What Bryan Kohberger’s Classmates and Professors Noticed After Murders

In the weeks following Bryan Kohberger’s arrest in December 2022 for the murders of four University of Idaho students, the Washington State University graduate student’s classmates and professors told police about the concerning behavior he exhibited around the time of the killings.

Kohberger, 30, was pursuing a PhD in criminology at Washington State and serving as a teacher’s assistant, though he was fired days before his arrest.

Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 for the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022. A judge sentenced him to four consecutive life sentences after his guilty plea took the death penalty off the table.

In the time since the murders, Idaho state police have released more than 500 pages of documents related to the investigation, including accounts of interviews with those at Washington State who regularly interacted with Kohberger.

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Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations from the students and professors in his program.

Bryan Kohberger Had Visible Injuries After the Murders

After the murders, students and faculty noticed visible injuries on Kohberger’s hands. One student told police he had cuts on his hand “similar to cat scratches.” Another said he had “bloody knuckles,” though that student was unsure if they made the observation immediately before or after the homicides.

A professor also recalled seeing Kohberger’s hand bandaged around the time of the homicide, and Kohberger telling her it was due to “a silly accident indoors.”

How Classmates Say Bryan Kohberger’s Behavior Changed After Murders

Students observed several seemingly innocuous changes to Kohberger’s behavior after November 13, 2022. For one, he stopped bringing his phone to class, which classmates assumed he had used to take notes. Instead, he used his laptop.

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The same student also said the normally clean-shaven Kohberger began to grow facial hair and appeared “disheveled.” Despite weather that didn’t call for a jacket, she said he would wear a heavy coat for the duration of their three-hour class together.

Due to the nature of the criminology program, the Idaho murders were often brought up in class. While Kohberger was typically an active participant in class discussions, he did not participate when the subject arose.

Multiple People Told Police Kohberger Would ‘Spatially’ Trap Them

A female student alleges other women in the criminology program complained that Kohberger ”would make them uncomfortable.” This included “numerous” instances of him staring at female classmates or “spatially trapping” them in the student offices.

A professor also had a similar interaction in which Kohberger allegedly cornered her in a hallway because she had not given him 100 percent for participation that week.

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Classmates Accused Kohberger of ‘Mansplaining’

Bryan Kohberger Photo by Monroe County Correctional Facility via Getty Images

Several interviews with students included accusations that Kohberger would “mansplain” course material to women in his class — a concept he claimed did not exist. In one incident, a student claims he became “agitated and argumentative” while she was discussing eyewitness misidentification. The exchange left her uncomfortable, and she filed a written complaint with the university.

In another instance, a student says Kohberger attempted to correct her in class by overexplaining the subject as if she did not understand. Kohberger again became argumentative, and the student left the class early because of the interaction.

Another student complained to a professor that Kohberger left her in tears after making sexist comments as he was mansplaining a subject to her.

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A Classmate Almost Reported Kohberger to the University

Kohberger’s odd behavior caught the attention of one student who told police he nearly reported him to the university but decided not to because the report would not be anonymous. The student observed that Kohberger was visibly sleep-deprived, often late to lectures and would frequently get up and leave in the middle of class, only to return with coffee.

A Professor Warned Colleagues That Kohberg Is a Potential ‘Predator’

Bryan Kohberger AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool

In a staff meeting, a female faculty member told her colleagues that Kohberger “is smart enough that in four years we will have to give him a PhD” but warned them about his problematic behavior.

“Mark my word, I work with predators, if we give him a PhD, that’s the guy that in that many years when he is a professor, we will hear is harassing, stalking and sexually abusing … his students at wherever university,” the professor said.

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Kohberger Was the Only Student in His Class Who Believed in the Death Penalty

A student says Kohberger was the only person in her class who supported the death penalty. In an attempt to argue his position, he asked the student whether she would support putting someone to death who “raped and murdered” her 12-year-old daughter.

Kohberger Talked Up the Perpetrator in Moscow Homicides

Kohberger told another student that whoever committed the Idaho murders “must have been pretty good” in a conversation approximately three weeks after the killings. Kohberger praised the killer’s choice for timing because it was shortly before students left for winter break.