Bryan Kohberger's 'Peculiar' Text To Female Student Before Idaho Murders

Well, can’t say we’re completely shocked here…

As the University of Idaho quadruple murder trial approaches we’re learning more and more details about the case. In this case, it isn’t more evidence against Bryan Kohberger for once… but it’s certainly an insight into the suspect’s thinking.

A Dateline special titled “The Terrible Night on King Road” airs Friday night, and in advance we’re hearing about one of the stranger moments. A young woman named Holly says she had an encounter with Kohberger just a few months before the murders. Holly was a grad student at the University of Idaho (the same one the victims attended — notably, Kohberger was in grad school at Washington State University) in the summer of 2022 when she met Kohberger at a pool party. She told host Keith Morrison:

“I was kind of mingling and socializing and started chatting with this guy, and he had told me that he had just moved and he was starting his PhD.”

Holly hints this was more of a pity conversation than romantic interest on her part:

“I definitely felt a little obligated to chat with him, because to me, he seemed a little awkward. Kind of like you might expect for a PhD student who didn’t know anyone at the party and was maybe trying his best to kind of get out there and be social and make friends.”

But she did try to help, telling Kohberger about a hiking group she was in. They even exchanged phone numbers. He only texted once, the next day — July 10, 2022. The message, seen by Dateline, reads:

“Hey, I am pretty sure we spoke about hiking trips yesterday. I really enjoy that activity, so please let me know. Thanks!”

Holly says she never responded to that message — not that she was so creeped out or got any sort of intuition, not that she remembers. She just… kind of forgot?

“You know the universe intervened, and for whatever reason just distracted me from further engaging in that interaction.”

But in hindsight she reflects:

“The wording of the text as I look back on it is peculiar. It was almost overly formal. ‘I really enjoy that activity.’ ‘So, you know, can you follow up with me about that?'”

Dateline Bryan Kohberger murder special Holly — (c) NBC/YouTube

“Peculiar” is maybe the most generous way Bryan Kohberger has been described when it comes to his interactions with women. Before his arrest, he was already being fired as a TA after multiple incidents in which he had been “rude to women” and generally showed a “sexist attitude toward females he interacted with at the school.” He was said to be scary as well.

While it’s unclear what in-person interaction he’d had with the three female victims of the mass killing, Kohberger did allegedly follow them on social media — and even repeatedly messaged one. It’s been speculated he may have been stalking one or more of them for some time.

BTW, whatever this incel behavior was, it’s not autism. Yet another reason it’s so upsetting his defense is using his recent diagnosis as a way to explain his choices. It comes across like they’re willing to stigmatize autism by conflating it with the kind of sexism and misogyny that leads men to target women with violence — if it means giving their client a break.

For more insight into the mind of an alleged killer, Dateline’s full Moscow murders special, “The Terrible Night on King Road”, airs Friday, May 9 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.