Idaho 4 Tragedy: Bryan Kohberger's 'Intended Target' and the 'Sexual Fantasy He Wanted to Fulfill' Revealed After Gruesome Autopsy Reports
Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of murder.
Feb. 24 2026, Updated 2:46 p.m. ET
Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars after pleading guilty to the brutal quadruple murders of four University of Idaho students.
Now, according to newly released autopsy findings, violent details of their deaths left medical professionals clues on the killer's mindset and potential reasons behind the attacks, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
'A Targeted Psychosexual Fantasy'
Bryan Kohberger murdered Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle in 2022.
On November 13, 2022, Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Ethan Chapin, 20, and Xana Kernodle, 20, were killed in their shared home in Moscow, Idaho.
It's since been revealed the four students were stabbed more than 150 times in total. Following the autopsy, it was confirmed Kernodle had more than 67 wounds, while Goncalves was believed to be stabbed nearly 40 times. All but Kernodle were believed to have been asleep or in bed at the time of Kohberger's attack.
Forensic psychologist Dr. Gary Brucato, who helped create the Columbia University Mass Murder Database, claimed evidence pointed to this being "a targeted psychosexual fantasy probably aimed at one individual in the house."
Brucato told the Daily Mail that Kohberger's "intel failed him," so when he arrived at the scene, he ended "committing a mass murder" instead of having only one victim.
"He overestimated himself and underestimated women," he added.
Some theorized Bryan Kohberger's intended victim was Kaylee Goncalves.
While some have theorized that Goncalves may have been the sole intended victim since she had the second highest number of stab wounds, Brucato said he believed Mogen was who Kohberger had been looking for that fateful night.
Goncalves had – seemingly unexpectedly to Kohberger – decided to share a single bed with Mogen that night, potentially ruining his plans when he went into her bedroom and found not one, but two young women there.
"You punish the ones who see you – the people who interrupt your fantasy," Brucato noted. "My belief is he went in and made a beeline for Maddie [Mogen], who was his target, and found Kaylee unexpectedly there."
'Profound Insecurities'
Bryan Kohberger reportedly stabbed his four victims more than 150 times in total.
According to a report obtained by ABC 7 News, Goncalves had been stabbed so many times that "her facial structure was extremely damaged," and she also suffered other injuries "connected with asphyxiation and blunt force trauma."
Brucato suggested that the stab wounds to the young women's heads could mean that their "beauty" was "infuriating" to the killer.
"That he has profound insecurities about his looks and thinks that beautiful women are rejecting him," he continued. "So he decimates the physical appearance in that way."
Inside Bryan Kohberger's Arrest and Sentencing
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Bryan Kohberger was ordered to serve four consecutive life sentences for the Idaho University murders.
More than one month after the violent murders, Kohberger was taken into police custody on December 30, 2022, and was later charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
He eventually agreed to plead guilty to the brutal slayings as a part of a plea deal that may have been an attempt to avoid the possibility of receiving the death penalty.
On July 23, 2025, he was sentenced to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.
