Authorities have offered a deeper look into the life of Bryan Kohberger prior to his heinous murders. Following the former criminology student's sentence to life imprisonment for the brutal slayings of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in 2022, investigators have disclosed details about the contents of his phone in the lead-up to the night of his grim deeds. Despite Kohberger's meticulous efforts to erase his search history, officials revealed that he overlooked deleting his photos, which consisted predominantly of shirtless selfies and pictures of unidentified women in various stages of undress.
Investigator Hannah Barnhart described some of Kohberger's self-portraits in an interview with People, published on August 15, stating, "Numerous images showed him posing half-naked in front of the mirror, flexing his muscles." Regarding the photos of other women, Barnhart noted that they often featured women "in bikinis" or "completely nude." She added, "These were all cached files saved onto his device." Additionally, Kohberger had taken several vanity shots of his car—the same 2016 white Hyundai Elantra he used on the night of the murders.
Barnhart believes these pictures provide a snapshot of Kohberger's life before the murders, clarifying that none of these saved photos were ever sent or shared with anyone else. These findings led Barnhart to conclude that Kohberger, who confessed to all four murders as part of a plea deal prior to his sentencing on July 23, was both isolated in his daily life and excessively vain. She even drew parallels between him and Christian Bale's portrayal of serial killer Patrick Bateman in the 2000 film American Psycho, saying, "Very vain, like American Psycho," when referring to his phone's camera roll.
These are not the first images unveiled in Kohberger's case. During his trial, prosecutors released another selfie from the 32-year-old's collection, showing him giving a thumbs-up in the bathroom of his apartment on the Washington State University campus after driving back from the murder scene in Moscow, Idaho, on the morning of November 13, 2022. Furthermore, the Moscow Police Department recently shared several crime scene photos, including one depicting a bed drenched in blood and another showing the sliding glass door through which police believe Kohberger entered the now-demolished house on King Road.
Despite the eventual release of these photos, Steve Goncalves, father of victim Kaylee Goncalves, had earlier expressed his desire for them to remain concealed from the public. "You don't realize those are our children, and we won't accept this kind of thing," he said during an appearance on NewsNation's Banfield on August 6. "I hope we can give these kids some dignity and avoid going through this."
