A suspect arrested in connection to four murders in Idaho has a background in the world of criminology.
Bryan Kohberger, then a graduate criminology student at DeSales University, asked members of an “ExCons” Reddit forum to participate in a research project of his in June, according to Insider.
Kohberger asked offenders to share information on their own thoughts and feelings regarding their crime in the project.
“I am inviting you to participate in a research project that seeks to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime,” Kohberger asked in the survey post, which has since been deleted.
Bryan Kohberger, the suspect arrested in the University of Idaho murders, researched “how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime” while in grad school in Pennsylvania. He sought survey participants on Reddit: https://t.co/fabq8ODfCF pic.twitter.com/aINNNpMNIp
— Tom Cleary (@tomwcleary) December 30, 2022
“This study seeks to understand the story behind your most recent criminal offense.”
Kohberger questioned the survey’s respondents on their criminal tactics, including asking if they prepared for their crime before they left their homes and asking why they chose their particular victims.
Questions asked on Reddit Survey. Bryan Christopher Kohberger pic.twitter.com/8JBuVY0NDq
— Lionel (@Lionelinla) December 30, 2022
Do you think it’s weird that Kohberger allegedly studied ex-convicts?
Yes: 72% (164 Votes)
No: 28% (64 Votes)
Kohberger has since become a Ph.D. candidate at Washington State University.
The 28-year old man was arrested on a first-degree murder warrant in Pennsylvania, and authorities are seeking his extradition to Idaho.
Kohberger is suspected of a bloody stabbing spree that left four University of Idaho students dead in November.
#BREAKING: Idaho murders arrest mugshot released.
Bryan Christopher Kohberger pic.twitter.com/9wfx6rPqbx
— JB Biunno #HeyJB (@WFLAJB) December 30, 2022
Washington State University is a short distance away from Moscow, Idaho, the college town in which the four students were killed.
Law enforcement has been actively investigating the killings, and the suspect was apprehended him on Friday.
The police claim to have matched DNA obtained from the scene of the stabbing to Kohberger’s genetic profile.
An FBI team was reportedly tracking the suspect for four days in Pennsylvania before his arrest.
UPDATES: Kohberger’s DNA has also been matched to genetic material recovered at the off-campus house where the students were stabbed to death, according to the sources. An FBI team from Philadelphia has been tracking him for four days in the area where he was arrested. #Idaho4
— Josh Benson (@WFLAJosh) December 30, 2022
Kohberger has yet to make a plea in connection to the murder charges.
