Explosive new details have emerged in the case of Bryan Kohberger, the man who brutally murdered four University of Idaho students in 2022. Digital forensic experts say his mother, MaryAnn, had discussed the killings with him on the phone only days after the crime, unknowingly speaking to the very person who carried it out.
A Chilling Timeline
On November 17, 2022—just four days after the massacre—MaryAnn Kohberger sent her son a news article about the murders. The story described the horrific injuries sustained by victim Xana Kernodle, who investigators believe fought hard for her life. What makes the timing even more disturbing is that Bryan and his mother were already on the phone when the message was sent.
According to digital experts Heather and Jared Barnhart, this suggests the mother and son may have spoken directly about the crime while authorities were still scrambling to solve it. “Looking at the data, it’s clear they were on a call when she sent that text. We can reasonably assume the murders were part of their conversation that night,” Jared explained.
The forensics team also noted that November 17 stood out because Bryan spent an unusually long time talking with his mother—hours more than on a typical day. At the same time, he was drafting grievance letters to professors at Washington State University after being placed on an “improvement plan” following complaints about his behavior, particularly toward female students.
No Acknowledgment in Texts
Curiously, Bryan did not respond to his mother’s article that night. When they resumed texting the following morning, the murders were not mentioned at all. Experts say this could indicate that he deliberately deleted incriminating messages, or that they chose to discuss such sensitive topics only over calls.
While there is no evidence to suggest MaryAnn or any of Bryan’s relatives suspected him of being the killer, the revelation paints a haunting picture: a mother unknowingly talking about a murder case with her own son—the man responsible for it.
The Horrific Crime
In the early hours of November 13, 2022, Bryan Kohberger broke into an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. Armed with a knife, he slaughtered four students inside—21-year-old best friends Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, and 20-year-old couple Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
The killings shocked the nation. For weeks, the small college town lived in fear while investigators combed through evidence. It wasn’t until late December that Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania, where he had returned for the holidays.
Two years later, in July 2024, Kohberger stunned the court by pleading guilty to four counts of first-degree murder. By admitting guilt, he avoided the death penalty but was handed life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Disturbing Phone Patterns
The Cellebrite team, hired by prosecutors, uncovered unsettling patterns in Kohberger’s phone records. His main form of communication was not with friends, classmates, or colleagues, but with his parents—especially his mother.
“He spoke to her constantly, morning and night,” said forensic expert Heather Barnhart. “If she didn’t answer, he would immediately call his father, then text asking why she wasn’t picking up.” One of his texts to his mom read simply: “Dad won’t answer ☹️.”
Shockingly, records show that just hours after murdering the four students, Kohberger called his mother. At 6:13 a.m.—barely two hours after fleeing the crime scene—he tried her phone. When she didn’t answer, he rang his father, then dialed MaryAnn again. That second attempt connected, and the mother and son spoke for more than half an hour. An hour later, he called her again, this time for nearly an hour, before driving back to the crime scene for reasons that remain unknown.
That same day, long before the victims’ bodies were discovered, Kohberger spoke with his mother on the phone for more than three hours in total. To investigators, this obsessive connection was not unusual. “It was his routine. She was his lifeline,” Heather explained.
A Life of Isolation
The more investigators uncovered, the clearer it became that Kohberger lived an isolated life. His Pullman apartment was sparse and joyless—bare cupboards, empty shelves, and few personal items. There were no photographs of friends or family, no posters on the walls, and little evidence of social interaction.
What did stand out were his criminology textbooks and essays, alongside a few birthday cards. One, from his parents, carried a sentimental message about a son leaving home but never a mother’s heart. Another, more bizarre, featured Theodore Roosevelt riding a dinosaur, with a handwritten note joking about Kohberger’s ego.
Troubling Behavior at University
Court records and testimony from classmates painted an alarming portrait of Kohberger’s life before the murders. His behavior at Washington State University had raised red flags for months. Female students complained about his aggressive and inappropriate comments. Some avoided being alone with him. One professor even warned colleagues he had the potential to become a “future rapist.”
In December 2022, after mounting complaints, the university fired him as a teaching assistant and stripped him of PhD funding. Just days later, police descended on his parents’ Pennsylvania home and arrested him.
His Mother in Court
When Kohberger stood before the judge in July to change his plea to guilty, MaryAnn was there in the courtroom. She also attended his sentencing three weeks later, alongside his father and sister Amanda. His other sister Melissa stayed away.
Courtroom witnesses described MaryAnn’s demeanor as heartbroken yet supportive. To many, her presence stirred sympathy. How does a mother reconcile the boy she raised with the man who committed such brutality? Yet her constant contact with him—both before and after the crimes—has sparked fierce public debate.
Public Reaction
The revelations about the mother-son phone calls have left many unsettled. Online forums lit up with comments questioning whether MaryAnn should have sensed something was wrong. Some critics argue that his obsessive reliance on her was a red flag in itself. Others, however, defend her, pointing out that no parent imagines their child capable of mass murder.
“This poor woman lost her son in a different way. She will never escape the guilt, even though she didn’t know,” one commenter wrote. Another was harsher: “She must have felt something was off. How do you talk for hours every day and not pick up on it?”
Behind Bars
Now locked away in Idaho’s maximum-security prison in Kuna, Kohberger remains in close contact with his mother. Prison records show he spends long stretches on video calls with her. In one reported incident, an inmate shouted “you suck” at a sports game on TV. Kohberger thought the insult was aimed at him or his mother, and flew into a rage. The episode underscored his hypersensitivity to perceived slights against his mom.
A Haunting Relationship
The newly released evidence reveals more than just cell phone data. It shows a man whose world revolved around his mother, a relationship so intense it raises uncomfortable questions. Was she his only anchor? Did her constant presence in his daily life somehow embolden him, or did it merely provide comfort as he carried out unthinkable acts?
While MaryAnn insists she had no knowledge of her son’s crimes, her bond with him will forever be shadowed by the nightmarish events in Moscow, Idaho. For the families of the four victims, the chilling details are yet another reminder of the brutality that stole their children.
And for the public, the story adds a haunting new layer to an already devastating crime—a mother’s love intertwined with one of the darkest chapters in American true crime history.
