Bryan Kohberger & the Idaho Student Murders

On November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students — Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin — were brutally murdered in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. The crime stunned the small college town and drew national attention as investigators searched for answers.

In this episode, we move past the headlines and documentaries to focus on the mind behind the crime: Bryan Kohberger. Who was he before the murders, and what shaped his inner world? From childhood bullying and struggles with mental health to his obsessive online postings and criminology career, we explore the complex, unsettling portrait that has emerged.

We also ask harder questions: How do diagnoses intersect with violence? What role do isolation and rage play in shaping a person’s choices? And what systemic failures might have been missed along the way?

Content warning: violence, trauma, mental illness