By: Gabriela Sundquist

Original Post – Student Stabbing: Still Searching for Answers

While many pieces of this case remain a mystery to the public, we have an answer for one of the biggest questions: Who did this?

The Arrest

On Friday, December 30, 2022, at 2 a.m., Bryan Kohberger was arrested in his home state of Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains. He had driven home, across the U.S. to his parents house, presumedly for the holidays. There’s also evidence that Kohberger’s father traveled to Washington to join Bryan for the cross-country trip.

Kohberger was identified partially using DNA evidence found at the scene. They then tracked him to Pennsylvania through his Hyundai Elantra which was seen nearby the crime scene. They are still, however, searching for the murder weapon.

FBI had been watching and tracking Kohberger for several days, waiting for the authorities in Idaho to get the probable cause to obtain a warrant before making the arrest. More of the public’s questions, such as why the cops suspect him, will most likely be made clear in the probable cause affidavit. This affidavit is sealed and cannot be released until Kohberger returns to Idaho.

He’s been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. He’s being held without bond in Pennsylvania, and is going to return to court today, Tuesday January 3, to start the extradition process.

Who is Bryan Kohberger?

Kohberger is a 28 year-old graduate student at Washington State University, which is a mere 10 miles away from the University of Idaho. Kohberger lived only 15 minutes from the house where the murder was committed.

He graduated with his undergraduate degree from DeSales University in Pennsylvania in 2020, and completed his graduate studies at DeSales in June 2022. He then enrolled in Washington State University where he was studying as a Ph.D. student in the criminal justice and criminology department. He had just completed his first semester in the program in December 2022.

According to CNN and NYTimes, there was a Reddit post (that has since been removed) where a DeSales University student named Bryan Kohberger sought the participation of convicts in a research project. The goal of this project was “to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime. In particular, this study seeks to understand the story behind your most recent criminal offense, with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience.” This is just one example of many that revealed a deep and personal interest in the mind of a murderer.

While murder and crime are very human things to be interested in, there’s a definite line between being fascinated by the concept and wanting to take it up as a hobby. Kohberger might have been the latter.

Kohberger’s Past

Kohberger’s former friends described him as “socially awkward, bullied, and academically gifted” (Independent.co.uk). They also claim that his personality shifted in high school. He could be extremely cruel. Some of his friends in high school ended their friendships with him when normal teasing turned “meanspirited” and sometimes physical.

Other friends of Kohberger have claimed that he also has a “troubled past with heroin addiction and weight struggles”. His heroin addiction started in high school but seems to have gotten better in the past years.

One of his classmates at DeSales claimed that Kohberger “liked to work alone, but came across as smart”. (NYTimes) This classmate also said that “he seemed to show a particular interest in crime scenes and serial killers”. This again could either be innocent curiosity from a criminology student, or it could have been something more.

Justice in Moscow

The community of Moscow, Idaho has been anxiously awaiting any kind of progress in this case as they mourned their friends, and feared for their lives. As Kohberger has been caught and security presence in the community has increased, they find peace in justice and renewed safety.

Moscow Police Chief, James Fry spoke at a conference on Friday, somber and emotional, “No arrest will ever bring back these young students. However, we do believe justice will be found through the criminal process.”

Stay tuned for more updates on this story, and catch next week’s post for the final installment of JonBenet.

Sources