Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger's phone had photos of female students in bikinis, unsettling selfies reminiscent of Ted Bundy, and internet searches for graphic porn, according to a disturbing new report. The accused University of Idaho killer also searched for the Britney Spears song "Criminal," according to Dateline on NBC News.
In the weeks leading up to the brutal November 13, 2022 murders—when Kohberger allegedly broke into an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, and fatally stabbed four students in their room—he reportedly searched online for dozens of photos of female students from Washington State University and the University of Idaho wearing swimsuits and bikinis, the report claims.
Chilling Behavior of Murderer
Some of the photos appeared to be of friends or followers of Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Madison Mogen, three of the four victims in the deadly attack. Ethan Chapin, the boyfriend of Xana Kernodle, was also killed in the attack while he was sleeping, with deep knife wounds carved into his legs, NBC News reported.
In late September that year, Kohberger—then a Ph.D. criminology student at Washington State University—allegedly searched for terms like "Sociopathic Traits in College Student" and explicit material involving the keywords "drugged" and "sleeping," according to the outlet.
By October, his search history included the question "Can Psychopaths behave prosocially?" and in the days after the killings, he reportedly looked up news about the "University of Idaho Murders."
As investigators began analyzing evidence from the crime scene in December—such as DNA found on a knife sheath in Madison Mogen's bedroom that ultimately linked to Kohberger—the suspect reportedly took a disturbing selfie, mimicking a video of Ted Bundy wearing a black hood, according to the outlet.
Strange Obsession Linked to Murder
Just days before his arrest, Kohberger also looked up the Britney Spears song "Criminal," the report added. Kohberger was taken into custody on December 30, 2022, from his parents' home in Pennsylvania.
Recently released footage captured a white Hyundai Elantra—matching the one registered to Kohberger—repeatedly driving around the area near the off-campus student home on the night of the killings.
NBC's Dateline is set to air a special segment featuring this new evidence at 9 p.m. EST.
Kohberger has been charged with four counts of murder and one count of burglary in connection with the killings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.
Two roommates who survived the attack are expected to testify during the trial.
Kohberger has pleaded not guilty, but if found guilty, he could be sentenced to death. His trial is scheduled to begin in August.
