Officials at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution are downplaying reports that fellow inmates have been harassing Bryan Kohberger, the man recently sentenced to life in prison for the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.
Kohberger, 30, who avoided the death penalty by accepting a plea deal last month, is now serving four consecutive life sentences in solitary confinement at the state’s only maximum-security facility. He was transferred there following his sentencing.
Reports have emerged that other inmates have been taunting Kohberger by shouting through air vents into his cell—behavior that has reportedly disrupted his sleep. According to retired homicide detective Chris McDonough of the Cold Case Foundation, Kohberger has repeatedly complained to prison staff about the noise, describing it as relentless and mentally exhausting.
“They are literally getting up into the grate and yelling at him,” McDonough told the Daily Mail. “The inmates are taking turns doing it. It’s driving him crazy.”
In a statement to The New York Post, the Idaho Department of Correction acknowledged Kohberger’s complaints but said such communication among inmates is common.
“We are aware of Kohberger’s complaints about what he considers taunting,” the department said. “Incarcerated individuals commonly communicate with each other in prison.
Bryan Kohberger is housed alone in a cell, and IDOC security staff maintain a safe and orderly environment for all individuals in our custody.”
Kohberger is being held in the restricted housing unit of the prison’s J block, completely separated from the general population. He remains in his cell 23 hours a day, with one hour allotted for outdoor recreation in a secure cage. He is allowed to shower every other day and is under constant supervision.
Because of the high-profile nature of his crimes, McDonough noted that other inmates may view Kohberger as a target to gain status inside the prison. However, due to his solitary housing, officials are unlikely to see the verbal harassment as a direct threat to his safety.
Before his conviction, Kohberger had already drawn attention from other inmates at the jail where he was held pretrial, reportedly engaging in odd behavior such as compulsive hand washing, long phone calls with his mother, and a reversed sleep schedule.
Kohberger pleaded guilty last month to the brutal stabbings of Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, and Ethan Chapin in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022. His plea deal spared him the death penalty but left victims’ families frustrated and without answers as to why the crime was committed.