Idaho Murders Suspect Bryan Kohberger Carried Out Study Asking Criminals How They Chose Victims

A man accused in connection with the murders of four university students in Idaho developed research in which he asked offenders how they choose their targets and how they felt while committing the crimes.

As police records revealed that criminology student Bryan Kohberger had been arrested in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in connection with the students’ November stabbing deaths, it was revealed that only six months earlier he had sought input from former criminals to better understand their decision-making processes.

He was also interested in how they felt throughout the encounter. “Hello, my name is Bryan, and I am requesting you to engage in a study project that tries to explore how emotions and psychological features influence decision-making when committing a crime,” he wrote in a post on Reddit in May, which has since been deleted.

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“This study, in particular, tries to uncover the story behind your most recent criminal offense, with a focus on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience.” The survey was anonymous, and questions included “Did you plan for the crime before leaving your home?”, “Why did you choose that victim or target over others?”, and “What was the first move you made to accomplish your goal?”, according to the Daily Mail.

He also inquired, “What were you thinking and feeling after doing the crime?” While Mr. Kohberger was studying criminology, where such queries may seem natural, many may view them differently following his arrest in connection with the killings of Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.

On the one-month anniversary of the Idaho murders, Moscow police swear the case is not ‘going cold.’
The four were stabbed to death in the early morning hours of November 13 at a rental home near the University of Idaho campus in Moscow. For weeks, investigators were unable to identify a suspect or uncover a murder weapon.

Police in Moscow claimed to have ruled out the possibility of a second suspect in the murders. “We have an individual in jail who perpetrated these heinous atrocities, and I believe our community is safe, but we must be watchful,” said Moscow police chief James Fry at a press conference on Friday.

In connection with the killings, Mr. Kohberger was charged with four counts of murder. According to the Associated Press, Mr. Kohberger is a registered libertarian voter with a deep interest in criminal justice and criminology, according to public records.

The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, just eight miles from Moscow, lists him as a Ph.D. student. This year, he finished his graduate studies in criminal justice at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.

“On Friday, December 30, DeSales University learned of the arrest of Bryan Kohberger in connection with the murder of four University of Idaho students,” the college announced in a statement to the media.”

In 2020, Kohberger obtained his bachelor’s degree, and in June 2022, he completed his graduate studies.” As a Catholic, Salesian community, we are heartbroken by this senseless tragedy,” it continued. During this tragic moment, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families.”