Why Bryan Kohberger murdered 4 University of Idaho students. Here's what his confession says about motive

1. Why Bryan Kohberger murdered 4 University of Idaho students. Here's what his confession says about motive

Bryan Kohberger, the 30-year-old former criminology PhD student accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary on Wednesday. The plea was accepted by Judge Steven Hippler in Boise’s Ada County Courthouse. It ensures Kohberger will serve four consecutive life sentences without parole. The four victims were: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. 

Bryan Kohberger, charged in the murders of four University of Idaho students, appears at the Ada County Courthouse(via REUTERS)

Bryan Kohberger's confession

During a Wednesday hearing, Kohberger verbally admitted to murdering Goncalves, Mogen, Kernodle, and Chapin, responding ‘Yes’ when Judge Hippler asked if he committed each killing. 

The confession was part of a plea deal initiated by his defense team, which approached prosecutors in late June. However, Kohberger provided no detailed explanation of his motive in court, and the prosecutors’ letter to the victims’ families did not specify a reason for the killings.

What we know about Bryan Kohberger's motive?

 The Goncalves family demanded a ‘full confession’ including the ‘true facts’ and location of the murder weapon, but no such details were disclosed. 

Prosecutors have not publicly outlined a motive, a point emphasized in pre-trial rulings. Evidence tying Kohberger to the crime includes DNA on a KA-BAR knife sheath found near Mogen’s body, cellphone pings showing his white Hyundai Elantra near the victims’ home multiple times, and surveillance footage of his car circling the area. Despite this, no apparent personal connection between Kohberger and the victims was established, though the Goncalves family provided screenshots suggesting he followed Mogen and Goncalves on Instagram. 

Speculated motives

Kohberger’s background as a criminology PhD student at Washington State University, 8 miles from Moscow, Idaho, and his prior Reddit posts seeking insights into the ‘crime commission process’ suggest an academic obsession with criminal behavior. 

His 2018 message about working with ‘high-profile offenders’ and interest in serial killers like Ted Bundy (evidenced by his phone’s search history) hint at a possible desire to study or emulate such acts. 

Kohberger’s teenage posts on Tapatalk revealed struggles with depression, dissociation, and suicidal thoughts, alongside a history of heroin use. His autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnoses, raised by the defense, may have contributed to his social isolation. 

Victim and family Reactions

The plea deal sparked division among the victims’ families. The Goncalves family expressed fury, calling it a ‘secretive deal’ and demanding a full confession.