Why did Bryan Kohberger kill four University of Idaho students on Nov. 13, 2022?
The motive behind the murders is still unknown, nearly three years after Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were brutally stabbed to death in their home at night.
Kohberger has never explained why he did it, but one of his classmates at Washington State University gave police her opinion. She told investigators she believed the former criminology student wanted to experience what it felt like to commit murder and see if he could get away with it. She added that this fit with his belief that he was smarter than everyone else.
In her interview with Idaho State Police obtained by PEOPLE, the classmate said that Kohberger’s actions showed his need for control and matched his personality.
She described him as “calculated” and a “narcissist.” She also said his question after his arrest — asking whether someone else had been arrested too — was not about a friend or partner but an attempt to confuse people.
The classmate admitted she sometimes wondered if he might have been responsible for the murders. Other students also recalled talking with him about the killings before he was taken into custody.
Since they were in the same program, she saw him daily. She told police that during all her interactions with Kohberger, he never showed empathy for anyone. In her view, he had no redeeming qualities.
Detective Sergeant Michael Van Leuven summarized her comments, writing that while she first thought he might just be socially awkward, she came to believe he always wanted to be seen as the smartest person in the room. She also said he often showed jealousy toward other people’s success.
