In 2022, Bryan Kohberger was home for the holidays, visiting his family in Pennsylvania, when he was arrested for the brutal murder of four University of Idaho students in Moscow, Idaho — here’s what’s known about Kohberger’s family.
Kohberger was born in 1994 and is the youngest child and only son born to Maryann and Michael Kohberger of Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. Bryan has two sisters, Amanda and Melissa, and his parents formerly worked for the local school district — Michael worked in building maintenance, and Maryann worked with special needs students. Although described as a “loner” with social issues as a teen, Bryan’s parents, who had retired when their son was arrested, have been described as “kind people” by those who know them.
Bryan’s father, Michael, had traveled to Pullman, Washington, near Moscow, to drive home with his son to Pennsylvania. It was during that trip that Bryan was pulled over for speeding in the Hyundai Elantra spotted at the Moscow murder scene, according to the New York Post. After their son’s arrest, Michael and Maryann were subpoenaed to provide grand jury testimony in Pennsylvania about a woman found dead near where they lived, the Post elsewhere notes. In that case, the investigation concluded Bryan was not involved.
Furthermore, DNA from Bryan’s father was used to identify his son as a suspect. DNA was recovered from a knife sheath found at the Moscow crime scene, which was then compared to DNA from Michael Kohberger. The results showed that he was almost certainly the biological father of the person whose DNA was found at the scene, NBC News reported.
As per the New York Post Bryan Kohberger’s sisters have both found it hard to find work as news of their brother’s arrest spread. According to Newsweek, the Kohberger family released a statement regarding their son and brother’s arrest:
“First and foremost we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children. There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them. We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother. We have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies in an attempt to seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous assumptions.”
Kohberger is accused of killing University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in their off-campus home in Nov. 2022. At that time, Kohberger was a criminology student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, just across the Idaho border. Kohberger stood silent rather than enter a plea. The judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.