Bryan Kohberger’s sister is speaking publicly for the first time, saying she had no reason to believe her brother was responsible for one of the most infamous murder cases in recent memory.
In a January 3 interview with The New York Times, Mel Kohberger described the shock and fallout her family experienced after learning that her brother was behind the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students.
Bryan was convicted in 2025 after confessing to the November 13, 2022, fatal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. He was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
At the time of the murders, the killings appeared random, carried out by an unknown suspect who entered the students’ off-campus home during the early morning hours.
Mel told the outlet that when news of the murders first broke, she actually reached out to her brother out of concern, unaware he was responsible. “Bryan, you are running outside and this psycho killer is on the loose,” she recalled telling him. According to Mel, he thanked her and assured her he would be careful.
Looking back, she said there were no obvious warning signs. Mel described Bryan as socially awkward and sometimes argumentative, but not violent. She recalled a childhood incident in which he physically restrained her hands to calm a heated sibling argument, emphasizing that it was meant to de-escalate, not harm. “I never saw him be violent,” she said.
The moment of his arrest remains vivid. Mel learned what had happened through her sister, Amanda, after law enforcement raided their parents’ Pennsylvania home. “She was like, ‘I’m with the F.B.I., Bryan’s been arrested,’” Mel said. “I was like, ‘For what?’” She admitted her first reaction was disbelief, followed quickly by nausea.
The consequences rippled through every part of her life. At the time of Bryan’s arrest, Mel was training for a job as a mental health counselor but ultimately left the position after her employer received a wave of inquiries tied to the case.
She also described the distress of seeing her family dissected online, including strangers exploiting her name and likeness. “It’s like being victimized but not really being a victim,” she said, calling the experience “confusing” and “painful.”
Mel firmly rejected speculation that her family had prior knowledge of the crimes. “If I ever had a reason to believe my brother did anything, I would have turned him in,” she said.
Despite everything, she acknowledged the complicated grief her family carries, adding that thoughts of Bryan’s absence inevitably lead back to the victims and their families. “The idea is making me so emotional that I can barely speak to you about it,” she said through tears.