- calendar_today August 10, 2025
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Convicted University of Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger has found himself in the spotlight again. But this time, it’s behind bars.
The 30-year-old former doctoral student in criminology, who is serving a life sentence without parole for the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students, has been bombarding prison staff with handwritten complaints. In the missives, Kohberger, who is incarcerated at Idaho’s Maximum Security Institution, claims fellow inmates are harassing and threatening him daily.
In documents obtained by People, Kohberger, who is being held at the Administrative Maximum (ADX) unit, wrote in one letter to prison administrators that he wants to be transferred from a housing unit known as J Block to one known as B Block. Kohberger wrote in the July 10 letter that he is “enduring minute-by-minute verbal abuse from the male population,” and that the inmates “have threatened me on numerous occasions to sexually assault me in explicit detail.”
Kohberger wrote he had been “verbally abused since being placed” in the J Block section of the prison, which is reserved for “maximum custody or high-profile offenders” in state custody. He also is on death row. Less than a week later on July 15, Kohberger again complained about being harassed. In a copy of the grievance seen by People, Kohberger wrote that one inmate had said, “I’ll b— f— you” and another said, “The only a– we’ll be eating is Kohberger’s.”
Guards did admit they heard vulgar language directed at Kohberger. “I received a report from multiple staff members who heard vague threats directed towards offender Kohberger,” an officer wrote. “Staff could not remember the specific details or verbiage being used.”
In his letter Kohberger wrote that he wants to discuss if he may be transferred to another ad-seg setting.” Ad-seg is prison slang for “administrative segregation,” or protective housing in which inmates are quarantined to protect them from threats.
Kohberger’s letter continued: “Tier 2 of J Block is an environment that I wish to transfer from if possible. I request transfer to B Block immediately. I wish to speak with you soon.” Kohberger also insisted in the letter that he has not been flooding (damaging property by clogging sinks and toilets with debris and even feces) or “striking” (committing a variety of misbehaviors against prison officials, ranging from refusing to work to committing acts of violence and damage). But the state has not confirmed whether it will grant Kohberger’s request to be moved. Records show that Kohberger is still in J Block as of Wednesday.
Jealous of a Former Student?
Kohberger has been in and out of prison since he was an undergraduate, and he was in trouble for bad behavior in prison in both Idaho and Washington state, which he served time in after he was convicted of second-degree burglary in the mid-2010s. But it has been his actions while in jail after his arrest for the Idaho murders that have prompted both prison officials and murder experts to suggest that Kohberger may be in the crosshairs of fellow inmates in the prison.
While in jail he was often berated by other inmates who would mock him at random times, even during Kohberger’s video calls with his mother, records and his mother’s interview with People earlier this year show. One offender called him a “f—ing weirdo” while his mother was talking with Kohberger. He later stated that he was ready to “go straight up on that 666-69” (referring to the year and the area code in which Kohberger was born) but wouldn’t because of “all the consequences.”
Kohberger’s behaviors are often very awkward and he’s described as having a “piercing stare” and lacking social cues or awareness in court documents. While it’s unclear if Kohberger has been faking such behaviors, prison experts warn that his characteristics make him stand out even more in an already hostile environment for the already infamous killer. “High-profile offenders nearly always have a target on their back,” said a prison consultant. “In Kohberger’s case, his personality makes him stand out even more.”
Kohberger has lost some weight since he was sentenced in March 2023 to two consecutive life sentences without parole after being convicted of four counts of murder in the first degree. In court documents, Kohberger is described as having been in good physical shape and of average height and weight. However, he had dropped some weight in his two and a half years of confinement, according to a person who has seen him in prison.
Kohberger is in the most secure prison in the state and a facility that is home to Idaho’s death row, where the most dangerous inmates in the state are quarantined from the general population. It’s where the maximum-security inmates are, including notorious murderer and death row inmate Chad Daybell. Prison experts have even compared the threats against Kohberger to what was done to convicted murderer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer before he was beaten to death by a fellow inmate in 1994. Some fear Kohberger may also meet that fate if something isn’t done.
For now, Kohberger will likely remain in J Block, in a part of the prison known as Tier 2. There he will likely remain for the rest of his life without a shot at parole. But, although officials refuse to discuss Kohberger’s security status in-depth due to safety protocols, his complaints to prison staff describe a former student whose life is not just about living under the shadow of his crimes. It’s also about the people on the outside who might not be willing to let him live for as long as he is locked up.
