In the weeks before and after Bryan Kohberger allegedly stabbed four University of Idaho students to death, his scholarly pursuits were in turmoil as he faced allegations from supervisors and peers about unprofessional conduct, The New York Times reports.
Kohberger, 28, faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in connection with the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, who were found dead inside an off-campus residence on November 13 in Moscow, Idaho.
At the time of the slayings, Kohberger was a first-year Ph.D. student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, in the school’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, about 9 miles across the Washington-Idaho border from Moscow.
Kohberger’s troubles started early in the semester when on September 23, he allegedly had an “altercation” with a professor with whom he served as a teaching assistant, according to the Times. Kohberger was reportedly required to meet a supervisor to “discuss norms of professional behavior,” the Times reports, citing a WSU letter documenting the situation.
A professor later emailed Kohberger on October 21 about “the ways in which you had failed to meet your expectations as a T.A. thus far in the semester,” according to the newspaper.
By November 2, 11 days before the killings, department officials summoned Kohberger to a meeting to discuss a plan for improvement.
Kohberger allegedly had a second altercation with the professor on December 9, and on December 19, the university informed Kohberger that his funding and employment were being terminated, writing that he “had not made progress regarding professionalism,” according to the Times.
WSU officials also were told that multiple female students expressed feeling uncomfortable around Kohberger and that in one instance, he allegedly followed a woman to her vehicle. The university investigated and determined Kohberger was not guilty of any formal wrongdoing, the Times reports.
Authorities arrested Kohberger on December 30 at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania, in part based on DNA evidence allegedly linking him to the murder scene. Investigators have not identified a motive for the attack.
Kohberger is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on June 26.
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[Feature Photo: Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students, is escorted to an extradition hearing at the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg, Pa., Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, Pool]
