Bryan Kohberger's Sister Was Worried About Him After Idaho Murders, Warned Him of 'Psycho Killer' By Liam Quinn

Before Bryan Kohberger was arrested in connection with the murders of four University of Idaho students, his sister warned him that a “psycho killer” was at large.

Kohberger was arrested a month after the November 2022 killings — and in 2025, he pleaded guilty to murder.

Kohberger’s sister Mel spoke to The New York Times and revealed what she said to her brother following the murders, not knowing he had committed them.

At the time, Kohberger was pursuing a Ph.D. at Washington State University, which is less than 10 miles from Moscow, Idaho where the murders occurred.

“Bryan, you are running outside and this psycho killer is on the loose,” Mel told him, per the Times. “Be careful.”

According to his sister, Kohberger thanked her for checking in on him and assured her he would stay safe.

Kohberger fatally stabbed Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, during the early morning hours Nov. 13, 2022.

On Dec. 30 of that year, Kohberger was arrested at his parents home in Pennsylvania. He had been identified as a suspect after his DNA was found on a knife sheath left at the scene.

In July 2025, Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of murder in exchange for prosecutors agreeing not to seek the death penalty.

Kohberger was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the chance for parole.

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In the interview with the Times, Mel also revealed that her brother had previously struggled with heroin addiction when he was younger but was able to overcome it and eventually pursued higher education.

She further claimed she was shocked after learning that Kohberger had been arrested in connection with the murders.

“I have always been a person who has spoken up for what was right,” she told the Times. “If I ever had a reason to believe my brother did anything, I would have turned him in.”