Bryan Kohberger Complained About Being 'Ghosted' and Dating Struggles Just 1 Year Before Slaughtering 4 College Students, Friend Claims
Bryan Kohberger's former friend, Jack Baylis, is speaking out about his last meeting with him.
Oct. 22 2026, Published 12:18 p.m. ET
Bryan Kohberger's former friend is opening up about his last encounter with the convicted murderer that left him feeling concerned, RadarOnline.com can report.
Jack Baylis saw Kohberger in the summer of 2021, over a year before the brutal University of Idaho murders that took the lives of four college students. The two were shooting airsoft guns in the woods near Baylis' father's house in rural Pennsylvania, where they grew up knowing each other since their teens.
2021 Was Their First Time Meeting in Years
Baylis recalled getting a bad feeling about Kohberger's energy.
The pair had reconnected for the first time in years, with Baylis noticing how healthy Kohberger looked, considering his past struggles with his weight and drugs.
Kohberger had a severe heroin addiction during his youth while battling depression, which is what caused the pair to drift apart. He got sober in 2016 after going to rehab, before pursuing a psychology degree and Ph.D at Washington State University.
Despite his appearance, Baylis couldn't get over the feeling that something was wrong.
"I got a bad, bad vibe," he said in an exclusive interview. "I was very anxious the entire day. I couldn't stop shaking."
However, he couldn't pinpoint why Kohberger felt off.
The Pair Met at a Young Age
Kohberger and Baylis discussed their unluckiness with women and relationships.
Baylis had met Kohberger through a cousin's gathering, spending time in the outdoors and playing video games. The two would frequently discuss typical teenage interests, like dating.
When he met up with Kohberger in 2021, the two talked about their struggle to find relationships. Kohberger specifically complained about struggling with dating and being ignored by women.
"We just talked about trying to find a good girl," Baylis said. "When we talk about girls, that was usually that. He was frustrated as well, because he also would get ghosted."
While Kohberger never revealed his true motive, choosing to not give any statement at his court appearances, his problems with women would become a highlight to the theories about why he sought out his victims.
"In hindsight, maybe the reason I was feeling that way was because my brain knew something my conscious brain didn't know," Baylis said.
Complaints of Harassment Made Against Kohberger
WSU received complaints about Kohberger's interactions with women on campus.
Months before the four students were killed, Washington State University staff had made nine complaints against Kohberger’s "rude and belittling behavior toward women." A faculty member warned others about him becoming a professor, saying he'd be likely to stalk or sexually abuse his students. She pushed for Kohberger's funding to get cut, removing him from the program, believing he was already stalking fellow students on campus.
A fellow Ph.D. student from the same program told police that Kohberger relished in conflict and was disparaging toward women, specifically having an interest in sexual burglary. She described to police that she never met such a condescending person after he told her that whoever committed the murders "must have been pretty good," further saying that the way he spoke to females was unsettling.
The word "incel" (or involuntary celibate) has been used by multiple people to describe Kohberger, which is a term commonly used to refer to men who can't find romantic partners and are often bitter about the situation. The online communities tend to promote hostility toward women for their rejection.
Baylis' friend Tyler Holden said some people knew he was an incel.
Baylis himself said he wasn't sure why Kohberger had selected the victims he did, but when he first saw photos of victims Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, he said: “That’s for sure what he’d be into.”
Kohberger Was Sentenced to Life Without Parole
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Kohberger is currently trying to withdraw his guilty plea.
In 2025, Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the fatal stabbing of Goncalves, Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.
Kohberger is currently trying to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming he was coerced into the decision.
His new attorney, Gregory Rauch, is attempting to get a new judge to oversee future hearings. If the case ends up going to trial, the death penalty could be back on the table.
