Bryan Kohberger, the convicted murderer of four University of Idaho students in 2022, says he is being taunted by fellow inmates at a maximum-security prison, the facility confirmed, and sources say prisoners have been heckling him through air vents night and day.
“We are aware of Kohberger’s complaints about what he considers taunting,” the Idaho Department of Correction told CBS News in a statement.
Kohberger accepted a plea deal in early July and is serving four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole at Idaho Maximum Security Institution (IMSI), which is less than 20 miles south of Boise. For his own safety, Kohberger is in the prison’s “J Block,” a long-term restrictive housing unit with around 30 inmates, where he is confined to his cell 23 hours a day and has one hour of outdoor recreation.
Chris McDonough, a retired detective and a director at the Cold Case Foundation, has firsthand knowledge of the circumstances within the prison’s unit.
Since Kohberger arrived at IMSI in late July, inmates have been taking turns taunting him around the clock by yelling through air vents that lead into his cell, according to McDonough. The heckling has been so persistent that it has affected Kohberger’s ability to sleep.
“I don’t think Bryan Kohberger anticipated the psychological play here from the inmates… It’s a curveball,” McDonough told CBS News. “As soon as he got there, it started… And he’s complained to the prison guards.”
It is not clear what the inmates have been saying to Kohberger, McDonough added.
The Idaho Department of Correction acknowledged that other inmates have talked to Kohberger, a spokesperson told CBS News in a statement.
“Incarcerated individuals commonly communicate with each other in prison. Bryan Kohberger is housed alone in a cell, and IDOC security staff maintain a safe and orderly environment for all individuals in our custody,” the statement read.
CBS News has reached out to Kohberger’s attorney for comment.
Dr. Gary Brucato, a clinical and forensic psychologist, says offenders like Kohberger typically seek social acceptance and command of their surroundings. Brucato said Kohberger likely felt he had regained control of his situation by accepting a plea deal that eliminated the possibility of the death penalty.
Kohberger “instead is in a situation where they are ridiculing him, mocking him,” Brucato told CBS News. “He’s being robbed of that infamy, that attention, and that control.”
Idaho Maximum Security Institution houses several notorious inmates – including two serial killers – and has been plagued by reports of violence and allegations of inhumane conditions in recent years. Solitary confinement is common at the facility.
“IMSI manages the long-term housing of our most dangerous and volatile population,” the Idaho Department of Correction told CBS News in an email last month. Asked about the use of solitary confinement and lockdowns, the department said, “Restrictive housing is not a disciplinary sanction, it is a housing assignment designed to manage specific behaviors.”
Jared Ochacher covers national breaking news at CBS News. He is based in New York City.
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