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Univ of Idaho students say they recall murder suspect boldly ‘staring’ at them on multiple occasions

February 3, 2023 | | Print Article

University of Idaho students say they saw quadruple-murder suspect Bryan Kohberger hanging out on campus in the weeks prior to the horrific Nov. 13 stabbing deaths of Xana Kernodle, Maddie Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Kaylee Goncalves.

Kohberger, a 28-year-old PhD candidate in criminology at nearby Washington State University at the time of the murders, was spotted at the University of Idaho’s Student Union building, three different students who recognized him after his arrest told People magazine.

“It was really early in the semester,” a University of Idaho sophomore, Chelsea, said. “He was at the food court [of the Student Union], drinking water. He sat by himself.”

“He was the type to stare,” she continued. “He wouldn’t look away if you caught him staring. Like he wanted you to notice that he was looking at you. He didn’t smile, didn’t nod, didn’t say anything. Just stared.”

It was enough to unnerve Chelsea and her friend.

“I told my friend to not be suspicious but to look at him because the eye contact was making me uncomfortable,” Chelsea said. “It was so weird that we ended up leaving and eating outside because we wanted to get away from him.”

Another student said she recognized Kohberger after he was arrested, and a third said she saw Kohberger on campus so often, she assumed he attended the school.

“It’s not a huge school; it’s like a small town,” the student said. “So you start seeing the same faces again and again. They become familiar, like you know that you’ve seen them in class or around campus. I definitely saw him more than once. He was just really quiet and really intense, staring. He made me uncomfortable.”

As BizPac Review previously reported, Kohberger, who was arrested on December 30 at his parents’ Pennsylvania home, allegedly repeatedly attempted to connect with one of the female victims on Instagram.

“He slid into one of the girls’ DMs several times but she didn’t respond,” an investigator familiar with the case said. “Basically, it was just him saying, ‘Hey, how are you?’ But he did it again and again.”

The DMs were never answered, and the source suggested the victims may not have noticed them.

“She may not have seen them, because they went into message requests,”  the source said, explaining that Instagram users don’t receive a DM notification if they are following the sender back. “We’re still trying to determine how aware the victims were of his existence.”

“There’s no indication that he was getting frustrated with her lack of response, but he was definitely persistent,” the source stated.

Authorities have not confirmed these alleged Kohberger sightings on Idaho’s campus, but a source in law enforcement recently told People magazine that they think the suspect did spend time at the state’s university.

Meanwhile, just the thought of him roaming around the campus has set some University of Idaho parents on edge.

“Whether or not [Kohberger] is guilty of killing those kids, there’s something wrong if a grown man who isn’t a student can just wander around campus,” says Mar Sampson, whose daughter attended the school last semester. “Everyone needs to be really aware of their surroundings, and should feel free to speak up if someone makes them uncomfortable.”

Melissa Fine
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