New details of Bryan Kohberger's addiction battle and dark past revealed in Idaho murder filings
By RACHEL SHARP,
Bryan Kohberger’s secret past trauma and teenage addiction battle are expected to fall under the spotlight at his capital murder trial, as his defense fights to save him from the firing squad.
In a new court filing, hitting back at the suspect's 11th-hour bid to delay the trial, prosecutors point to a trove of information uncovered about Kohberger's past.
Among them are details of past 'trauma,' including records about a childhood car accident Kohberger was involved in.
The details of this accident - including when and where it occurred - remain a mystery.
It is also unclear if Kohberger suffered any injuries in the accident.
But, the filing states that the incident is documented in the defense's reports from mental health experts and that the accused killer's family members can testify about the apparent trauma he endured.
The 30-year-old criminology PhD graduate is going on trial this August charged with the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin and Madison Mogen in a horror knife attack in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022.
If convicted, he faces the death penalty.
Bryan Kohberger's secret past trauma and teenage addiction battle are expected to fall under the spotlight at his capital murder trial. Pictured: Kohberger in an old photo from his Soundcloud
Due to changes in Idaho state law, he could be facing the prospect of the firing squad if sent to death row.
Kohberger's legal team have tried - and failed - 13 times to get capital punishment taken off the table.
Now, with his trial date looming, the defense has made a last-ditch request to delay the trial - citing a recent Dateline episode that revealed bombshell new details and pointed to a potential evidence leak in the case.
The defense also argued that they need more time to effectively prepare for trial and investigate Kohberger's 'life story' ahead of the potential penalty phase.
But in the new court filing, prosecutor Bill Thompson clapped back, furiously responding: 'It is time.'
The state rubbished claims a delay would make it easier to seat an impartial jury and blasted the defense for going down 'every rabbit hole.'
'Defendant’s Motion amounts to a request for a perpetual continuance so that his counsel can go down every rabbit-hole until Defendant - rather than the Court - deems himself ready for trial,' the filing, from prosecutor Bill Thompson, reads.
The state argues that Kohberger's team has had plenty of time to prepare for the trial - coming more than two years after his arrest.
Young couple Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were found dead on the second floor of the home
Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen were killed on the third floor
Young couple Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle (left) were found dead on the second floor of the home. Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen (right) were killed on the third floor
The four students were murdered inside 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13 2022
'It is time to try this case. Defendant was arrested in late December of 2022 and was indicted in May of 2023,' the filing states.
Prosecutors argue that 'Defendant’s Counsel’s Investigation Into His Life Story Has Been More Than Adequate' - providing a table of areas of investigation the defense has cited a need to address, along with a list of corresponding records in the case.
As well as the car crash which was listed under 'trauma history,' Kohberger's past drug abuse is also mentioned - with prosecutors revealing family members and mental health professionals can speak to this evidence.
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As a teenager, Kohberger struggled with heroin addiction and was once arrested for stealing and selling his sister’s iPhone.
According to 2014 court records, Kohberger’s dad Michael called police to report his then-19-year-old son for stealing the cell phone.
Michael told police the teen had drug abuse issues.
Several former friends and high school classmates also spoke out about his heroin use following his arrest in December 2022.
Rich Pasqua told The New York Times that he and Kohberger would use heroin together in 2013 and 2014, while both working at a local pizza store in his home state of Pennsylvania.
Pasqua also described Kohberger as socially awkward and said he was bullied in high school over his weight.
Kohberger eventually kicked his drug habit following a stint in rehab, turning his attentions to studying criminology.
Bryan Kohberger (in his old high school yearbook photo) struggled with heroin addiction in his teen years
Michael seen in the garden of the Kohberger family home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania
Michael called police in 2014 to report his son stealing his sister's phone
Michael Kohberger (seen in the garden of the Kohberger family home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania in March 2025) called police in 2014 to report his son stealing his sister's phone
The suspected mass killer's medical and mental health history has also been investigated ahead of the trial, with defense expert's diagnosing Kohberger with autism, OCD and ADHD.
Prosecutors reveal that Kohberger's educational, family and religious history has also been explored by his team.
Last week, subpoenas were issued to several people in Pennsylvania to appear as witnesses in his upcoming trial, including an advisor at his former school and a woman who works at a boxing gym where he used to train.
The filing references several witnesses identified as potentially relevant to Kohberger's history, including former teachers, former classmates, former coworkers, a professor he worked for, family members and psychologists and other mental health professionals.
'The State is not conceding that all the materials listed herein are relevant, admissible, or are actually mitigating,' prosecutors write.
'The purpose of this Table is simply to show that Defendant has obtained the types of materials he claims that he needs for his mitigation case. Therefore, a continuance is not warranted.'
The prosecution argues that Kohberger’s team ‘has already plowed the necessary ground' to prepare for trial - and is asking the judge to deny the 'eleventh-hour Motion' to delay it.
As well as needing more time, the defense also cited the recent Dateline show and the publicity around the case in its argument to postpone the trial.
The Dateline show, released in early May, revealed new details about the case for the very first time, including the suspected killer's phone records, porn choices and online searches for Ted Bundy.
It also aired never-before-seen surveillance footage of a suspect vehicle fleeing the horrific crime scene on November 13, 2022.
Days after the show aired, Judge Steve Hippler handed down a scathing court order saying that the release of ‘sensitive information’ in the episode shows that someone close to the case has ‘likely’ violated the gag order.
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He warned that this could make it more difficult to seat an impartial jury - something that those close to the victims described as 'a distraction.'
The judge ordered an investigation into the leak, vowing to root out the source and hold the culprit to account.
In the 22-page filing, prosecutors acknowledge there has been 'intense publicity' surrounding the case and that the Dateline episode does pose 'challenges' to the trial.
'There is no doubt that the publicity surrounding this case - including, but not limited to, a recent “Dateline” TV show containing non-public evidence - poses challenges for the Court and both parties,' the filing reads.
'... However, Defendant’s reliance on the Dateline episode to support his Motion is misplaced for several reasons.'
Prosecutors also argue that granting a delay would not reduce the publicity around the case - instead arguing it would 'only allow more opportunities for pretrial publicity' and 'make it harder to seat a jury.'
Left to right: Dylan Mortensen, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen (on Kaylee's shoulders) Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Bethany Funke
Judge Steven Hippler has not yet ruled on the defense's motion to delay the trial.
A hearing is scheduled for June 18 where the judge will weigh the arguments.
A closed-door hearing will also be held that day around whether or not the defense can present an alternate suspect to jurors at the trial.
Kohberger's defense has filed documents pointing the finger at another suspect or suspects they claim could be the real killer or killers.
As it stands, the identity of this suspect or suspects and what evidence the defense has that could tie them to the brutal murders remains a mystery, with all the documents sealed.
More than two years have passed since the November 13, 2022 murders of the four University of Idaho students.
Kohberger is accused of breaking into a three-story, off-campus home in the heart of the college town of Moscow and stabbing the four victims to death.
Two other roommates survived, with one of them coming face-to-face with the masked killer moments after the attack.
Bryan Kohberger is facing the death penalty if convicted at his capital murder trial this summer
Kohberger was arrested around six weeks later on December 30, 2022, at his parents' home in Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania.
He was connected to the murders after his DNA was found on a Ka-Bar leather knife sheath found next to Mogen's body at the scene.
Prosecutors also found cellphone records placing him outside the student home multiple times prior to the murders, as well as surveillance footage showing a vehicle matching his car speeding away.
Jury selection is slated to begin in late July or early August, with the trial getting underway August 11.
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