The meaning of a child’s life is never more painfully appreciated than when the child is murdered.
The brutal killing of four young college students in Idaho stabs our souls.
Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) reminded us that “each child is God’s irreplaceable gift.”
All life, when we reflect upon it, is a precious gift of indescribable worth.
The Honorable Steven Hippler’s insightful phrase, “These forever children,” respectfully, tenderly, and surely meant to be comforting to the grieving parents of the four young college students stabbed to death by Bryan Kohberger.
Judge Hippler knew that to be understood is to be meaningfully comforted.
Through the aging vision of a former forensic psychiatrist, consider with me the contrast between Judge Steven Hippler and Defendant Bryan Kohberger. Equally crucial is the contrast between the laws establishing “Plea Bargaining” versus “Trial by Jury.”
My knowledge of Judge Hippler is limited to what I heard him say at the sentencing of Kohberger and the little said about him in print.
My knowledge of defendant Bryan Kohberger is based entirely on published statements made by others about him.
Judge Steven Hippler’s reference to the four victims as “these forever children” conveys a poignant and deeply emotional sentiment about the tragic loss of young lives. It reveals the keen emotional intellect of the good judge Idaho is fortunate to have.
Judge Hippler was an honors graduate of the University of Utah School of Law in 1991. His wife is also an attorney. Before his appointment to the bench by the governor of Idaho, he practiced law with a legal firm in his native state of Idaho.
I uncovered no valid criticism of Judge Hippler.
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, are “forever children” whose lives ended before they could reach major milestones like graduation, careers, or starting families. The term highlights their lost potential and unfulfilled futures.
These individuals were roommates in an off-campus house where they were found stabbed to death on November 13, 2022. Chapin was Kernodle’s boyfriend and was sleeping over that night.
All four victims were students at the University of Idaho, while Kohberger was studying criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, a 15-minute drive from Moscow.
Their images and memories remain frozen at the age they died, so to their families, they will always be remembered as “children,” no matter how much time passes.
The Judge noted the deep tragedy of parents burying their children, calling it “the greatest tragedy that can be inflicted upon a person” and emphasizing the immense grief and unnatural reversal endured by victims’ families.
Calling them “children” underscores their innocence and vulnerability, emphasizing the cruelty of the crime.
The Judge’s remarks communicated the gravity of the murders and highlighted the significant impact on the victims’ families, who continue to mourn the loss of their children remembered at the height of their lives.
Judge Hippler sentenced Kohberger to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murders of the four students.
Bryan Kohberger was arrested in connection with the murders in December 2022, when he was 28 years old.
The sentencing hearing on July 23, 2025, included emotional victim impact statements from the victims’ families and surviving roommates.
Judge Steven Hippler called the murders an “unfathomable and senseless act of evil”. He also acknowledged Kohberger’s decision to decline speaking at the hearing and noted that the motive behind the killings may remain unknown.
Bryan Kohberger was raised with two older sisters, Amanda and Melissa, in Pennsylvania.
Amanda worked as a school counselor and once appeared in a 2011 slasher film. She attended Bryan’s sentencing hearing, but he reportedly ignored both her and their mother during the proceedings.
A slasher film is a horror subgenre featuring a masked or disguised killer who targets mostly young victims with sharp weapons. These movies often involve graphic violence, an unknown motive, and a “final girl” who survives.
Melissa was a licensed mental health therapist in New Jersey. She lost her job in March 2023, shortly after Bryan’s arrest, and has largely stayed out of the public eye.
There is no public record confirming the Kohberger family’s religious affiliation, but a few clues offer some insight.
Bryan Kohberger attended DeSales University, a Catholic-affiliated institution in Pennsylvania, which suggests he may have been raised in a Christian household.
His middle name is Christopher, often associated with Christian naming traditions.
While in jail, Bryan has reportedly embraced religion and attends Mass onSundays, indicating a connection to Catholic practices.
Religion may have played a subtle but intriguing role in shaping Bryan Kohberger’s worldview and behavior, though the evidence is largely circumstantial:
His middle name, Christopher, and his attendance at Mass while incarcerated point to a possible Christian upbringing or at least familiarity with Catholic traditions.
Despite religious exposure, Kohberger’s academic focus on criminal psychology and deviant behavior may have fostered a more clinical, detached view of morality.
He reportedly conducted research on how emotions and psychological traits influence criminal decision-making, which could reflect a fascination with the mechanics of crime rather than its ethical implications.
His bizarre habits, such as wearing latex gloves at home and cleaning his car with bleach, suggest a mindset more rooted in control and concealment than spiritual reflection.
While he attends Mass in jail, there’s no indication that religion guided his actions prior to arrest.
In short, religion may have been present in Kohberger’s life, but it doesn’t appear to have meaningfully influenced his moral compass or restrained his behavior. His academic and psychological pursuits seem to have overshadowed any spiritual guidance.
Kohberger earned a master’s in criminal justice from DeSales University and was pursuing a Ph.D. in Criminology at Washington State University.
He studied under Dr. Katherine Ramsland, a forensic psychologist known for her work with the BTK killer (“Bind, Torture, Kill), which may have exposed him to intense case studies of serial offenders. Doctoral students ordinarily identify with their academic advisor.
His coursework included “Psychological Sleuthing”, where students analyzed crime scenes and built offender profiles—essentially stepping into the mind of a killer.
Kohberger posted a Reddit survey asking ex-convicts to describe their emotions and decision-making during crimes. The goal was to understand the psychological traits behind criminal behavior.
This research, while academically valid, now feels eerily prescient given the nature of his alleged crimes.
Experts have noted traits consistent with psychopathy, including emotional detachment and lack of empathy.
In prison, he exhibits obsessive-compulsive behaviors like excessive handwashing and late-night pacing.
Kohberger’s academic path informed his understanding of crime. It may have emboldened a mindset where he saw himself as both analyst and actor. The overlap between his studies and his alleged actions is chilling.
Kohberger declined the opportunity to speak at the hearing, only saying “I respectfully decline” when offered the chance to address the court.
Additional Evidence of Kohberger’s Psychological Issues
While his surname, “Kohberger,” has some potential roots in both German and Jewish heritage, it’s not a definitive indicator of his personal beliefs. Kohberger explored his ancestry through DNA testing and identified as being of German descent, not Jewish
Kohberger’s defense team has presented evidence suggesting that he has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), conditions that could explain his “cold courtroom demeanor.”
Online posts from Kohberger’s teenage years reveal struggles with anxiety, depression, depersonalization, and thoughts of suicide. He described feeling disconnected from society and experiencing an “absence of emotion”.
Former classmates described Kohberger as “bright but awkward” and said he was bullied in his youth.
Friends mentioned that he began using heroin around the time he graduated high school.
Kohberger used his position as a TA to inappropriately interact with female students. These interactions reportedly led to his termination as a teaching assistant by Washington State University (WSU).
No Prior History of Violence.
Lack of apparent motive.
These details provide a glimpse into Kohberger’s background and potential psychological state, but they do not definitively explain his criminal behavior.
Bryan Kohberger’s psychological profile remains a complex and debated topic.
Judge Hippler is a scholarly man with wide-ranging feelings and a superior intellect who adeptly communicates his feelings honestly and meaningfully. I have no way of knowing, but I believe he is a devoted husband, awonderful dad who regularly attends church with his family.
Bryan Kohberger is and has been a troubled person of superior intellect whose awkwardness and lack of social skills are lifelong. His only authentic feeling has been his painful awareness of his inability to feel normal, healthy emotions. Repeated rejection by women eventually became intolerable. An unidentified trigger caused his pent-up rage to slaughter helpless college students.
Had Kohberger, during early childhood, seen a child psychiatrist, the most likely differential diagnoses would have included Attachment Disorder, Insecure Type; Autism, Major Depression, and significant intellectual giftedness.
Plea Bargaining vs. Trial by Jury
The US criminal justice system operates under the principle of “due process,” which aims to safeguard individuals’ rights and provide fair legal procedures.
Due process, referenced in the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution, ensures no one is “deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law” by the federal government. The Fourteenth Amendment extends this protection to the states. At its core, due process guarantees that all levels of American government act within the law and provide fair procedures.
The goal of the legal system is to ensure justice for all parties involved, including both the victim and the accused.
The appeals process, while frustrating for some, is a crucial mechanism for reviewing potential errors and ensuring that the trial was conducted fairly and in accordance with the law, thereby upholding justice.
Ambitious attorneys in the early 1970s succeeded in broadening the meaning of “property” to include the “entitlement” of the people. “Entitlement” soon became “rights.”
The broadening of the law was driven like a powerful engine, out of control in my opinion, and has achieved a momentum whose consequences are unacceptable.
As a result of the interpretation of “property” to include “entitlement/rights,” our state mental health hospitals have been emptied. Their previously protected and treated mentally ill occupants now live at the whim of chance and weather on the streets of most cities, unprotected and largely untreated.
When the extremely odd or unusual behavior of a family member triggers an involuntary psychiatric evaluation, the final result is ordinarily unacceptable. The entitlement/rights doctrine legally mandates that the evaluated patient must be represented by an attorney.
A clash between an attorney for the patient and the psychiatrist over the need for involuntary hospitalization for the patient is absurdly won by the attorney. “It is useless to repeat the travesty,” the family painfully learns. The patient is untreated, released to “die with his rights on,” a truism known by all in the mental health field.
Idaho is one of only four states that do not allow a “not guilty by reason of insanity” verdict in felony criminal cases. This means that Kohberger’s defense could not have argued that he lacked the capacity to understand the nature of his actions or differentiate between right and wrong due to mental illness.
However, a defendant’s mental state can still be considered a “mitigating” factor during sentencing, particularly in death penalty cases.
Plea bargaining began in the United States in the 1830s and has grown to resolve most criminal cases today, allowing prosecutors and defendants to settle cases quickly without lengthy trials.
It is disappointing that Plea Bargaining in the Kohberger capital murder case appeared more appropriate than Trial by Jury.
In the 21st century, why are 95% of criminal cases resolved by a plea agreement? The criminal justice system today is not fundamentally fair if merely 5% of criminal cases are referred to a jury.
I know the selling points of plea bargaining, but I do not agree with the negation of the jury based on unlimited appeals by the defense.
A reasonable person may conclude that the fundamental fairness doctrine of the U.S. Constitution has swung too far away from the rights of victims to the excessive advantages of the criminals.
I wonder if the ever-increasing triumph of the criminal rights was an unintended consequence.
Criminals want to dismiss and defund the Police. Who else benefits from such absurdity?
When punishment for crime is prompt, fair, and reasonable, crime rates will diminish.
When criminals are provided more protections and more rights than their victims, an engraved invitation to commit crimes is published widely, just as it is today, far too frequently
Robert S. Brown, MD, PHD a retired Psychiatrist, Col (Ret) U.S. Army Medical Corps devoted the last decade of his career to treating soldiers at Fort Lee redeploying from combat. He was a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Education at UVA. His renowned Mental Health course taught the value of exercise for a sound mind.