What Was Bryan Kohberger's Motive? Everything to Know About What Led to the University of Idaho Murders By Jordana Comiter

Bryan Kohberger stabbed four University of Idaho students to death in November 2022 — but what was his motive?

In the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves were found dead in an off-campus apartment in Moscow, Idaho, from an apparent knife attack. Days later, authorities shared that they didn’t have a suspect, but called the incident an “isolated, targeted attack.”

More than a month after the brutal killings occurred, Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania in connection with the murders. He was indicted by a grand jury in May 2023 and pleaded not guilty — though nearly two years later, he confessed to being responsible for the murders.

In July 2025, he pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary, days after accepting a plea deal. The former Ph.D. criminology student then received four lifetime sentences, plus an additional 10 years for a burglary charge, and has since been at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution. Although the court proceedings have wrapped up, the nation is still grappling with the shocking case and the details behind it.

So, what was Bryan Kohberger’s motive? Here’s what we know about what led to the University of Idaho murders.

What was Bryan Kohberger’s motive?

Since the investigation into the brutal stabbings began, there has been a seemingly constant flow of new details unsealed. However, Kohberger’s motive remains unknown.

PEOPLE previously reviewed his now-deleted Instagram account, confirming that Kohberger had followed the accounts of all three of the female victims. Meanwhile, in January 2023, an investigator familiar with the case told PEOPLE that he had sent a series of “persistent” messages to one of the victims, including some in late October, just weeks before the stabbings.

“He slid into one of the girls’ DMs several times but she didn’t respond,” the source told PEOPLE. “Basically, it was just him saying, ‘Hey, how are you?’ But he did it again and again.”

But during the plea hearing in early July 2025, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson detailed the night of the murders and said there was “no evidence there was any sexual component or sexual assault on any of the victims. I want to make that clear so there’s no speculation.”

However, days later, Steve Goncalves, whose daughter Kaylee was one of the four victims, shared during an appearance on NewsNation’s Banfield that he strongly disagrees with Thompson’s remarks, based on some information he got from individuals involved in the investigation.

“People got so angry at what was happening in that courtroom that they would literally pick up their phone and call us and say, ‘This is what’s on Bryan’s phone. This is what he was searching. This was sexually motivated,’ ” Steve said. “I don’t care what Thompson said.”

Since the gag order in the case had just been removed, Steve was able to share more about why he disagreed, alleging that somebody involved in the investigation informed him of Kohberger’s “weird, weird porn fetishes,” which allegedly included “drunk passed out girls and gagging girls.”

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“[T]hose are two things that were part of that crime scene, so for Thompson to say that there was no sexual assault…” Steve said, adding, “Of course, there wasn’t [evidence of sexual assault]. He didn’t have enough time. Somebody came up there.”

Days later, Kohberger was given a final opportunity to speak before his sentencing by an Idaho judge. Instead of defending himself, he uttered just three words — “I respectfully decline.” Then, he left the courtroom stone-faced, without acknowledging his mother and sister.

Why hasn’t Bryan Kohberger’s motive been revealed?

In addition to Kohberger not disclosing his motive for the murders, prosecutors have also been unable to find evidence to suggest a particular reason. After Kohberger confessed to their murders during trial in early July 2025, Thompson presented some of the evidence gathered throughout the case and shared that they had failed to locate the murder weapon.

When it came time to discuss motive, Thompson shared that investigators found evidence of Kohberger’s phone pinging the cellular tower in the area of the victims’ off-campus home multiple times in the months leading up to the murders. However, Thompson said prosecutors still could not connect the killer to his victims.

“We do not have evidence that he had direct contact with [the home], but we can put his phone in that area at those times,” Thompson said.

Since they could not locate the murder weapon used to kill the four victims, and had no evidence that Kohberger knew his victims, they could not come to a conclusive decision on motive.

Will Bryan Kohberger’s motive ever be revealed?

In exchange for Kohberger’s plea, prosecutors agreed that they would not seek the death penalty. Instead, on July 23, 2025, Kohberger received four lifetime sentences, plus 10 years for a burglary charge and $270,000 in fines and civil penalties.

But now that Kohberger’s case will not go to trial, there is little to no chance that his motive will ever be known.

“He’s the only one that has the ‘why,’ ” Idaho State Police Lt. Darren Gilbertson told ABC News in July 2025 of Kohberger. “And oftentimes that ‘why,’ it may only make sense to him.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.