Newly released photos have surfaced showing Bryan Kohberger, the man convicted of murdering four University of Idaho students in November 2022, posing for a series of unsettling selfies in the days following the killings.
Obtained by NewsNation, the images offer a rare glimpse into Kohberger’s behavior before his arrest for the brutal stabbings of Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, and Ethan Chapin.
In one photo released by the Latah County Sheriff’s Office, Kohberger is seen shirtless, giving a two-finger salute to his forehead while his collarbones protrude visibly. A cut is visible on his left ring finger—believed to be an injury sustained during the attack when one of the victims fought back.
Two other undated photos show Kohberger shirtless again, flexing and wearing earbuds, apparently posing for the camera. In another close-up, he stares into the lens with a wide, unsettling grin.
At the time, Kohberger was a Ph.D. student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. His behavior had raised red flags long before the murders. According to unsealed documents and interviews cited by People, Kohberger had received at least 13 formal complaints from classmates during his first semester, quickly earning a reputation for being aggressive and inappropriate.
Several women accused him of making sexually inappropriate remarks. One particularly disturbing incident involved a deaf classmate, whom Kohberger reportedly asked whether she was comfortable “procreating” given her disability.
Two other women told Idaho State Police that Kohberger had stalked them for months prior to the murders. One, a bookstore employee, said she was once changing clothes when someone knocked on her bedroom window. She screamed for her husband, and the person fled. On another occasion, she heard movement on her porch and saw a white car leaving as her husband arrived—Kohberger famously drove a white Hyundai Elantra, a key piece of evidence in the investigation.
The second woman, an undergraduate working in the university’s criminology department, reported that Kohberger made repeated unwanted advances and loitered near her workplace. According to police documents, he even made deliberate eye contact through a window, which would have required him to be staring directly into the building.
Kohberger was arrested on December 30, 2022, at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania—more than a month after the quadruple murder. On July 2, 2025, he pleaded guilty to all four murders, just ahead of his expected trial.
As part of a plea agreement, Kohberger avoided the death penalty by firing squad. Instead, he was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without parole, plus an additional 10 years for burglary.