The man accused of killing four University of Idaho students is believed to have messaged at least one of them repeatedly on Instagram in the weeks leading up to the slayings.
Of course, graduate student Bryan Kohberger has been arrested and charged with four counts of murder after allegedly stabbing four students to death at their off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho last November. Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin were all brutally killed in their rental home before Kohberger fled.
He was captured in Scranton, Pennsylvania about six weeks later, extradited back to Idaho, and charged with their killings. Now, insiders are revealing unsettling new details about the Washington State University graduate student’s alleged activities online in the weeks leading up to the attack.
Related: Kohberger Claimed Rare Neurological Disorder Made Him Feel ‘No Emotion’
According to an insider who spoke to People on Tuesday, the 28-year-old criminology student reportedly sent Instagram direct messages to “one of the victims” weeks before the attack. Neither People nor the New York Post were able to confirm which victim was in Kohberger’s sites on the social media app. But the insider did note that it was one of the women.
The source chillingly told People (below):
“He slid into one of the girls’ DMs several times but she didn’t respond. Basically, it was just him saying, ‘hey, how are you?’ But he did it again and again.”
When the girl didn’t respond to his advances, Kohberger allegedly “sent several more messages to her,” per the mag’s report.
So sketchy…
Thus far, Idaho cops have remained relatively quiet about the possible motive behind the killings. But this new Instagram angle could possibly shed light on things. After all, per People, Kohberger did follow Mogen, Goncalves, and Kernodle on the social media app before his account was scrapped after his arrest. He did not appear to have any interaction with the young women on their public social media feeds, though. So authorities are left to look into the direct message situation.
Related: The Spine-Tingling Way Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger Reacted To Arrest
FWIW, the source here noted it’s possible the woman did not even see Kohberger’s messages. As IG users know, direct messages from someone a user does not follow back go into a filtered folder in their inbox. So, in Kohberger’s case, his persistent outreach could have gone completely unseen.
The insider explained:
“She may not have seen them, because they went into message requests. We’re still trying to determine how aware the victims were of his existence.”
The source also added that Kohberger’s IG messages to the college student appear to have been somewhat mundane — even if they were numerous:
“There’s no indication that he was getting frustrated with her lack of response. But he was definitely persistent.”
Wow.
In the meantime, the investigation goes on as Kohberger’s case continues to wind its way through court. He has yet to enter a plea in response to the allegations against him. As we’ve been reporting, it will be a very long time before there is any resolution in this shocking case.
As People noted in their Tuesday report, the accused killer’s next scheduled hearing isn’t until June 26. So there’s a long wait ahead, and likely more information yet to come. At least he will be in prison the entire time…
Related: Kohberger Said WHAT To A Neighbor About The Killings After They Happened?!
Here’s more on the latest in the case against Kohberger from Tuesday evening, via ABC 6 Philadelphia (below). In their report, new information points to other old posts the accused murderer made online many years before the killings.
In those old forum messages, Kohberger wrote about “delusions of grandeur” he had for himself:
Creepy AF.
The whole thing is just spine-tinglingly scary.
We continue to send our love and condolences to the families of the four young people so needlessly murdered in this case as we continue to pray for justice and whatever closure may come.
[Image via Kaylee Goncalves/Instagram/ABC 6 Philadelphia/YouTube]
