The sister of Idaho mass murderer Brian Kohberger has spoken about his horrific crimes for the first time.
Kohberger’s slaying of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in Novermber 2022 horrified America and made global headlines.
He was jailed for life without parole for the murders last July.
While the families of his victims regularly spoke with the media, including to criticise the plea deal that prevented Kohberger ever having to answer for the killings, his own family were conspicuous by their silence.
But now his sister, Melissa Kohberger, has sought to explain the ‘creepy’ drawing of a black heart that her brother was seen with during his sentencing.
She said it was actually a sign of support from his family to show they still loved him.
According to the Daily Mail, Melissa stayed home in Pennsylvania to care for her father Michael, who has heart trouble, but wanted to send her sibling the drawing to show that his family had not disowned him.
Her drawing was photocopied and given to Kohberger.
The killer could be seen pondering it as he was sentenced to life without parole for the quadruple murder.
Melissa’s New York Times interview marks the first time one of Kohberger’s relatives has spoken publicly about his horrific crimes.
She said her family still struggles to reconcile the man they knew with the murderer, who is now one of America’s most infamous killers.
Melissa repeatedly stressed that their pain pales in comparison to what is being suffered by the families of Kohberger’s victims – and revealed the two instances when she and her brother discussed the murders prior to his arrest.
After the initial story broke, Melissa said she called her brother to share her concerns for his safety because of his fondness for late night jogs and leaving his doors unlocked.
‘Bryan, you are running outside, and this psycho killer is on the loose. Be careful,’ she told her brother.
Kohberger promised he’d be safe.
The next time they discussed the murders was the following month after Kohberger drove his white Hyundai Elantra across the country to spend Christmas with his family in Pennsylvania.
Days before his arrest in December 2022, Kohberger remarked in passing that police in Idaho were still hunting for the killer.
Melissa recalled the moment her older sister Amanda called to say the FBI had raided their home, cuffed Kohberger and taken him away.
She said: ‘[Amanda] was like: “I’m with the FBI, Bryan’s been arrested”. I was like: “For what?”‘
Hearing that her brother was suspected of being the Idaho murderer reduced Melissa to a state of nauseous shock, she said.
Melissa said her family fully accepts the gravity and evil of Kohberger’s crimes – but they continue to talk to him.
Kohberger’s motive for the murders still remains a mystery.
Prosecutors believe Kohberger did not intend to kill all four victims that night – but did intend to kill someone and had planned his attack for months, buying a KaBar knife from Amazon to use as his murder weapon in March 2022.
After two years of protesting his innocence, the former PhD student finally confessed to the murders as part of a plea deal to save himself from the death penalty.
He was handed four life sentences.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
