Bryan Kohberger’s sister told The New York Times that he overcame a heroin addiction, completed treatment and returned to higher education, studying psychology at DeSales University before pursuing a Ph.D. at Washington State University. Kohberger was arrested on Dec. 30, 2022, after DNA from a knife sheath at the scene of the Nov. 13, 2022, murders of four University of Idaho students was matched to him. He confessed and pleaded guilty in 2025 and received four consecutive life sentences without parole under a plea deal that avoided the death penalty.
Sister Says Bryan Kohberger Overcame Heroin Addiction Before Returning To Graduate School — Then Pleaded Guilty In 2022 Murders
Kyle Green-Pool/GettyBryan Kohberger
Bryan Kohberger’s sister, Mel, told The New York Times that her brother once battled a heroin addiction, completed treatment and returned to higher education — a recovery the family said they were "so proud" of. Kohberger later became the central suspect in the November 2022 slayings of four University of Idaho students and ultimately pleaded guilty in 2025.
Background and Recovery
Mel Kohberger described a difficult childhood for her brother, saying he was overweight and the target of bullies — struggles she and the family say contributed to his descent into drug use. According to Mel, his addiction reached the point that he once stole her phone and sold it to buy drugs. After entering treatment, Kohberger resumed his studies, taking psychology courses at DeSales University before enrolling in a Ph.D. program at Washington State University.
"We were all so proud of him because he had overcome so much," Mel told The Times.
The Murders, Arrest and Conviction
On Nov. 13, 2022, Kaylee Goncalves (21), Madison Mogen (21), Xana Kernodle (20) and Ethan Chapin (20) were found fatally stabbed in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho — less than 10 miles from Washington State University's Pullman campus where Kohberger was a doctoral student. Investigators later matched Kohberger to the crime scene after DNA on a knife sheath was linked to him.
Federal agents arrested Kohberger at his family's Pennsylvania home on Dec. 30, 2022. He later confessed and, in 2025, pleaded guilty as part of a deal that spared him the death penalty. He received four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Mel told The Times she was stunned by her brother's arrest and reiterated that she would have reported him if she had any reason to suspect he was involved in wrongdoing. Her comments provide a personal perspective on Kohberger's troubled past and the dramatic turn his life took after his return to academia.
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