Idaho Murders Suspect Bryan Kohberger 'Killed Students to Impress' Professor and 'Show How Smart He Was' — As New Theory of 'Motive' Shakes Up Brutal Case
Bryan Kohberger may have killed to grabbed the attention of his former professor, a new theory suggested.
May 6 2025, Published 7:45 p.m. ET
Bryan Kohberger, who is accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death, did the crime to impress his professor, a new theory suggest.
Forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland has been thrusted into the spotlight after she was named as the possible motive for the grisly crime, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The author alleged Kohberger wanted to 'prove that the pupil was ready to become the teacher.'
Journalist Howard Blum, for the online newsletter Air Mail, recently reported that Kohberger may have killed Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodl and Ethan Chapin, not only to grab the approval of Ramsland, but to show what he had learned during her course.
Ramsland was Kohberger's forensic psychology professor at DeSales University in Pennsylvania.
Blum claimed "the pupil was ready to become the teacher," and said the accused murderer thought "he’d kill and get away with it. He’d prove how smart he was. He would show how much he’d learned.”
Forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland was the accused killer's professor at DeSales University in Pennsylvania.
According to Blum, Ramsland and Kohberger even spoke following the November 2022 murders, and claimed Kohberger's family invited the instructor to Idaho for the murder trial.
Despite his shock claims, Ramsland was quick to shut them down, as she said she "had no email correspondence with Bryan Kohberger while he was at WSU," and also said she has not spoken to the 30-year-old since he was arrested on December 30, 2022.
Ramsland's statement read: "I called his parents as a gesture of kindness, but I do not advise them about the case. I did not call them hours after the arrest, as Blum claims."
The 72-year-old also made clear she was "not invited by the Kohbergers to Idaho. I don't know where they'll be staying."
Following Ramsland's denial, Blum said his theory was simply a “hypothesis.”
Meanwhile, the case took a turn on Monday, May 5, after Judge Steven Hippler scheduled a secret meeting without the media or the public, with three months left to go until the trial kicks off.
Kohberger's trial is expected to start in August.
The unexpected meeting led to a theory Kohberger was ready to change his previous non guilty plea, to guilty – however, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani rejected that rumor.
"I can't imagine any deal being struck in this case to take the death penalty off the table," he told Daily Mail.
Kohberger's legal team had recently attempted to have the death penalty booted following their client's autism diagnosis, as they claimed his behavior due to his diagnosis would place him at a greater risk of being sentenced to death.
They argued every move Kohberger makes is under the spotlight, and claimed he's being presented as "evil" by the media.
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While the judge said Kohberger's diagnosis can be used as a mitigating factor at his sentencing, it does not keep him from the death penalty, in what was a brutal setback for the defense.
On the other side of things, the prosecution have already begun submitting evidence for their case, including a selfie Kohberger is believed to have taken just hours after the brutal stabbings took place.
In the selfie, Kohberger is smiling as he gives the camera a thumbs-up.
