessed to killing the four University of Idaho students in 2022 as a part of a plea agreement that would allow him to avoid the potential of receiving the death penalty if the case went to trial.
At his sentencing hearing on July 23, Judge Steven Hippler appeared to become emotional as he addressed Kohberger in court.
'I listened intently to the stories and pain that have been shared today with great awe at the courage and resilience of the surviving family members of those wonderful children,' Hippler said at the time.
Kohberger was sentenced to serve four consecutive life sentences.
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Atlantic
6 hours ago
- Atlantic
What Is Evil?
When the news first broke about the four University of Idaho students who were stabbed to death in the middle of the night, the word evil was on everyone's lips. I encountered it on Reddit boards and podcasts, in the tabloids, on daytime TV, and in mainstream news outlets. This was surely the work of a monster. And when Bryan Kohberger was arrested, the evidence only seemed to confirm the fact. This guy was taking classes with an expert on serial killers. He'd worn a black mask and disconnected his phone during the murders. His car had been thoroughly cleaned, and he was seen wearing surgical gloves and depositing trash in his neighbor's bin. The verdict was in even before he entered court with what a body-language expert described as a 'sociopathic stare': This guy was immediately seen as the next Ted Bundy. The darker and more callow corners of the internet were even asking, Who's hotter? Now, nearly three years later, Kohberger has been sentenced to four consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole. The families of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves faced him in court during his sentencing and shared their grief. I was especially struck by something Goncalves's mother, Kristi, said: 'You've altered my every waking moment.' Kohberger's response? Nothing. No discernible remorse and, maybe even worse, no hint at a motive. Kohberger, even in pleading guilty, continues to inflict suffering on these families by refusing to provide a full confession, to explain why. And perhaps in direct response to these families, Judge Steven Hippler has urged everyone to stop focusing on that lingering question. 'By continuing to focus on why, we continue to give Mr. Kohberger relevance. We give him agency. We give him power.' Hippler described the murders as an 'unfathomable and senseless act of evil.' Pure and simple. End of story. And maybe that is the end of the story. Which is to say that Kohberger was simply driven to kill, didn't care about his victims, and committed murder because he wanted to. Would hearing that confession from Kohberger's own lips change anything? Would it make these families, or any of us, feel differently? Consider the case of the Texas tower sniper, Charles Whitman, who in 1966 fatally stabbed both his wife and his mother, then climbed a clock tower with a rifle, a shotgun, and several handguns, and fired at random people for 96 minutes, ultimately killing 16 people and injuring many more before police officers killed him. (A 17th victim would die from his injuries decades later.) Unlike Kohberger, Whitman did provide a full confession in his suicide note: I don't really understand myself these days. I am supposed to be an average reasonable and intelligent young man. However, lately (I can't recall when it started) I have been a victim of many unusual and irrational thoughts. He noted that he dearly loved his wife, but that he was overwhelmed by violent impulses. He also mentioned suffering from tremendous headaches, and requested that after his death, 'an autopsy would be performed on me to see if there is any visible physical disorder.' An autopsy was performed, and it found that a brain tumor in his hypothalamus was pressing on his amygdala, the region of the brain that helps regulate emotions such as fear, anxiety, and aggression. A commission of pathologists, psychiatrists, and other experts formed by the governor noted that 'abnormal aggressive behavior may be a manifestation of organic brain disease.' They were not able to pinpoint a clear link between the tumor and Whitman's actions, but they were operating under a 1966 level understanding of neurophysiology, and it remains plausible that the tumor contributed to his anguish. I've yet to meet someone who hears that story and doesn't feel a flicker of uncertainty, of reluctant sympathy. Would it change how we feel about Kohberger if they found a brain tumor pressing on his amygdala, or some psychopathy gene in his genome? Should it? From the May 2023 issue: American madness In a series of lectures on free will on the Waking Up app (where I am a contributor), the philosopher Sam Harris uses the Whitman case as a springboard into a broader argument: If we could truly understand the complexities of the human brain, we would think differently about how we understand human behavior too. Harris says: A brain tumor is just a special case of our having insight into the fact that physical events give rise to thoughts and actions. If we fully understood the neurophysiology of any murderer's brain, it would seem just as exculpatory as finding a tumor in it. If we could see how the wrong genes were being relentlessly transcribed, and how this person's experiences in life had sculpted the microstructure of his brain in just such a way to produce states of mind which were guaranteed to make him violent, if we could see this causality clearly, the basis for placing blame on him in any deep sense would disappear. To be clear, I am not arguing against consequences for those who commit murder. On the contrary. But what those consequences should be depends upon our view of how human behavior originates. This is why I believe it serves us to ask why Kohberger did what he did. I've been haunted by that why question in my own life. Like Kohberger, Rudy Guede—the man who broke into my home and stabbed my roommate, Meredith Kercher, to death—never admitted to his crimes, much less offered an explanation. But fortunately (and unfortunately), in Guede's case, his motives were banal and obvious: He was caught in the act of burglarizing our apartment, he raped Meredith because he had the opportunity to, and he murdered her because he cared more about his freedom than her life. (Guede has maintained that he is innocent, and continues to insist that my then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, and I carried out his crimes.) The trajectory of Guede's life and crimes are also easier to trace, and explain, than Kohberger's: By his own admission, Guede's father took him away from his mother when he was young, then went on to neglect him. He was often left to fend for himself, and originally took to breaking into other people's homes for shelter. As he grew older, he got into drugs, couldn't hold down a job, and burglarized to support his lifestyle. Sometimes he was arrested; more often he wasn't. He always ended up back on the streets, feeling a little more emboldened and entitled. Until one day, he encountered Meredith. After being apprehended for her murder, he falsely accused me and Raffaele —he cared more about his freedom than our lives as well—and, for reasons I have written about before, the police and prosecution were all too willing to selectively accept his obviously false testimony. In their efforts to demonstrate that they'd cracked the case, and in their rush to put two innocent people in prison for life, the authorities charged Guede only with sexual assault and 'complicity in murder,' never holding him accountable for wielding the knife that took Meredith's life. As a result, he got off with a light sentence. After serving only 13 years in prison, Guede ended up on the streets once more, feeling even more emboldened and entitled. The result? He is now on trial again for stalking and sexually assaulting another young woman. (Guede denies the allegations.) Amanda Knox: My last trial This was not a surprise to any of us who, over the course of his original murder trial, became familiar with Guede's history. Because, in a way, Guede was 'understandable.' He never seemed to be a Ted Bundy–style psychopath, but rather a man driven by violent impulses and—after a crime he may not have planned to commit—a sense of self-preservation. Is a man like Kohberger different? In the sense that his motives are more inscrutable, yes. But one might argue that whether it's murder for self-preservation or murder by meticulous design, both arise from a willingness to commit violence paired with a complete lack of empathy. Kohberger and Guede both fit that description, and they both have been labeled evil. To me, especially having been on the other side of that label, the word evil feels like a cop-out. It is an excuse to stop thinking, to ignore the evidence, to hate and punish someone law enforcement didn't, or wouldn't, understand. Even though my innocence has long since been established, I worry that when people use terms like evil to define those who are demonstrably guilty of violent crimes, they are doing so not merely to convey the unfathomability of those crimes, but to wish harm upon the guilty, not as a means to rehabilitation or deterrence, but merely for harm's sake. My own family and friends found solace in the label when it was applied to my prosecutor. After all, he continued to persecute me after the police identified and captured the man who actually murdered my roommate; the man whose DNA was discovered on her body and throughout the crime scene; the man who had means, motive, opportunity, and precedent—and what do you call that but evil? But as Sam Harris points out, our available decisions in life are a result of choices made by others that shape the world we find ourselves in. And even those predisposed to psychopathy have minds shaped by genes and environmental influences they did not choose. Who knows: With Kohberger, the answer may turn out to be something like industrial poisoning—the author Caroline Fraser argues in her book Murderland that this was a hidden cause behind the rise of serial killers in the 1970s and '80s. In that case, it wouldn't make sense to inflict suffering on Kohberger as some sort of moral dessert, and it would make more sense to treat him as someone who is infected with a contagious and incurable disease—quarantined for his sake and ours. That is a serious consequence—being removed from society for life—but not one rooted in vengeance. It's more likely that we don't yet have the technology or understanding of the human brain or genome to adequately make sense of Kohberger's brokenness, in the same way that plague doctors didn't have the means and understanding to save millions of people from a preventable death in the Middle Ages. Might we tomorrow? Ask yourself: If it were possible to give Kohberger gene therapy that turned him into a sane, empathetic, and loving person, would it make sense to lock him in prison for life because he 'deserves' it? If Kohberger's brokenness is caused by factors beyond his control, then he is extremely unlucky. I can only imagine how awful it must be to move through the world as if people are mere objects to be manipulated and destroyed—a life entirely devoid of genuine human connection. I can only imagine the suffering his family is enduring—they didn't choose to have a killer for a son, and, like the families of his victims, their lives will be forever scarred by what he did. Acknowledging these realities can feel like a betrayal of the victims, but I don't think it is. I believe that one way to honor the victims of horrific crimes is to closely study the roots of violence and challenge ourselves to see the horrible, banal truth: that under certain conditions, certain people can be broken, and all too often, due to our own limitations in understanding and treating, we cannot predict or prevent the terrible things that a broken person might do. From the July 2025 issue: Inside America's death chambers Perhaps Judge Hippler is right that we shouldn't be looking for answers from Kohberger himself as to why the lives of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves were so brutally and unjustly stolen. Not just because it continues to give Kohberger undeserved relevance, but because he very likely doesn't have the answers. But writing someone off as evil, as many people urged me to do with my prosecutor, is an excuse to ignore the causes of human dysfunction. It's a wall we build to separate ourselves from those who commit the worst actions we can imagine. Ironically, it also grants permission for psychopathy in its own way. Let's not forget: Crowds once cheered as criminals were drawn and quartered. What could be more psychopathic? We still execute people today in ways that are perhaps more muted, but just as ethically questionable. People talk about 'closure' and 'justice,' but we live in a society that encourages us to take pleasure in another's pain and never ask ourselves why. That's why I keep trying, even though I sometimes fail, to feel a degree of genuine curiosity and compassion for those labeled 'evil.' It's not easy, and I certainly had to work my way up to forgiving the man who wrongly convicted me. I still find it nearly impossible to extend compassion to Rudy Guede. Do I expect the parents of Ethan, Madison, Xana, and Kaylee to take on the challenge of viewing Kohberger with compassion? Not at all. Their rage and existential grief is justified, full stop. But for the rest of us, those who are not at the epicenter of this tragedy, have a choice: We can judge and label, or we can challenge ourselves to make sense of the senseless, in hopes that we might find a way to prevent the next tragedy from occurring. The only thing I've found that has actually helped me heal from my own terrible experiences has been acceptance, and a desire to understand the flawed, complicated, and sometimes extremely dangerous humans around me.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Bryan Kohberger Prosecutor Says He'd Likely Been Inside Home Before Murders: 'Looking, Surveilling, Stalking'
Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson said Bryan Kohberger may have broken into his victims' home before the murders Before he killed four University of Idaho students, Bryan Kohberger had likely been inside the home where the murders took place. That's the belief of Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson, who shared new details about his office's investigation of Kohberger while appearing on the 48 Hours podcast. Thompson based his belief on Kohberger's movements on the night of the murders, which included entering through a sliding glass door in the kitchen that was located on the second floor and was only accessible from the back of the house. He revealed that the cell phone records obtained during the investigation showed Kohberger had been "stalking that neighborhood," and was possibly the unidentified person who had been watching at least one of the victims, as detailed in interviews police conducted with the two surviving roommates as well as a friend of that victim and the victim's ex. According to Thompson, phone records showed that he was in that area more than 20 times. He went onto say that these visits all occurred after 10 p.m. — "when there would be no legitimate reason for him to be over here to shop." Those trips were for "looking, surveilling and stalking," Thompson believes, adding that at some point during these trips, Kohberger may have broken into the victims' home. When asked about this possibility, Thompson said there was never any definitive evidence that either proved or disproved this theory. But he said it was notable that Kohberger was able to move so freely in a house that is full of blind spots. "The layout of the house is unique. It's a little bit confusing," Thompson noted of the now-demolished residence at 1122 King Road, where, on Nov. 13, 2022, Kohberger murdered four residents of the home: Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. Thompson said that the big break for the investigation was the discovery of the knife sheath containing trace amounts of DNA that prosecutors were able to link to Kohberger's father. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. As for why he left that sheath behind, Thompson said that was likely due to the unexpected arrival of Xana Kernodle. "Well, no plan is perfect and we don't know what may have changed his plans if it did inside the home. because we don't know who he intended to attack," Thompson explained. He continued: "We do believe that Xana encountered him while she was still awake. She was up." Thompson said that could have "put [Kohberger] into a panic" that night. "And panicked people make some mistakes," Thompson said. He then added about the Kohberger: "Or maybe it's just simply he's not as smart as he thought he was." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Bryan Kohberger Sentenced to 4 Lifetimes in Prison: Who Were the Idaho Murder Victims?
Bryan Kohberger will spend life in prison without parole for murdering four university students. Kohberger, 30, was sentenced to four lifetimes in prison on Wednesday, July 23, after he broke into a house in Moscow, Idaho in November, 22, killing four of the six people in the 1122 King Road home they shared. Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were stabbed to death, while surviving roommates Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke made it out alive. 'This unfathomable and senseless act of evil has caused immeasurable pain and loss. No parent should ever have to bury their child,' Judge Steven Hippler said on Wednesday in court. 'This is the greatest tragedy that can be inflicted upon a person.' As Kohberger gets set to spend his life behind bars, Us Weekly looks back at who the four victims were. Bryan Kohberger Sentenced to Life in Prison Without Parole After Idaho College Murders Madison Mogen Madison Mogen, 21, was a senior at the University of Idaho, majoring in marketing. She was a longtime friend of her roommate Kaylee before they were both stabbed to death by Kohberger and died in the same bed. Maddie's mom, Karen Laramie, received a call from her daughter's boyfriend, Jake Schriger, who told her about 'a homicide' at the King Road house. She and husband Scott Laramie drove to the university in Moscow to pick up Maddie when police weren't immediately forthcoming with more information. 'My whole time, my mindset was that we were going to pick up Maddie and Kaylee, and bring them home and console them and hug them and figure out just what happened,' Karen said in Prime Video's One Night in Idaho: The College Murders, released July 11. She explained that at that point she believed only one of Maddie's roommates had been killed. 'Finally, they put us in a little room, and they came into the back door and opened this file. The officer explained, 'There has been a homicide in your daughter's house and there are four victims,'' Karen recalled. 'It just made no sense. He said, 'Maddie was a victim.' Kaylee Goncalves Kaylee Goncalves, 21, was majoring in general studies and was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority at the time of her tragic death. At Kohberger's sentencing Kohberger in court on Wednesday, July 23, Kaylee's mother Kristi Goncalves issued a chilling statement to the killer per a video shared via X. 'A dead killer doesn't kill again. So while I'm disappointed that the firing squad won't take their shots at you, I'm confident the men in prison will have their way with you in more ways than one,' Kristi told Kohberger. 'You will finally get what you wanted, physical touch, just probably not how you were expecting it.' Kristi continued: 'See you haven't beat the system, you've simply entered a new one where the rules are cruel and the consequences will never end. You are entering a place where no one will care about who you are and no one will ever respect you. You will be forgotten, discarded, used and erased. You will always be remembered as a loser and an absolute failure.'Xana Kernodle Kernodle was a 20-year-old student majoring in marketing and was dating fellow victim, Ethan Chapin, at the time of the murders. According to court documents, Kernodle received a DoorDash delivery around 4a.m. and "either coming down the stairs or leaving, [Kohberger] encountered Xana and he ended up killing her." She received 50 stab wounds, mostly defensive. At Kohberg's sentencing hearing, Xana's older sister Jazzmin described her sibling as a role model, and said, "I am strong. I am brave. I am a fighter, just like Xana.' Jazzmin also said Xana's story doesn't end with her death. Instead, she said, "It lives through the love she gave, the people she touched, and the legacy that her family will protect." New Docuseries Tries to Answer Why 4 College Students Were Murdered in Idaho: Biggest Revelations Ethan Chapin Chapin, 20, was the boyfriend of Kernodle. Earlier that evening he had attended a formal with his sister before staying the night at his girlfriend's place. Chapin was the final victim of Kohberger, who killed the 20-year-old while he was sleeping in Kernodle's bedroom. Following his death, the Ethan's Smile Foundation, which provides scholarships to 'enable others to follow their dreams' was set up in his honor. His parents, Jim and Stacy, described their memory of Ethan on the foundation's official website. 'Ethan's love for life was boundless. With a booming laugh and infectious smile, he spread joy to all who were fortunate enough to know him. Ethan was our storyteller, hard worker, and friend-maker,' they wrote.
