Bryan Kohberger's sister speaks out after family's 3-year silence

"Three years after four college students were brutally murdered in Moscow, Idaho, the family of their convicted killer, Bryan Kohberger, still struggles to reconcile love for a brother and son with the horror of what he has admitted doing. Kohberger had suffered through childhood weight struggles, bullying, social awkwardness, and later, heroin addiction. But at the end of 2022 he was in recovery, and his life seemed on track."

"The Kohberger family has not spoken publicly since Bryan Kohberger was charged with fatally stabbing 21-year-old Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, and 20-year-old Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2022, as they slept in the three women's off-campus residence. The two roommates who were spared Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke encountered the gory scene the next morning. All were students at the nearby University of Idaho."

"The Kohbergers' pride in Bryan was shattered by the revelation that he was suspected of and later admitted to the slaughter. In fact, when news of the slayings broke, Mel worried about his safety, she recalled. But on Dec. 30, 2022, police burst into the family's Pennsylvania home, guns drawn, and arrested the then 28-year-old Washington State University criminology doctoral student for murder."

Three years after the killings, the Kohberger family remains torn between love for Bryan and horror at his admitted actions. Bryan struggled with childhood weight issues, bullying, social awkwardness, and later heroin addiction, but entered recovery and seemed on track by late 2022. On Nov. 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students were fatally stabbed in an off-campus residence; two roommates survived and discovered the scene. The family declined public comment largely out of respect for the victims and recognition of their trauma. Police arrested Bryan at the family home on Dec. 30, 2022. He pleaded guilty in July 2025 and is serving four life sentences without parole.

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