Bryan Kohberger is reportedly facing harassment from other inmates at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution.
According to the Daily Mail, the convicted killer has been filing frequent complaints with prison guards, saying that other inmates keep taunting him. Even though Kohberger has his own cell and very little contact with the rest of the J-Block population, he claims the harassment hasn’t stopped.
“It’s driving him crazy,” said Chris McDonough, a retired homicide detective who now works with the Cold Case Foundation. “The inmates are tormenting him at night and almost all hours of the day — taunting him through the vents in his cell,” he told the outlet.
He explained further: “They’re using the vent system. They’re kicking the doors. They’re taunting him. And they’re basically torturing him through psychological tactics.”
McDonough also appeared on NewsNation’s Banfield, where he said: “The good news is the inmates were apparently waiting for him. And when he got there, they are now making his life absolutely miserable.”
Kohberger has reportedly told guards about the harassment many times. But, according to McDonough, the guards say they can’t do much since he isn’t in any physical danger.
A spokesperson for the Idaho Department of Corrections did not confirm Kohberger’s claims but did admit the new inmate has been complaining about his treatment.
“We are aware of Kohberger’s complaints about what he considers taunting. Incarcerated individuals commonly communicate with each other in prison,” Public Information Officer Blake Lopez told PEOPLE. “Bryan Kohberger is housed alone in a cell, and IDOC security staff maintain a safe and orderly environment for all individuals in our custody.”
Lopez also explained that inmates in restrictive housing have very limited interaction. They live alone in single-person cells, must be moved in restraints, and are only allowed showers every other day along with one hour of outdoor recreation.
On July 23, Judge Steven Hippler sentenced Kohberger to four life sentences without parole for the murders of four University of Idaho students, along with 10 years for burglary. He was also ordered to pay about $250,000 in fines and civil penalties.
The 30-year-old convicted murderer appeared in court just three weeks after confessing to killing Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.
The four students were found brutally stabbed to death inside an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022.
