Bryan Kohberger, convicted of the brutal stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, has filed a petition to overturn his guilty plea, a move that has galvanized a significant online following, predominantly women, who believe in his innocence.
Morgan Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, both 20, were found stabbed to death in their shared student home in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022. Kohberger was sentenced to four life terms without parole and an additional ten years for burglary.
For many in the true crime community, Kohberger's plea of innocence and subsequent petition for a new trial are not surprising. Phoenix, a 56-year-old true crime content creator with nearly 50,000 followers across YouTube and TikTok, stated that her own review of unsealed case documents led her to believe Kohberger might be innocent.
"I've been following it since day one," Phoenix told the Daily Mail. "I watched all the court hearings, I've read all the court filings, all the expert affidavits, DNA-related evidence, timelines, all the crime scene photos, even the ones they redacted – and I realized, this dude is probably innocent."
Phoenix has created a website, JusticeFourAll.com, which hosts a database of court documents, photos, and transcripts related to the case. She believes that investigators may have suffered from tunnel vision and that the evidence, which prosecutors claim proves guilt, actually points to Kohberger's innocence.
Online, dozens of Facebook groups dedicated to defending Kohberger and his claims of innocence have emerged. Groups such as "Justice for Bryan Kohberger (the innocence discussion)" and "Bryan Kohberger Innocent Until Proven Guilty" boast thousands of members. Many of these groups are organized and primarily populated by women, a phenomenon that has been linked to hybristophilia, a condition characterized by attraction to individuals who commit violent crimes.
This attraction to perpetrators of violent crimes, also known as Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome, has been observed in numerous high-profile cases, including those of Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, and the Menendez Brothers, who all garnered significant female followings. Experts suggest that factors such as a desire for control, past trauma, or a search for attention can contribute to this attraction.
Criminologist David Wilson explained that hybristophilia can manifest passively, through idealized or romantic attachments to criminals, or aggressively, where an individual desires to participate in the commission of violence. He noted that for some women, the controlled environment of incarceration may offer a sense of control they lack in other areas of their lives, particularly if they have experienced childhood trauma.
However, Kohberger's renewed assertion of innocence has been met with strong opposition from the families of his victims, who view his plea as a source of further pain and distress. While his supporters, like Phoenix, argue that the public deserves to hear all the evidence in a trial, many believe that the focus should remain on the devastating loss experienced by the victims' families. Some online proponents have also employed language typically used by conspiracy theorists, framing Kohberger as a victim of a flawed narrative.
Despite the controversy and the pain it may inflict on the victims' families, Kohberger's legal team's petition offers his supporters a renewed hope for his claims to be heard in court. The legal ramifications of this petition remain to be seen, but it has undeniably reignited a fervent debate surrounding the case.