A professor who taught accused Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger criminology in college and took him inside the mind of serial killers fears she may have inspired him and is offering to study his ‘dark side’.
Dr. Katherine Ramsland, who has long been an expert in the field of serial killers and once wrote a book with the BTK strangler, taught four different undergraduate and graduate courses to Kohberger at DeSales University in Pennsylvania.
Kohberger is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday when he’s likely to plead guilty in exchange for life in prison and no death penalty as part of a plea deal that has sparked outrage from victims’ families.
Ramsland – who called Kohberger ‘a promising student who could have made a mark’ on the field of forensic psychology – initially refused to believe he could be capable of killing, even after his arrest.
But as she investigated the case more, Ramsland began to believe Kohberger may be responsible and was forced to ask herself a tough question.
‘I have to look at the framework of what I taught and wonder: Did I inspire him?’ she told NewsNation Tuesday night.
Ramsland continues her studies and teachings, but accepts how her courses may influence students, explaining ‘unfortunately, in this field, that’s what we live with.’
She admits that given her research into the minds of the most vile of people, she knows a rare few of her students may turn out this way.
A professor who taught accused Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger (pictured) college classes that took him inside the mind of serial killers fears she may have inspired him
Dr. Katherine Ramsland (pictured), who has long been an expert in the field of serial killers and once wrote a book with the BTK strangler, taught four different undergraduate and graduate courses to Kohberger at DeSales University in Pennsylvania
‘We know that there’s always a risk that we’re attracting somebody that’s going to do something terrible,’ she conceded.
‘I know, everyone in this field know that we could have students who might become offenders but we also know the vast majority of our students will not and will go into a field like law enforcement that will make the world better,’ she added.
Despite her disgust, Ramsland – who wrote the literal book on BTK killer, Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer – admits she’s interested in potentially studying Kohberger.
‘This is my work. If he wanted to do that, I would,’ she said, adding that the study would be to try and learn ‘developmental trajectories’ and ‘red flags’ so killers can be identified faster.
‘If he wanted to do that, I know that he’s got the intellectual capacity to do it, to be self-reflective,’ she said.
‘I would definitely do it if he were willing. It would be hard but I think because I have so much material for him, I have questions for him that I think nobody but me could ask.’
Ramsland, who taught Kohberger courses ranging from an intro to forensic psychology to one titled ‘Dangerous Minds: the psychology of anti-social behavior,’ at first was skeptical her former student could be capable of such heinous acts.
‘I really thought Bryan was a promising student who really could have made a mark in this career in a very positive way,’ she said.
She added that ‘he was polite, he was respectful, intense and curious. There was no reason for me to think that he was anyone other than someone interested in this potential career.’
Ramsland – who called Kohberger ‘a promising student who could have made a mark’ on the field of forensic psychology – refused to believe he could be a killer even after his arrested
Kohberger, 30, was due to face a capital murder trial in August for the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves (pictured top left), 21; her best friend Madison Mogen (pictured bottom right), 21; as well as their housemate Xana Kernodle (pictured top right), 20; and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin (pictured bottom left), 20, in November 2022
‘His demeanor was that he was confident that he was going to prove his innocence,’ she said. ‘I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.’
However, in March, when Kohberger claimed he was being framed by a real killer who planted evidence at the scene of the crime, Ramsland began to consider he could in fact be the right suspect.
‘When he said his alibi – and it was clearly not an alibi and he would’ve known that through his classes and undergraduate work – that was when I was floored that this is my student who has done these things,’ she said.
Kohberger’s shock move to accept a plea deal has left his ex-advisor Ramsland stunned, despite all her years working in this field.
‘I’m disappointed, angry and shocked that this is who he turned out to be and horrified for the victims and their families,’ she said.
Kohberger, 30, was due to face a capital murder trial in August for the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, 21; her best friend Madison Mogen, 21; as well as their housemate Xana Kernodle, 20; and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, in November 2022.
But it was revealed on Monday that Latah County prosecutors have offered the former criminology graduate student a deal in which he would plead guilty to the murders and a burglary charge, in exchange for a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Kohberger is now expected to appear in court on today to have the deal signed off by a judge.
Despite her disgust, Ramsland – who wrote the literal book on BTK killer, Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer – admits she’s interested in potentially studying Kohberger to help better understand how he got away with it
The family of Kaylee Goncalves was quick to condemn the agreement, declaring on Facebook that the State of Idaho ‘failed us’ as they hit out at prosecutors for failing to notify them that a plea deal was going through.
‘We weren’t even called about the plea; we received an email with a letter attached,’ family members said in a statement. ‘That’s how Latah County’s Prosecutor’s Office treats murder victims’ families.
‘Adding insult to injury, they’re rushing the plea, giving families just one day to coordinate and appear at the courthouse for a plea on July 2.’
Steven Goncalves, Kaylee’s father, is urging the judge overseeing the case to reject the plea deal.
‘If anyone knows Judge [Steven] Hippler… reach out to him and ask him to put his foot down and not accept this offer,’ the grieving father begged members of NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield’s audience Monday night.
‘This is not justice,’ he continued, declaring that it goes against what the victims’ families want.
‘This isn’t the will of the victims’ [families]. This is just one person making a decision, and it doesn’t reflect what we’re calling for,’ Goncalves said of Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson, whom he claimed, ‘decided to play God and decide what this man’s decision should be and not a jury, not his peers.’
He then called for ‘no plea deal,’ saying, ‘Let’s go for this guy 100 percent. Let’s do it,’ as he argued that Thompson didn’t ‘have the courage to hold [Kohberger] accountable.’
The route allegedly driven Bryan Kohberger allegedly drove on the night of the brutal Idaho murders, based on cellphone data
Investigators have claimed Kohberger went directly upstairs to Mogen’s bedroom, where he killed her and Goncalves (pictured together, left) on the night of November 13, 2022. He then allegedly turned his attention to Kernodle on his way back out the house, and then targeted her boyfriend, Chapin (right), whom Kohberger allegedly ‘carved’
Kaylee’s sister, Aubrie, also called the last-minute plea deal ‘shocking and cruel,’ saying it ‘feels less like an act of justice and more like an afterthought.’
The family explained that they met with prosecutors on Friday, when the attorneys ‘vaguely mentioned a possible plea.’
They claim prosecutors then moved forward with the deal without seeking any input from the victims’ families and presented the arrangement on Sunday.
At that point, the victims’ families received an email from prosecutors explaining why they decided to stop pursuing the death penalty against their wishes.
‘We cannot fathom the toll that this case has taken on your family,’ the letter, seen by the Idaho Statesman, reads.
‘This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family,’ prosecutors continued, noting that they, ‘weighed the right path forward and made a formal offer’ to the murder suspect, according to ABC News.
‘This agreement ensures that the defendant will be convicted, will spend the rest of his life in prison, and will not be able to put you and the other families through the uncertainty of decades of post-conviction, appeals.
‘Your viewpoints weighed heavily in our decision-making process, and we hope that you may come to appreciate why we believe this resolution is in the best interest of justice.’
Kohberger is accused of murdering University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20. Two other roommates survived
The extraordinary picture taken hours after the alleged crime shows Kohberger smirking and offering a ‘thumbs up’ to the camera
It was signed by Thompson and his deputy Ashley Jennings, and noted that Kohberger would be sentenced to life in prison in late July should he accept the plea deal on Wednesday.
But if he does not plead as expected, the scheduled trial will continue as planned.
After receiving the letter, the Goncalves family said they were left ‘scrambling’.
‘We immediately jumped into panic mode and started making phone calls and sending emails,’ they said in a statement. ‘We met with prosecution today to reiterate our views on pushing for the death penalty.
‘Unfortunately all of our efforts did not matter,’ the family lamented, claiming they had been ‘branded adversaries’ after they questioned the police investigation into the students’ stabbing deaths.
‘The Latah County Prosecutor’s Office’s treatment of our family during this process is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone,’ the Goncalves family concluded, arguing that county residents ‘should be ashamed of its Prosecutor’s Office’.
‘After more than two years, this is how it concludes, with a secretive deal and a hurried effort to close the case without any input from the victims’ families on the pleas details,’ they wrote.
‘Our family is frustrated right now and that will subside and we will come together as always and deal with the reality that we face moving forward.’
Goncalves’ father urged the judge overseeing the case to reject the plea deal as he spoke on NewsNation’s Banfield Monday night
The Goncalves family was not the only one upset by the news of the plea deal, however, as Xana Kernodle’s aunt was reportedly so enraged that she was brought to tears.
Kim Kernodle explained to TMZ that prosecutors told her Kohberger’s defense team approached them with a plea deal and prosecutors agreed to go along with it to ‘spare the families’ the pain of a trial.
She claimed the prosecutors were especially concerned that the families would have to see gruesome crime scene photos of their loved ones – though Kernodle said, ‘We know the graphics. They were not trying to spare us.’
Kernodle also claimed that prosecutors did not mention they were taking death penalty off the table when they met on Friday, when she said prosecutors acknowledged they have enough evidence to secure a guilty verdict.
The State has previously laid out how Kohberger purchased a balaclava from Dick’s Sporting Goods store months before the savage murders inside the victims’ off-campus home.
Surviving housemate Dylan Mortensen later told police she saw a man wearing ‘the same kind of mask’ during the crime spree. She also described seeing a man with ‘bushy eyebrows’ – which fit Kohberger’s appearance.
The murder suspect also bought a Ka-Bar knife, sheath and sharpener from Amazon back in March 2022, according to a prosecution filing, and was ultimately linked to the murder of the four students by DNA found on the sheath of a knife found at the scene of their off-campus home.
Data from Kohberger’s cellphone also showed it connected to a cellphone tower near the victims’ off-campus house a total of 23 times over the course of four months leading up to the grisly murders, according to court documents.
Touch DNA was found on a Ka-Bar knife sheath (seen in a stock image) left behind at the scene. Ramsland was stunned at Kohberger’s alibi that alleged the real killer planted his DNA at the scene
The victims’ families claim Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson moved forward with the plea deal without their input
Then, on the night of the November 13, 2022, prosecutors say Kohberger broke into the University of Idaho students’ home on King Road shortly after they had gone to bed from a night of partying and stabbed them all to death.
His white Hyundai Elantra was allegedly caught on a neighbor’s home security footage at around 3.30am, and was seen circling around the block multiple times over the next half hour.
By 4.07am, the vehicle came back drove by once again – then didn’t come back into view until 4.20am, when it was seen speeding off.
During that 13-minute window, sources close to the investigation told NBC’s Dateline that Kohberger went directly upstairs to Mogen’s bedroom, where he allegedly killed her and Goncalves.
He is accused of the turning his attention to Kernodle on his way back out the house, killing her as she was up ordering food, and then targeting her boyfriend, Chapin, whom Kohberger allegedly ‘carved’.
Meanwhile, data from Kohberger’s phone indicate he turned it off before 3am that morning, and when he apparently turned it back on at around 4.48am, it connected with a cellphone tower south of Moscow.
But the phone also appeared to be briefly back in the city shortly after 9am, when Kohberger reportedly returned to his apartment in Pullman, Washington, where he took a chilling selfie, giving the thumbs up pose in a bathroom mirror.
In the aftermath, Kohberger allegedly searched to buy a replacement knife and sheath.
He was ultimately arrested nearly six weeks after the students were found dead at his parents’ home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania where he had returned for the holidays.
Kohberger has remained behind bars ever since, and has been desperately trying to get the death penalty off the table over the past few months – even arguing at one point that his autism diagnosis precludes him from facing the ultimate punishment.
In more recent efforts, Kohberger’s defense attorneys tried to get his purchase of the balaclava deemed inadmissible to the upcoming trial, but prosecutors argued it was crucial to their case.
It now appears that the defense moved to reach a plea deal after Judge Hippler slapped down their efforts to point the finger at four alternate suspects – blasting his legal team’s evidence as ‘entirely irrelevant’ and ‘wild speculation.’
‘Nothing links these individuals to the homicides or otherwise gives rise to reasonable inference that they committed the crime; indeed, it would take nothing short of rank speculation by the jury to make such a finding,’ the judge wrote in his decision last week.
Just hours before news of the plea deal broke, the defense faced another setback after they apparently called the wrong witness and other witnesses expressed their bewilderment at being called at all.