When Bryan Kohberger’s guilty plea documents were unsealed, many expected they might finally shed light on his shocking crimes.
Instead, the nine-page handwritten form revealed very little—except his refusal to explain his actions and a list of four mental health disorders he claims were diagnosed earlier this year.
The Handwritten Document That Says Almost Nothing
The paperwork, released by Judge Steven Hippler, shows Kohberger’s scrawled handwriting as he answered standard questions about his rights, mental state, and plea deal.
Most of his responses were limited to “yes,” “no,” or “N/A.”
When asked about mental health, the 30-year-old former criminology PhD student listed autism (level 1), OCD, ADHD, and ARFID (an eating disorder).
According to him, all diagnoses came in February 2025, just months before his trial was due to begin.
Defense Arguments Around Mental Health
His attorneys had brought in expert witnesses before trial, who confirmed some of these conditions.
They argued that autism and OCD, in particular, explained his strange behaviors—like wearing gloves, bagging up trash, and driving around aimlessly at night.
At one point, Kohberger even claimed his late-night stargazing “alibi” was due to insomnia linked to OCD.
But later, he admitted the excuse was a complete lie when he entered his guilty plea.
A Troubled Past With Food and Addiction
Court records also revealed Kohberger’s battle with an eating disorder.
ARFID, which he listed in the plea form, is marked by a severe aversion to certain foods.
Childhood friends recalled how he lost a large amount of weight as a teenager, became vegan, and eventually struggled with heroin addiction.
Despite citing four diagnoses, Kohberger reported that he wasn’t taking medication for any of them.
The only prescription listed was levothyroxine, a drug for thyroid issues.
A Killer Who Understands His Punishment
Interestingly, Kohberger confirmed in the document that he was mentally fit to understand the proceedings.
He acknowledged he would face four life sentences without parole—plus 10 years for burglary—and yet, when asked if he wanted to explain his guilty plea, he wrote a simple “no.”
Silence That Torments the Families
What remains hardest for the victims’ families is the silence.
Kohberger never gave a reason for the murders of Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Ethan Chapin.
At sentencing, when given a chance to speak, his only response was: “I respectfully decline.”
Many relatives felt betrayed that prosecutors didn’t force him to reveal his motives as part of the plea deal.
But officials, including Prosecutor Bill Thompson, have said even if he spoke, his explanation likely wouldn’t make sense to anyone but him.
The Crime That Shattered Idaho
The murders happened in the early hours of November 13, 2022, when Kohberger broke into an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.
Armed with a knife, he killed the four students before fleeing the scene, leaving behind a sheath with his DNA on it.
Six weeks later, he was tracked down and arrested at his parents’ house in Pennsylvania.
On July 23, 2025, he was sentenced to life without parole, having waived all rights to appeal.
Now Behind Bars
Kohberger is now serving his sentence at Idaho’s maximum-security prison.
Reports say he has already started filing complaints about other inmates, but one thing remains unchanged—he has given no answers, no explanations, and no closure to the families left grieving.