Consequences landed on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 for Bryan Kohberger – the gawky criminology PhD student who decided to become the subject of his own case study. In a courtroom, he dodged the death penalty and scored four consecutive life sentences without parole. He also got a day full of listening to the victims’ families’ impact statements in which they called him him everything from a “psycho” to a sub-human loser. Even the judge called him “evil.”
Kohberger, now 30, pled guilty to the 2022 stabbing murders of four University of Idaho students – Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin – who were slaughtered in their Moscow, Idaho, rental home. The killer snuck in through a sliding glass door and used a military- style knife. DNA on a knife sheath, cellphone records, and surveillance footage sealed his fate.
But instead of a long, revealing trial, there was a quick plea deal: life in prison and ten extra years for burglary. No motive. No explanation. And that’s obviously how Kohberger wants it.
Because here’s my theory: This wasn’t just murder. It was performance. A live thesis. A narcissist’s twisted “research project” on crime, control, and attention.
Why No Motive? Because Mystery = Power
Kohberger’s silence? Deliberate. By refusing to offer a motive, he maintains the upper hand – stoking curiosity, feeding headlines, and keeping the narrative on his terms. Classic move for a narcissist who doesn’t just want to be remembered – he wants to be analyzed.
The Criminal Who Studied Criminals – And Then Became One
Before his arrest, Kohberger wasn’t just reading about crime – he was studying it at Washington State and even conducted a creepy survey asking ex-cons how it felt to commit murder. That wasn’t academic curiosity. That was a dress rehearsal. He didn’t just want to write about killers – he wanted to be one. And he wants to be studied.
He also wants to study those around him – the victims, the families of the victims, law enforcement, his own family, the media, the public, the judge…as I said, this is his live thesis.
Is a Book Deal Next? You Bet.
Kohberger skipped the trial to avoid losing control of the narrative. He didn’t want all of his stupidity, ignorance and mistakes exposed to the world. Now he’ll bide his time in prison, likely crafting a book. He’ll paint himself as misunderstood genius rather than blood-soaked coward.
Because for Kohberger, the crime wasn’t the end – it was just the first chapter. Four lives were stolen and now their killer gets to sit in his cell, smugly convinced he’s the smartest guy around – waiting to publish the book he always wanted to write about how great he is.
The judge in the case on Wednesday talked about as much warning everyone not to give him more relevance and power by endlessly seeking an explanation for what he did. Judge Steven Hippler said that doing so gives Kohberger the spotlight, attention and control that he craves. Hippler said in court. “In my view, the time has now come to end Mr. Kohberger’s 15 minutes of fame.”
But, alas, that will probably not happen.
Because don’t think for a second that Kohberger sees this as the end. In his mind, this was a launch, not a life sentence. No trial meant no defense unraveling his ego-fueled delusions. No motive meant he kept his secrets. And now, locked away from society, he will most likely get what he always wanted in the end – the time to craft his final words. Let’s hope, for the sake of the victims and justice itself, that the world denies him the audience he so desperately craves.
The post Kohberger’s Kingdom: No Trial. No Motive. Just a Murderer Who Wants to Be the Smartest Guy in the Room. appeared first on Steve Gruber.
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Author: Liberty Paige
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