In the weeks before four students were found dead inside a residence near the University of Idaho, suspect Bryan Kohberger messaged one of the victims on Instagram — and then kept reaching out after she did not respond, according to a new report.
Kohberger, a criminology graduate student at Washington State University, was arrested in December for the murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20. They were all found fatally stabbed on Nov. 13 at a home the female victims shared with two other people in Moscow, Idaho.
Weeks earlier, an account authorities suspect belonged to Kohberger attempted to connect with one of the women he would allegedly go on to kill, a source familiar with the investigation told People. The first message landed in her inbox in late October. It was a seemingly friendly greeting — but they kept coming.
“He slid into one of the girls’ DMs several times, but she didn’t respond,” the unidentified investigator said. “Basically, it was just him saying, ‘Hey, how are you?’ But he did it again and again.”
It’s not clear which student he specifically reached out to, but the account did follow all three female victims on Instagram.
Police previously said they’d been looking into whether Kohberger had stalked the victims before their grisly deaths, according to court documents. A motive for the murders remains unclear.
Kohberger was taken into custody at his family home in Pennsylvania after weeks of eluding law enforcement officers. He was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and a felony burglary charge for allegedly entering the home with intent to kill. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Earlier this month, Kohberger waived his right to a speedy probable cause hearing. He is due back in court in June.
