Just four days after the murders of the Idaho Four, Bryan Kohberger’s mother, Maryann, texted a link to the shocking crime story to her son, according to digital forensic experts.
“November 17 stands out a little bit: He had more mother interaction that day than normal, which was a lot. He was on the phone with her for hours that day,” investigator Jared Barnhart, who analyzed the records alongside his wife, Heather Barnhart, as part of their work at Cellebrite, a digital forensics firm, revealed to NewsNation’s Ashley Banfield on Tuesday, September 3.
That was the same day autopsies were performed on Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20 and Madison Mogen, 21, who had been brutally stabbed to death in the middle of the night on November 13, at a home the women shared in Moscow, Idaho.
“That night, he received a link from his mom to a news article basically describing how Xana had bruises on her body and how she had put up such a fight,” Jared explained, adding that Bryan, 30, didn’t respond.
“Looking at the timeline a little bit, you can tell they were actually speaking on the phone,” Jared continued. “What that tells us, what we can assume, is that they were talking about the Idaho murders on that night.”
In August, Heather told People that Bryan also called Maryann less than two hours after the murders — and that he was on the phone with her when he drove back to the scene of the crime later that morning.
“He was scrambling,” Jared previously told NewsNation of the killer’s online behavior following the slayings.
In late December, after reading an article that police were looking for his vehicle, the Washington State University criminology graduate student searched for the phrases “psychopaths paranoid” and “wiretap” on his phone.
He also read a press release about the case on the Moscow, Idaho, police department website and “immediately” looked up an auto detailing shop.
Within 10 minutes, Jared told the NewsNation, Bryan was shopping for a new car online.
He was arrested at his parents’ eastern Pennsylvania home on December 30, 2022. Three days later, his family — which also includes father Michael and sisters Amanda and Melissa — released a public statement via Bryan’s public defender.
“First and foremost, we care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children,” the statement read. “There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them. We will continue to let the legal process unfold and as a family we will love and support our son and brother.”
Following his guilty plea deal in July, they released another statement to CBS News: “In light of recent developments, the Kohbergers are asking members of the media for privacy, respect, and responsible judgement during this time. We will continue to allow the legal process to unfold with respect to all parties, and will not release any comments or take any questions.”
Bryan is now serving four consecutive life sentences at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution.
