Kohberger's Mother Called Him 'My Angel' Before His Guilty Plea

Maryann Kohberger told FBI agents her son Bryan was "my angel" and that she would bet her life on his innocence. She said he was nonviolent, reserved, a homebody who spent his time studying and avoided drinking and parties. She said out of everyone in their family, Bryan confided in her most, and they kept up regular mother-and-son phone calls while he was attending Washington State University.

Her son had just been arrested for the murders of four University of Idaho students: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. He later pleaded guilty to stabbing all four with a Ka-Bar knife as they slept inside their off-campus home.

What Maryann Believed About Her Son

In her FBI interview, Maryann painted a picture of a son who was studious and unproblematic. She described him as someone with few friends who stayed close to home. She said she had no concerns about his behavior leading up to his arrest, and insisted the person investigators were describing was not the son she knew.

She also addressed the Ka-Bar knife directly. Maryann told the FBI she was the one who encouraged Bryan to buy a knife before his move out west, specifically so he could defend himself against bear attacks during hiking trips. The same type of knife Bryan used to kill four people while they slept.

When news of his arrest broke, her first reaction was concern about the coverage. "So now my son's face is gonna be plastered all across the country?" she said to agents.

What Everyone Else Already Knew

The portrait Maryann gave investigators did not match the one that had formed around Bryan at Washington State University during his single semester there. Female students described him as uncomfortable to be around. Several of his professors considered him a problem student. His behavior had grown increasingly aggressive as the semester progressed, and according to reporting, his conduct had become serious enough that he would have been asked to leave the program had he not been arrested first.

While Maryann insisted her son had no issues with substances, multiple people who knew Bryan in high school came forward to say he had struggled with substance abuse during that period.

Who Maryann Kohberger Is

Maryann spent the bulk of her career working as a paraprofessional with the Pleasant Valley School District in Pennsylvania, where she supported students with special needs. Colleagues and community members described her as gentle, compassionate and deeply committed to her students. She retired around 2020.

Shortly before Bryan's arrest became public, she had written publicly about the Uvalde school shooting, describing herself as "reeling" from the news and wrestling with what actions needed to be taken to stop the violence.

The Outcome

Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder. Judge Steven Hippler sentenced him to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.