Just weeks into his life sentence, convicted murderer Bryan Kohberger is already struggling with life behind bars. Reports say other inmates are taunting him, and now the state of Idaho has responded.
A spokesperson for the Idaho Department of Corrections told PEOPLE on Thursday that Kohberger, 30, has complained about being mocked by other prisoners at the maximum-security facility where he is serving four consecutive life sentences for the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.
“We are aware of Kohberger’s complaints about what he considers taunting,” the department’s spokesperson said in a statement. “Incarcerated individuals commonly communicate with each other in prison. Bryan Kohberger is housed alone in a cell, and IDOC security staff maintain a safe and orderly environment for all individuals in our custody.”
The statement followed comments from retired homicide detective Chris McDonough, who said inmates have been making Kohberger’s life “miserable” ever since he arrived after his sentencing last month.
“It’s driving him crazy,” McDonough, who now works with the Cold Case Foundation, told The Daily Mail. “The inmates are tormenting him at night and almost all hours of the day — taunting him through the vents in his cell.”
McDonough explained further: “They’re using the vent system. They’re kicking the doors. They’re taunting him. And they’re basically torturing him psychologically.”
He also appeared on NewsNation’s Banfield and said inmates “were apparently waiting for him.”
“And when he got there, they are now making his life absolutely miserable,” McDonough added.
Last month, Kohberger was sentenced to four life terms without parole for killing four University of Idaho students: Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.
On July 2, Kohberger admitted to the murders, which allowed him to avoid the death penalty.
