Friend Claims Bryan Kohberger Was Frustrated by Women 'Ghosting' Him Before Idaho Murders
Jack Baylis, who identifies as Kohberger's only friend, suggested a pattern of romantic rejection contributed to the suspect's mindset before the alleged killings.
Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the 2022 Idaho murders, was reportedly experiencing frustration with women "ghosting" him in the years leading up to the killings, according to an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail by Jack Baylis, who claims to be Kohberger's only friend.
Baylis told the Daily Mail that he saw Kohberger for the last time in 2021. He described his former friend as someone who was growing increasingly upset by a perceived pattern of romantic rejection. According to Baylis, this frustration may have been a significant factor in Kohberger's mindset before the November 13, 2022, murders of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, at their off-campus residence at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho.
Baylis said he met Kohberger through his cousin and they spent regular time together during their teenage years. He also suggested that Kohberger struggled with obesity and bullying in high school, which he believes contributed to his use of heroin.
Baylis recounted an event shortly before the murders that left him "unable to stop shaking." While he did not specify the exact nature of this event, he implied it involved witnessing a change in Kohberger's demeanor or behavior that was deeply concerning.
Authorities have alleged that Kohberger, then a doctoral student in criminology at Washington State University, drove from Pullman, Washington, to the Moscow, Idaho, home of the victims, where he allegedly entered the residence and murdered the four students. He was arrested in December 2022 at his parents' home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania. Investigators believe a Ka-Bar knife, or a similar type of knife, was used in the killings.
Kohberger faces four charges of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The investigation has been ongoing, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty. Kohberger's trial is scheduled to begin in 2025.