22 May 2023 , 21:02
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The man accused of stabbing four college students to death while they slept decided not to enter a plea in his first court hearing today.
Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old criminology PhD student, is facing four counts of first-degree murder and burglary over the University of Idaho stabbings and appeared in Latah County Court in Moscow, Idaho, on Monday.
In court today, his attorney said that he was “standing silent” on the charges – so the judge has now entered not guilty pleas on his behalf, with the trial set to begin on October 2, 2023.
The case revolves around the harrowing events that unfolded on November 13, when the tranquil college town of Moscow, Idaho, was shattered by an unimaginable tragedy.
Four young lives were cut short in a horror attack that sent shockwaves rippling across America.
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The victims, University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were mourned by their community and the nation at large.
The four victims were found stabbed to death in an off-campus home that the three women shared with two surviving roommates.
Here's everything we know about the man accused of their murders, Bryan Kohberger.
Plans to become a police officer
After a tense six weeks after their deaths, where students fled the small city in fear, Kohberger was arrested at his parents house in Pennsylvania. (Matt Rourke/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Kohberger grew up in small-town Pennsylvania, where he lived with his parents, Michael and Maryann, and two sisters, Amanda and Melissa.
The Kohbergers lived for years in Effort, a community in Monroe County, 90 miles north of Philadelphia.
Kohberger went to Pleasant Valley School District, where his mother was also employed.
Nick McLoughlin, 26, who attended classes at Pleasant Valley High School with Kohberger told The Daily Beast the murder suspect had been interested in becoming a police officer and took criminal justice courses.
“He was just a regular 12th grader, had a few friends, was a good student,” she said.
“I thought he would become a police officer or correctional officer... He liked to watch movies about police, and ask me the next day if I’d seen it. It was more than a hobby for him, he was always asking questions.”
Mr Kohberger was overweight and bullied in high school – then lost 100 pounds in his senior year, and more than just his appearance changed, according to friends.
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Casey Arntz, who hung around in the same group as Mr Kohberger, told 48 Hours: "He was rail thin.
"It was after that weight loss that a lot of people noticed a huge switch. When Bryan would get kinda angry with [my brother] he would gaslight him and get physically aggressive."
Kohberger has been charged with the shocking killings (ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)
Bryan Kohberger (Latah County Sheriff's Office/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)Other friends have since spoken to the media about Kohberger having addiction issues in high school, specifically for heroin.
Kohberger continued his studies at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in criminal justice last year.
The alleged murderer carried out a research project “to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.”
Allegations of sexism
Prior to the alleged murders, Kohberger faced disciplinary action in his teaching assistant role at WSU.
Within a month of starting his graduate program in the criminology department, he was under investigation for behavioural problems and a sexist attitude towards women.
Multiple warnings and meetings with professors highlighted concerns about his conduct, including being rude to women, grading differently based on gender, and displaying a sexist attitude towards female peers.
On December 19 – just over one month on from the murders – Kohberger was ultimately fired from his WSU teaching post, reported NewsNation.
How did the murders unfold?
The final photo of the victims, taken just hours before they were killed: Madison Mogen, 21, top left, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, bottom left, Ethan Chapin, 20, centre, and Xana Kernodle, 20, right.Kohberger is accused of killing the four victims, all students at the University of Idaho, who were ambushed in their rooms while they slept and stabbed to death with a military-style knife.
Following a six-week investigation, Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania on December 30.
Investigators say that Kohberger’s DNA was found on a knife sheath left behind at the crime scene.
A white Hyundai Elantra – matching his – was also captured on surveillance footage driving away from the area at the time of the murders.
Bryan Kohberger is believed to have broken into the home of a female student and then installed security cameras to spy on her in the months before he allegedly killed the four other.
The criminology PhD student had befriended the woman after he moved to Pullman, Washington state, to begin a graduate program in criminal justice at Washington State University (WSU), according to a source.
After a tense six weeks, where students fled the small city in fear, Kohberger was arrested at his parents house in Pennsylvania.
What we don't know
A photo taken from Bryan Kohberger's social mediaMany crucial details remain unknown in the case.
It is uncertain if the suspect had a personal connection to any of the victims or if the attack was driven by jealousy or rage.
The motive behind the crime remains undisclosed.
Authorities have chosen not to disclose the identity of the individual who placed the 911 call, and the audio recording has not been released.
Investigators have yet to reveal whether they believe the killer entered the house prior to the victims' return and concealed themselves until striking while the victims were asleep, or if the perpetrator gained access to the house after the students had come back.
Does Kohberger face the death penalty?
If convicted of the four murders, Bryan Kohberger faces the possibility of lethal injection, should the prosecution seek the death penalty.
In the state of Idaho, the maximum sentence for first-degree murder is death and the suspect is facing four counts of this charge.
Prosecutors have 60 days to announce whether or not they are seeking the death penalty in the case.
Kaylee Goncalves’ parents have already said that they want their daughter’s killer to be sentenced to death saying he “has to pay” for what he has done.