The man serving a life sentence for the 2022 fatal stabbing of four University of Idaho students is reportedly being harassed by fellow inmates in prison.
Chris McDonough, director of the Cold Case Foundation, revealed on NewsNation’s “Banfield” that prison inmates are using air vents to disrupt Bryan Kohberger’s sleep both day and night. The Department of Corrections confirmed to NewsNation that Kohberger has reported “taunting” since his transfer to the state’s maximum-security facility.
“They’re banging on the doors. They’re ridiculing him. And they’re essentially tormenting him through psychological means,” McDonough stated. “And surprisingly, he’s lodging complaints.”
Kohberger, 30, accepted a plea deal to avoid the death penalty after admitting to the November 13, 2022, murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves at an off-campus residence in Moscow. This agreement ensures he will serve a life sentence without parole and surrenders any right to appeal.
As recounted by McDonough, Kohberger was initially placed in solitary confinement near Boise but was relocated last week to another secure unit that contains 32 inmates. McDonough, a former homicide investigator, characterized it as “the harshest environment short of death row.”
“The guards have limited actions; they can merely document the incidents or inform him, ‘There’s little we can do since there is no immediate physical threat,’” McDonough also conveyed to NewsNation.
Before accepting a plea, Kohberger’s attorneys said he was not at the crime scene and was driving around alone the night the four students were fatally stabbed. The defense wanted to present “alternative perpetrators at trial, but Judge Steven Hippler rejected the list, whose names have not been released to the public.
Police claimed Kohberger visited the area 12 times before the slayings and that he turned off his phone on the night in question. Kohberger’s DNA was found on a knife sheath located near Mogen and Goncalves’ bodies, according to prosecutors. The murder weapon has not been found.
Meanwhile, defense attorneys accused prosecutors of withholding evidence about unidentified DNA samples — including DNA on a glove outside the home which also remains unidentified. The judge rejected those contentions as well.
Investigators tested DNA from a trash can outside Kohberger’s family home in Pennsylvania against DNA found on the sheath at the crime scene. Testing determined that “at least 99.9998% of the male population would be expected to be excluded from the possibility of being the suspect’s biological father.”
At the time of the slayings, Kohberger was working on his Ph.D. in criminology from Washington State University, which is located 10 miles from the crime scene. He was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022, after taking a cross-country road trip with his father from Washington to Pennsylvania for the holidays.
In September, Kohberger’s trial was moved from Latah County to Boise, in Ada County. The trial’s venue was changed after the state supreme court upheld a ruling identifying publicity and media attention concerns that could jeopardize Kohberger’s right to a fair trial. Further, the courts noted that the Latah County courthouse lacked space and local police did not have enough deputies to provide adequate security.
Despite a plea deal, a motive in the quadruple murder remains undisclosed.
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[Feature Photo: AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool]
