Bryan Kohberger’s younger sister shared a chilling memory of cautioning her brother about a “psycho killer” on the loose, unaware that her warning was directed at the individual who would later be found guilty of the heinous crime. This revelation came during her recent conversation with The New York Times, in which she recounted her alarm upon hearing of the tragic murders in Moscow, Idaho. Bryan Kohberger ultimately confessed to the killings of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves on November 13, 2022.
Reflecting on that conversation, Mel Kohberger remembered advising her brother, “Bryan, you’re going out while there’s a psycho killer around. Be cautious.” To this, Bryan responded with gratitude, reassuring Mel of his safety. He was known for his late-night runs and a habit of not locking his door, which often prompted her concern.
On July 23, 2025, Bryan Kohberger appeared at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, for his sentencing, following his conviction for the brutal murder of the four University of Idaho students nearly three years prior. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)
Mel also reflected on Bryan’s troubled teenage years, marked by bullying and social isolation. Friends recalled his struggles with weight and his aloof demeanor. According to the outlet, Bryan’s online posts as a teenager revealed a lack of emotion, minimal remorse, and a haunting self-description as “an organic sack of meat with no self-worth.”
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse, for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death nearly three years ago. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)
Mel recalled how Bryan was constantly bullied as a teenager as friends previously said he was overweight and had a standoffish personality. In online posts while Bryan was a teenager, according to the outlet, he said that he had no emotion, little remorse, and felt like he was “an organic sack of meat with no self-worth.”
Bryan, who was addicted to heroin as a teenager, once stole Mel’s phone and sold it at a mall so he could buy more drugs, the sister said. Mel said her family was worried Bryan was on a pathway to an early death, something that happened to one of his friends. However, Mel said Bryan received treatment and was doing better.
“We were all so proud of him because he had overcome so much,” Mel said.
Maryann Kohberger, (wearing sunglasses) mother of Bryan Kohberger, along with her daughter, Amanda Kohberger, exit Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. The pair were in attendance for Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing for the murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
After treatment, Mel said while Bryan remained socially awkward and abrasive at times, she never saw him as a violent person.
Bryan did not discuss the Idaho murders while staying at his parents’ Pennsylvania home in the days before the FBI raid, but Mel recalled him mentioning the case once, noting investigators were still searching for a suspect.
When Bryan was arrested Dec. 30, 2022, Mel recalled getting a phone call from her older sister, Amanda.
Police have named the four victims of an apparent quadruple homicide at the University of Idaho as Maddie Mogen, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves. (Instagram: @maddiemogen, @kayleegoncalves, @ethanchapin4)
“She was like, ‘I’m with the FBI, Bryan’s been arrested,’” Mel said. “I was like, ‘For what?’”
“The Idaho murders,” Amanda responded.
Mel initially thought her sister might have been pranking her before becoming nauseous at the thought that her own brother was behind the murders of four college students.
Overnight, Mel said her world was flipped upside down. Bryan’s sister said she was training to start her new job as a mental health counselor in New Jersey, but agreed to step down after the new employer became inundated with inquiries.
Bryan Kohberger has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of four University of Idaho students. (The Idaho Department of Correction)
Mel said she became angry after seeing online posts from people who speculated that her family may have known that Bryan had killed the four University of Idaho students.
“I have always been a person who has spoken up for what was right,” Mel said. “If I ever had a reason to believe my brother did anything, I would have turned him in.”
