8 Major Details About Bryan Kohberger That Netflix’s The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare Left Out

Netflix’s The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare revisited the killings of four University of Idaho students and the case against Bryan Kohberger, but several significant details about his conduct before and after the crimes were not included in the documentary.

Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen were killed at an off-campus home on King Road in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.

Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 and received four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, avoiding the death penalty. On July 27, 2026, he petitioned to withdraw his guilty plea.

Beyond the events covered by the Netflix production, investigative material and court records revealed additional details about Kohberger’s movements, digital activity and behavior surrounding the case.

Here are eight notable elements that did not appear in the series.

1. Evidence Pointing to Surveillance Before the Murders

Investigators uncovered several details suggesting Kohberger had taken an interest in the victims and their surroundings before the killings.

Sources said his phone contained multiple photographs of one female victim, while he followed Goncalves, Mogen and Kernodle on Instagram.

A former employee of the Mad Greek restaurant, where Kernodle and Mogen worked, also said Kohberger had visited at least twice. According to the employee, he specifically requested vegan pizza prepared without contact with animal products.

Phone records placed Kohberger near the King Road neighborhood on multiple occasions before Nov. 13.

Surviving roommate Dylan Mortensen also recalled an unusual incident weeks earlier in which she found the front door open and the washing machine running.

Separate allegations involving Kohberger had also surfaced. He had been accused of stalking two women at their homes and harassing another woman within Washington State University’s criminology department.

2. His Formal Diagnoses Were Not Included

The Netflix series addressed Kohberger’s previous references to visual snow syndrome, but it did not cover several diagnoses documented in a June 2025 court filing.

According to that filing, Kohberger was formally diagnosed in February 2025 with autism spectrum disorder Level 1, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.

Those diagnoses became part of the court record years after the murders.

3. A 2019 Encounter in Pennsylvania

Another episode from Kohberger’s past emerged through a police report concerning an encounter at a Pennsylvania club in 2019.

An exotic dancer recalled Kohberger discussing thoughts about murder. When she jokingly asked whom he would target, he allegedly replied, “Whoever I want.”

During a private session, according to the report, Kohberger also questioned her about where she lived and what vehicle she drove.

The incident occurred approximately three years before the Idaho killings.

4. More Than Three Hours of Calls With His Mother

Digital evidence also provided a detailed picture of Kohberger’s communications in the hours following the killings.

Forensic expert Heather Barnhart said Kohberger repeatedly attempted to contact his parents before speaking with his mother, Maryann, at 6:17 a.m. for approximately 36 minutes.

Another conversation began at 8:03 a.m. and lasted 54 minutes. During that period, Kohberger drove back toward the King Road crime scene, remained in the area for roughly 10 minutes and later returned home, where he took a thumbs-up selfie.

Additional calls took place around 9 a.m., 4:05 p.m. and 5:53 p.m. The final conversation lasted approximately 96 minutes.

Altogether, Kohberger spent more than three hours speaking with his mother that day.

5. His Activities in the Days After the Killings

Surveillance footage captured another detail from the period immediately following the murders: Kohberger attempted to shop at a Costco but was reportedly unable to enter because he did not have a membership card.

Five days after the killings, on Nov. 18, he changed the registration of his Hyundai Elantra to Washington plates.

During his DMV visit, a clerk reportedly mentioned feeling unsafe because of the Moscow murders. According to the account, Kohberger stopped speaking and redirected the conversation.

6. Classmates Noticed Injuries to His Hands

People at Washington State University noticed cuts on Kohberger’s hands after the murders.

When asked about them, Kohberger reportedly gave different explanations on different occasions, including that he boxed, had been involved in a car accident or had suffered an accident indoors.

Idaho State Police investigators later believed the injuries were defensive wounds inflicted by Kernodle during the confrontation.

The varying explanations surrounding those injuries became another element investigators examined after the killings.

7. His Online Activity Intensified Before His Arrest

Forensic analysis of Kohberger’s devices revealed a series of searches during the final days before authorities arrested him.

On Christmas Day 2022, he searched for information about 20 different serial killers.

Then, on Dec. 29, Kohberger read a report concerning the Hyundai Elantra model investigators were seeking. His subsequent searches included local vehicle-detailing businesses, used cars, wiretapping and the phrase “psychopaths paranoid.”

Investigators also determined that information had been deleted from several devices.

His mobile phone, however, had not been similarly cleared when police arrested him on Dec. 30.

8. His Defense Initially Sought to Point to Other People

Court records also revealed an early defense strategy involving four alternative suspects.

Three were social acquaintances who had been near the victims shortly before the killings and knew the layout of the King Road residence.

The fourth was a man who had briefly followed one of the victims after she left a store approximately a month before the murders before ultimately turning away.

Ada County District Court Judge Steven Hippler rejected the proposed strategy.

Hippler determined that simply being geographically close to the victims did not provide meaningful evidence connecting those individuals to the murders, particularly because the perpetrator had traveled to the residence by vehicle. None of the four individuals was associated with a vehicle matching the description investigators had developed.

What the Netflix Documentary Did Not Show

The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare covers one of the most closely followed American criminal cases of recent years, but the investigation produced considerably more material than could be incorporated into the documentary.

Kohberger’s communications with his mother, his late-December internet activity, the unexplained injuries noticed by classmates, his movements after the killings and the defense’s proposed alternative-suspect theory add further context to the case.

Together, these details provide a broader picture of the evidence and behavior examined by investigators before Kohberger ultimately pleaded guilty to the murders of Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen.