Convicted quadruple murderer Bryan Kohberger has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal 2022 stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students.
While the public reckons with the horror of his crimes, inmates who shared space with the 30-year-old killer have shed new light on his bizarre and obsessive behavior behind bars.
Newly released police documents, compiled after Kohberger pleaded guilty in a surprise move earlier this month, reveal he was seen by fellow prisoners as a “f****** weirdo” who frequently lost favor due to his irritating daily routines, The Independent reports.
Obsessive Habits in Jail: “Dozens of Hand Washes a Day”
Inmate reports from Latah County Jail, where Kohberger was held pre-trial, describe the former PhD criminology student as highly intelligent but increasingly aggravating.
One neighboring inmate detailed how Kohberger would wash his hands “dozens of times each day” and spend “45 minutes to an hour in the shower.”
According to TMZ, another inmate confirmed that Kohberger would often stay awake all night and nap during the day — movements that made it difficult for others to sleep due to the noise.
“He would video-chat with his mother for hours each day,” one inmate said. “He was polite for the most part but became annoying fast.”
Kohberger’s Only Outburst
One inmate recounted the only time Kohberger lost his temper.
While the man was watching sports on TV, he yelled, “You suck,” at a player. Kohberger — mid-video call with his mother — rushed to the cell bars and demanded to know if the insult was aimed at him or his mom.
Despite these occasional tensions, one prisoner still described Kohberger as the “smartest person he had encountered while in confinement.”
Kohberger Sentenced to Life for “Unspeakable Evil”
On November 13, 2022, Kohberger broke into an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho, and stabbed four students—Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20—to death. Most were asleep when they were attacked.
In an emotional sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Ada County Judge Steven Hippler delivered four consecutive life sentences plus 10 years for burglary. “Parents who took their children to college in a truck filled with moving boxes had to bring them home in hearses lined with coffins,” Hippler said.
Calling the crimes “unspeakable evil,” the judge noted Kohberger’s refusal to disclose a motive. “By continuing to focus on why, we continue to give Mr. Kohberger relevance… the power he appears to crave,” Hippler added.
Families Confront the Killer: “Nobody Cares About You”
The nearly three-hour hearing included gut-wrenching victim impact statements. Kaylee Goncalves’ father, Steve Goncalves, stared directly at Kohberger as he told him, “Nobody cares about you. From this moment, we'll forget you… You united everyone in their disgust for you.”
Kaylee’s sister, Alivea Goncalves, called Kohberger a “psychopath” and “sociopath,” telling him, “If you hadn’t attacked them in their sleep, in the middle of the night, like a pedophile, Kaylee would’ve kicked your f***ing ass.”
Her statements drew applause from the courtroom.
“Hell Will Be Waiting”: More Family Members Speak Out
Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee’s mother, declared, “You are nothing. May you continue to live your life in misery.” She added, per The Independent: “Hell will be waiting.”
Xana Kernodle’s stepfather, Randy Davis, pointed at Kohberger and shouted, “Go to hell,” while her mother, Cara Northington, read a letter to her daughter, saying she had “a light so bright it will live on forever.”
One of the surviving roommates, Dylan Mortensen, told Kohberger, “You are a hollow vessel, something less than human,” while Bethany Funke, the other survivor, shared through a friend that she slept in her parents’ room for a year and felt guilt for not calling 911 sooner.
A Crime Without Explanation
Kohberger, who was a graduate student at Washington State University at the time of the murders, was arrested six weeks later at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania. He was linked to the crime through DNA on a knife sheath, cell phone tracking data, and surveillance footage of a white Hyundai Elantra.
Despite entering a guilty plea on July 2, Kohberger declined to explain his actions in court. Prosecutors shared grim details of how he killed the four students — Mogen and Goncalves first, then Kernodle, who was reportedly awake and had just picked up a DoorDash order, and finally Chapin, who was sleeping.
Hours later, Kohberger took a selfie in his apartment in Washington state, giving a thumbs up. The murder weapon has never been found.
With the death penalty taken off the table in the plea deal, Kohberger will now spend the rest of his life in prison under the custody of the state of Idaho. His mother, who attended the sentencing, reportedly broke down in tears during the victim impact statements.
According to one fellow inmate, Kohberger expressed excitement about being transferred to Ada County Jail. But with a reputation already forming inside prison walls and a lifetime sentence ahead, Kohberger’s future will be as isolated as the cells that now confine him.