The horrifying murders at the University of Idaho have left a lasting scar on the community, but recent court documents provide an unsettling glimpse into the mind of the killer.
Bryan Kohberger, the 30-year-old criminology PhD student convicted of the November 2022 killings of Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Ethan Chapin, has now revealed little about his motives—even in his own handwritten plea document.
The nine-page document, recently unsealed by Ada County Judge Steven Hippler, sheds light on Kohberger’s responses to questions about his legal rights, his plea deal, and his mental health—but offers no answers about why the murders occurred.
Refusing to Reveal Motive
Throughout the document, Kohberger’s answers are sparse—mostly simple “yes,” “no,” or “N/A” responses.
When asked if he had anything further to tell the court about his guilty plea, he marked “no.”
Despite pleading guilty, he has continued to withhold any explanation of why he chose these particular students as his victims.
Investigators have found no connection between him and the four students or their surviving roommates.
During his sentencing, Kohberger faced the families of the victims in court and was given the chance to speak.
His response was chillingly blank: “I respectfully decline.”
Diagnoses and the Defense Strategy
Kohberger did disclose, however, that he had been diagnosed with four mental health disorders in February 2025, six months before his trial began: level 1 autism (the highest-functioning level), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder).
His attorneys had called on expert witnesses to evaluate him, and these diagnoses became part of their strategy to argue against the death penalty.
The defense also suggested these disorders might explain his behaviors around the time of the murders—for example, his obsessive hand-washing and wearing gloves, or his late-night drives supposedly to watch the stars.
Kohberger later admitted that this alibi was false.
A Troubled Past
Kohberger’s history includes more than just mental health struggles.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, he was overweight as a teenager and later developed a severe eating disorder, eventually becoming a strict vegan.
Around this time, he also developed a heroin addiction.
Despite these issues, the plea document shows he was not taking any prescribed medications for his mental health conditions, only levothyroxine for hypothyroidism.
Understanding the Legal Consequences
In the plea advisory, Kohberger confirmed that he fully understood the legal proceedings and the consequences of his guilty plea.
He acknowledged that he would receive four life sentences for the first-degree murders plus 10 years for burglary.
He also stated that he was mentally capable of understanding the proceedings.
Even so, Kohberger’s refusal to answer questions about his motives has frustrated the victims’ families.
Prosecutor Bill Thompson has defended the plea deal, explaining that even if Kohberger spoke, the FBI had advised that his explanations likely would never make sense or provide closure.
The Crime and Its Aftermath
On November 13, 2022, Kohberger broke into an off-campus student home in Moscow, Idaho, with lethal intent.
He stabbed to death 21-year-old best friends Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, and 20-year-old couple Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
Evidence linking him to the murders included a knife sheath containing his DNA left at the scene.
He was arrested six weeks later at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania.
On July 23, 2025, Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He waived all rights to appeal and is now serving his sentence in Idaho’s maximum-security prison, where he has reportedly filed multiple complaints against fellow inmates.