The families of Bryan Kohberger’s victims are split over the plea deal after the former PhD student admitted he murdered the four University of Idaho students.
Kohberger addressed the Idaho court in Boise Wednesday morning at the 50-minute plea deal hearing, where he spoke for the first time in the case.
To avoid the death penalty, Ada County Courthouse heard the 30-year-old admit that he fatally stabbed students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves on November 13, 2022, inside their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.
Kohberger faces a fixed life sentence on the four counts of homicide and 10 years for the burglary charge, Judge Steven Hippler said, and sentencing will take place on July 23.
One by one, Kohberger admitted that he murdered each of the victims and answered the judge’s questions with one-word responses.
The families of his victims are divided over the deal. The family of Kaylee Goncalves accused the prosecution of doing “a deal with the devil.”
But Madison Mogen’s family welcomed the plea deal, which they said means they can grieve “without the anxiety of the long and gruesome trial, years of appeals and potential mistrials along the way.”
Key points
- Kohberger pleads guilty to murdering 4 University of Idaho students as prosecutor breaks down
- What does the proposed plea agreement say?
- Father of Kaylee Goncalves says he will protest plea deal from outside courthouse
- Who are the victims?
- Timeline of the Idaho college murders
WATCH: Bryan Kohberger admits guilt as he speaks in court for the time in the case
21:30
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Rhian Lubin
Watch the moment Bryan Kohberger admitted his guilt in the murders of the four University of Idaho students.
It was the first time he had ever spoken in court.
One by one, he said he was guilty of the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves.
What happens next?
21:00
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Rhian Lubin, AP
The judge will sentence Kohberger at 9 a.m. MT on July 23.
The court has issued a gag order that has largely kept attorneys, investigators and others from speaking publicly about the investigation or trial.
Documents won’t be unsealed until after the hearing.
At the sentencing, the court will likely hear from the families. It also is an opportunity to potentially hear from Kohberger, who spoke for the first time in the case today, though only to answer the judge’s questions with one-word answers.
The families want to hear some kind of explanation from Kohberger as to why he committed the gruesome murders.
No motive has emerged for the killings, nor is it clear why the attacker spared two roommates who were in the home.
Recap: What happened in the hearing?
20:42
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AP
Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to murder Wednesday in the deaths of four University of Idaho students in 2022 that terrified the campus and set off a nationwide search, which ended weeks later when he was arrested in Pennsylvania.
Kohberger, who was a criminal justice graduate student at nearby Washington State University, admitted to the killings before entering a formal guilty plea in a deal with prosecutors that allows him to avoid the death penalty, though the motive remains unclear.
He had been set to go to trial in August.
The small farming community of Moscow, in the northern Idaho panhandle, had not seen a homicide in about five years when Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen were found dead at a rental home near campus on Nov. 13, 2022.
Autopsies showed each was stabbed multiple times and some had defensive wounds.
Kohberger first killed Mogen and Goncalves together and then ran into Kernodle, who was still awake, Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson said at the hearing.
He then stabbed Kernodle and her boyfriend, Chapin, who was still asleep, Thompson said.
Family members became increasingly emotional as Idaho Fourth Judicial District Judge Steven Hippler explained each charge to Kohberger, naming each victim individually.
Some cried into tissues, while other wiped tears with their hands. Kohberger remained impassive as he confirmed to the judge that he stabbed the four victims.
As he pleaded guilty, some in the family section looked down and others craned to see him.
Kohberger told the judge he understood the terms of the plea deal, which stipulates he will serve four life sentences and won't be able to appeal.
The judge set the official sentencing for July 23.
'Kohberger had zero expression and showed no emotion'
20:15
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Rhian Lubin
Bryan Kohberger had “zero expression” and showed “no emotion,” according to reporters in the courthouse.
NewsNation’s Brian Entin remarked that Kohberger looked “stone cold” during the hearing where he admitted his guilt.
Bryan Kohberger's parents are not crying, but look sad.
— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) July 2, 2025
Unlike their son who looks STONE COLD.
Maddie Mogen's family support the plea agreement '100 percent'
20:02
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Rhian Lubin
Maddie Mogen's family said they support the plea agreement “100 percent” as their attorney read a statement outside the courthouse.
Mogen’s family asked those who do not agree with them to “respect our belief that this is the best outcome possible for the victims, their families and the state of Idaho.”
“We lost our Maddie, our kind, loving, vivacious and caring daughter, full of purpose and promise,” the family said in the statement. “We are grateful for the gift of her life, and we have grieved the loss of that life during each of these 962 days.”
The Mogen family thanked Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson, in contrast to the families of Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle who have hit out at the prosecution’s plea deal.
In a previous statement, the Mogen family said the deal meant they could be left to “grieve without the anxiety of the long and gruesome trial, years of appeals and potential mistrials along the way.”
What evidence did the prosecution have against Kohberger?
19:40
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Rhian Lubin, AP
Prosecutor Bill Thompson gave an overview of the evidence he had against Kohberger during the 50-minute hearing.
Thompson, who choked up when he read out the names of the four victims, mapped out how police were able to map Kohberger's movements using data from his cellphone, and provided a precise timeline of the stabbings.
Kohberger slipped through the sliding back door where the four victims were staying, Thompson said.
He first killed Madison Mogen. He then killed Kaylee Goncalves.
Kohberger stabbed Xana Kernodle, who was collecting a DoorDash order, as he was leaving Goncalves's room.
He also killed Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, who was asleep in bed, with a long-blade knife. Kohberger left a sheath from his knife in Mogen's room.
Thompson emphasized that there was a "single source" of male DNA that matched Kohberger's left on the sheath.
The prosecutor also mentioned the selfie Kohberger took just six hours after the quadruple murders, with his thumbs up.
Pictured: Bryan Kohberger changes plea to guilty
19:26
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Rhian Lubin
Security formed a wall between Bryan Kohberger's family and victims' families
19:11
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Andrea Cavallier, Rhian Lubin
Security formed a wall between Bryan Kohberger’s family and the families of the victims as the hearing concluded, The Independent’s Andrea Cavallier reports from the courthouse.
Kohberger’s father had his arm around his mom as the couple exited the courtroom.
Emotions were high at the hearing, as the prosecution and the families broke down at times.
Hearing concludes as sentencing set for later this month
19:04
,
Rhian Lubin
Bryan Kohberger’s plea deal hearing has concluded and sentencing was set for July 23 at 9 a.m. local time.
Kohberger spoke for the first time in the case, only giving the one-word answers of “yes” when admitting to the murders of each victim.
Bryan Kohberger pleads guilty to murders
18:56
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Rhian Lubin
Bryan Kohberger has formally entered his guilty plea and admitted to the murders of the four University of Idaho students.
The plea deal means he will avoid the death penalty.
The judge is now discussing when sentencing will take place.
Prosecution now outlining details of the night of the murders
18:50
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Rhian Lubin
Bill Thompson, Latah County Prosecuting Attorney, is now outlining details of what happened on the night of the murders and how the investigation unfolded.
He is giving a flavor of what we would have heard had the case gone to trial.
Families quietly weep in court
18:44
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Andrea Cavallier, Rhian Lubin
The families of the victims wept quietly in court as Kohberger admitted to their murders.
Judge Hippler addressed Kohberger, wearing a gray shirt and dark tie, directly to explain the possible penalties to the crime that he is set to plead guilty to.
Kohberger confirmed to the judge that he was pleading guilty" freely and voluntarily" because he was, in fact, guilty, and not because he had some other incentive.
Bryan Kohberger admits to killing and murdering the four victims
18:39
,
Rhian Lubin
Kohberger admitted that he killed and murdered the four victims and answered the judge’s questions with a “yes.”
Bryan Kohberger changes plea to guilty as he addresses court for the first time
18:34
,
Rhian Lubin
Bryan Kohberger has changed his plea to guilty as he addressed the court for the first time in this case.
He would be sentenced to 10 years for the burglary charge and a fixed life sentence on the four counts of homicide, according to the agreement.
Bryan Kohberger set to speak in court for the first time
18:27
,
Rhian Lubin
Bryan Kohberger is about to speak to the court in what would be the first time in the case.
Judge Hippler is about to ask him a series of questions about his plea.
Judge apologizes to the families for the short notice of the plea deal hearing
18:21
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Rhian Lubin
The judge has apologized to the families of the victims for the short notice of today’s plea deal hearing.
Judge Hippler said he only found out on Monday and, like them, was anticipating that he would preside over the trial in August.
Judge Steven Hippler opens the hearing
18:17
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Rhian Lubin
Bryan Kohberger is seated and Judge Steven Hippler has entered the courtroom at Ada County Courthouse.
Hippler asks the court to refrain from any outbursts or disruptions.
He also hit out at “disruptive” calls made from the public to his office in an attempt to “influence” his decision.
“This court will never take into account public sentiment in making an opinion regarding its judicial decisions in cases,” Hippler said.
No motive has emerged for the killings
18:12
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Rhian Lubin, AP
No motive has emerged for the killings, nor is it clear why the accused, Bryan Kohberger, spared two roommates who were also in the house.
There was no indication he had a relationship with any of the victims, who all were friends and members of the university's Greek system.
Authorities have said cellphone data and surveillance video show that Kohberger visited the victims' neighborhood at least a dozen times before the killings, and that he traveled in the same area that night.
Kohberger's lawyers said he was simply on a long drive by himself around the time the four were killed.
Today, the families will be hoping they hear some answers.
Who are the victims?
18:03
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Rhian Lubin
Bryan Kohberger, 30, is accused of murdering students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves on November 13, 2022, inside their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.
Goncalves and Mogen were seniors at the University of Idaho and were expected to graduate in 2023.
At a vigil weeks after the murders, Goncalves’ father, Steve, told how the two “absolutely beautiful” young women first met in sixth grade and became inseparable.
“They just found each other and every day they did homework together, they came to our house together, they shared everything,” he said at the time. “Then they started looking at colleges, they came here together. They eventually get into the same apartment together.
“And in the end, they died together, in the same room, in the same bed.”
Kernodle was a junior and Chapin was a freshman at the college. They had begun dating months before their deaths. The couple is believed to have been awake at the time the stabbings were carried out.
Six months after the stabbings, the families of the slain students accepted posthumous awards for their achievements.
Mogen and Goncalves’ relatives walked the stage for their degrees in an emotional ceremony on May 13. Mogen was going to school for marketing and Goncalves for general studies. Kernodle’s family also accepted her certificate in marketing at a separate ceremony, while Chapin’s award in sports, recreation and management was mailed to his parents.
Hearing expected to begin imminently
17:55
,
Rhian Lubin
Bryan Kohberger’s plea deal hearing is expected to begin imminently.
Idaho Fourth Judicial District Judge Steven Hippler will preside over proceedings at Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho.
News that Kohberger is expected to accept a plea deal and plead guilty to the murders came as a surprise Monday.
The 30-year-old is accused of the murders of Idaho University students Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves on November 13, 2022, inside their off-campus home in Moscow.
What we can expect from today's court hearing
17:40
,
Andrea Cavallier
The Independent’s Andrea Cavallier, reporting from the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, outlines what to expect from today’s plea deal hearing:
More than two years after four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death in their off-campus home, Bryan Kohberger is expected to appear in court today to enter a plea deal that could spare him the death penalty.
The case, moved from Latah County to Ada County after his defense team successfully argued for a change of venue, is expected to draw a tense, emotional crowd.
A line started forming as early as 4 a.m. on Wednesday hoping to get a spot inside the courtroom. Some of the families of the victims — Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin — are traveling once again, hoping for something they’ve been denied for years – answers.
The families have expressed split opinions on the plea agreement with Ethan Chapin’s family supporting and the Goncalves family strongly opposing it. Kohberger’s own family are reportedly planning to attend as well.
They released a statement saying that they do not plan on speaking publicly. If Kohberger pleads guilty as anticipated, the proceeding could mark the first time he publicly spoken and acknowledged any role in the killings.
But what remains unknown—and what families are desperate to learn—is whether he will offer any explanation, or any idea of motive.
Pictured: Family of Ethan Chapin arrive at the courthouse
17:25
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Rhian Lubin
The family of Ethan Chapin has arrived at the Ada County Courthouse ahead of the plea deal hearing, which is set to start at 11 a.m. MT.
Ethan’s mother Stacy Chapin and father Jim Chapin were seen walking into the courthouse.
Father of Kaylee Goncalves says he will protest outside courthouse
17:20
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Rhian Lubin
The father of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the four Idaho University students who was killed in the stabbings, said he plans to protest the plea deal outside of the courthouse.
“I'll stay outside during the hearing to protest the deal made with our child's killer, and not with the families,” Steve Goncalves told Fox & Friends via text message
The Goncalves family is vehemently opposed to the plea deal.
Pictured: Scene outside courthouse ahead of plea deal hearing
17:15
,
Rhian Lubin
Reporters and the public have been waiting to enter the Ada County courthouse this morning.
People have been waiting as early as 4 a.m. local time.
The hearing is due to begin at 11 a.m. MT.
Family of Kaylee Goncalves make impassioned plea to judge: 'You are our only hope'
17:00
,
Rhian Lubin
The family of Kaylee Goncalves has penned an impassioned plea to Judge Hippler ahead of the plea deal hearing today, asking that he compel Bryan Kohberger to “spill the truth” of what happened on the night of the killings.
The family said they have been “robbed” of their day in court and are vehemently opposed to the plea deal.
They attacked Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson of “cutting a deal with the devil” in the statement released just a couple of hours before Kohberger is expected to appear at the courthouse.
“Only Hippler can step into this void, mend the wreckage Thompson left in Latah so-called justice system,” the statement said.
“This is our last shot: Judge Hippler, you are our only hope that our child murder isn’t granted control over his destiny in our children’s names. You take control of this deal and make it right because now you OWN IT!”
Bryan Kohberger's family expected to attend the plea deal hearing
16:45
,
Rhian Lubin
Bryan Kohberger’s family is expected to attend today’s plea deal hearing.
They issued a statement asking for privacy.
“We will continue to allow the legal process to unfold with respect to all parties, and will not release any comments or take any questions,” the family said. “We ask that you respect our wishes during a difficult time for all those affected.”
When will Bryan Kohberger be sentenced if he takes plea deal?
16:30
,
Rhian Lubin
If Bryan Kohberger takes the plea deal, as he is expected to do at today’s hearing, Judge Hippler will likely set an official date for sentencing.
The hearing, which will happen at a later date, could last all day and is a chance for the families to share impact statements.
It would also be an opportunity for Kohberger to provide a statement.
Recap: Timeline of the Idaho college murders
16:15
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Rhian Lubin
In November 2022, four University of Idaho students were found stabbed to death at a rental house in Moscow, mere hours after posting smiling photographs together on Instagram.
The case shocked the small college town and drew media attention from across the world. Yet it took nearly seven weeks for police to catch a suspect — and almost three years to bring him to trial.
Now, mere weeks before former PhD criminology student Bryan Kohberger was set to go before a jury, prosecutors have told the victims’ families they have agreed a plea deal.
Kohberger, 30, is expected to receive four consecutive life sentences and waive all his rights to appeal when he appears in court today to answer for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
Io Dodds details a timeline of one of the most bewildering cases in recent American history.
What does the proposed plea agreement say?
16:00
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Rhian Lubin, James Liddell
The proposed plea agreement reportedly signed by Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson outlines a deal that would convict Bryan Kohberger on four counts of first-degree murder and burglary.
It would sentence him to spend the rest of his life in prison, according to the Idaho Statesman.
“This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction appeals,” the letter reads, according to the newspaper.
Further details of the agreement have not been made public.
Some of the victims’ families have expressed their anger that the deal did not include any provisions that would compel Kohberger to confess details of the alleged crime when he appears later today.
Deep dive: Four slain students, a weeks-long manhunt but no motive
15:45
,
Rhian Lubin
In December 2022, Washington State University student Bryan Kohberger was arrested after his apartment, office and family home were raided and searched for evidence.
A grand jury indicted Kohberger on four counts of first-degree murder and one burglary charge, effectively rerouting the case directly to the state’s felony court level and allowing prosecutors to skip the preliminary hearing process.
A trial was initially set for October 2023 but was postponed when Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial.
After more than two and a half years, Kohberger’s trial was scheduled to start on August 18. Now Kohberger is instead expected to take a plea deal to avoid the death penalty in exchange for pleading guilty to the four murders and serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Kohberger will likely be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences and waive all right to appeal, per ABC News.
Here, The Independent takes a deep dive into the developments in the complex case...
Slim possibility Bryan Kohberger could enter an Alford plea - but unlikely
15:30
,
Rhian Lubin
There is a slim possibility Bryan Kohberger could enter an Alford plea if he wanted to maintain his innocence, but it’s unlikely.
“The benefit of the Alford plea is for a defendant who feels that they’re innocent but wants to take the deal,” University of Idaho associate law professor Samuel Newton told CNN.
“It has the same result as a guilty plea. It’s just the defendant themselves is not going to say that they did it,” Newton said.
The professor added that it seems unlikely that prosecutors would have agreed to a plea deal without assurances from the defense that Kohberger would take responsibility for the killings.
Court security warns the public not to bring in metal water bottles
15:15
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Andrea Cavallier, Rhian Lubin
Security officials have warned the public and media waiting outside the courthouse that metal water bottles are not allowed inside today, Andrea Cavallier reports from Boise.
The bailiff warned people that with the “potential for violence” today, water bottles will not be allowed in because they could be thrown “at someone’s head” as a weapon.
Normally the water bottles would be allowed into the court, so it signals a specific concern around this case.
Madison Mogen's family issue statement in support of plea deal
14:45
,
Rhian Lubin
The family of Madison Mogen’s has issued a statement in support of the plea deal ahead of today’s hearing.
The anticipated deal means that families will be spared the details of a “long and gruesome trial,” the family said.
“Our family continues to ache for Maddie and we have spent well over two years grieving and focusing on healing from the trauma of losing her,” the statement says.
“The plea deal the prosecution has proposed is one that punishes the perpetrator of this horrendous crime, protects the public from further harm and allows all of us who knew and loved these four young people the time to grieve without the anxiety of the long and gruesome trial, years of appeals and potential mistrials along the way.”
Pictured: Live scene outside the courthouse
15:00
,
Andrea Cavallier, Rhian Lubin
The Independent’s Andrea Cavallier is waiting with the rest of the media for the family to arrive and for proceedings to get going.
There’s still a few hours to go yet, with the families expected to arrive around 10 a.m. local time an hour before the hearing is due to start.
Proceedings could mark first time Bryan Kohberger acknowledges any role in the killings.
14:20
,
Andrea Cavallier
The Independent’s Andrea Cavallier, reporting from the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, outlines what to expect from today’s plea hearing:
More than two years after four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death in their off-campus home, Bryan Kohberger is expected to appear in court today to enter a plea deal that could spare him the death penalty.
The case, moved from Latah County to Ada County after his defense team successfully argued for a change of venue, is expected to draw a tense, emotional crowd.
A line started forming as early as 4 a.m. on Wednesday hoping to get a spot inside the courtroom. Some of the families of the victims — Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin — are traveling once again, hoping for something they’ve been denied for years – answers.
The families have expressed split opinions on the plea agreement with Ethan Chapin’s family supporting and the Goncalves family strongly opposing it. Kohberger’s own family are reportedly planning to attend as well.
They released a statement saying that they do not plan on speaking publicly. If Kohberger pleads guilty as anticipated, the proceeding could mark the first time he publicly spoken and acknowledged any role in the killings.
But what remains unknown—and what families are desperate to learn—is whether he will offer any explanation, or any idea of motive.
Families push that Bryan Kohberger gives 'full confession and full accountability'
14:00
,
Rhian Lubin
The family of Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle have pushed that Bryan Kohberger give “a full confession and full accountability” at the hearing today.
The families criticized prosecutors for not including provisions in the plea deal that would compel Kohberger to confess details of the alleged crime.
This could be the first time we hear Kohberger speak.
“At a bare minimum, please - require a full confession, full accountability, location of the murder weapon, confirmation the defendant acted alone, & the true facts of what happened that night,” the family wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. “We deserve to know when the beginning of the end was.”
Steve Goncalves, Kaylee’s father, said that he hopes the judge will step in and require Kohberger to address some of the major questions the families have in the case.
“We’re all going to live with the repercussions for the rest of our lives … unless Hippler steps in and says, ‘You’re not going to just say you’re guilty. You’re going to communicate some of the details so these families can actually move on and not have to be dragged through this true crime nightmare over and over and over again,’” Goncalves said.
Jeff Kernodle, Xana’s father, also said he had “hoped the agreement would include conditions that required the defendant to explain his actions and provide answers to the many questions that still remain, especially where evidence is missing or unclear.”
The college town where the killings took place express relief and anger over plea deal
13:45
,
Rhian Lubin, AP
Residents expressed a mix of relief and anger Tuesday in the small Idaho college town where four students were stabbed to death in 2022 after news that the man charged in the killings had agreed to plead guilty to avoid a trial and a possible death penalty.
No motive has emerged for the killings, which stunned a community that's still healing — and news of the plea deal elicited mixed reactions from Moscow residents.
With word of a plea deal, news crews descended Tuesday on Moscow's main street, where every other storefront boasts the University of Idaho's colors, flags and insignia.
This is how locals said they felt about the latest development...
Kohberger's forensic psychologist professor: 'Did I inspire him in some way?'
13:30
,
Rhian Lubin
Kohberger’s former professor and adviser, Dr Katherine Ramsland, has spoken out for the first time and questioned whether her teaching may have had a hand in inspiring the alleged quadruple killer.
Ramsland, who was scheduled to be a witness in the trial and so could not speak publicly until now, told NewsNation that she now has to wonder: “Did I inspire him in some way?”
The professor taught Kohberger in the fall of 2018 at Pennsylvania’s DeSales University. He was a student in her classes, including “Psychological Sleuthing” and “Dangerous Minds: the Psychology of Antisocial Behavior” classes.
Ramsland said the classes looked at the decision processes of violent crimes committed by serial killers and how the criminals felt about them. The class studied “intense” books about high-profile killings in the U.S., including one about BTK serial killer Dennis Rader.
“[Kohberger] would’ve been exposed to them,” she said.
“Looking back, I would look at some of the things that interested him as something that gives me pause” she continued. “We could have students who might become offenders. But we also know that the majority will not and will instead go into a field like law enforcement, FBI, Secret Service, that make the world better.”
“I have to look at the framework of what I taught and wonder, did I inspire him in some way? But I can’t second-guess that because I may have inspired somebody else to become an FBI agent.”
Who is Bryan Kohberger?
13:15
,
Rhian Lubin
Today may be the first time we ever hear Bryan Kohberger speak.
After he was arrested in December 2022, people from Kohberger’s past built a picture of a bullied loner who overcame addiction.
Fellow students from his time just over the Idaho border in Washington describe a criminology zealot who “creeped people out.”
Here’s everything we know about the alleged killer.
Can the judge reject Kohberger's plea agreement?
13:01
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James Liddell
Though rare, judges can reject plea agreements in Idaho.
The judge in Kohberger’s case, Steven Hippler, previously denied the defense’s motion t
