Bryan Kohberger’s Sister Mel Breaks Her Silence on Idaho Murders, Says Family Had No Clue He Was the Killer

need to know

• Mel Kohberger, Bryan Kohberger’s sister, has broken her silence in a new interview published by The New York Times. new york times January 3

• Mel said her family had no idea Bryan was the killer and even recalled contacting him to be careful after learning of the killings on Nov. 13, 2022

• Mel also revealed that her employer received so many inquiries after the killing that she had to resign.

In the three years since Brian Koberg murdered four University of Idaho students, his family has remained largely silent. Now, one of his sisters is speaking out.

Mel Kohberger, one of Brian’s two sisters, has broken her silence about Brian. Bryan was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2025 after admitting to the 2022 killing. new york times January 3rd. While Mel didn’t discuss the crime, she talked about her and Brian’s childhood, her family’s life since Brian’s confession, and more.

Meyer said that on November 13, 2022, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20 Killed when an unknown suspect broke into their off-campus home, Mel said she reached out and told her brother to be careful.

“Brian, you run outside and this psycho killer is on the loose,” she recalled. In response, she said he told her he would stay safe and thanked her for her concern.

Mel describes Brian new york times She was socially awkward, occasionally rude, and prone to arguments, but she said she had never seen him behave violently, giving the example of a time when he held her hand to defuse an argument between them. She told the outlet that her parents, Marianne and Michael, taught her, Brian and sister Amanda Koberg to be loyal, self-reliant and to put the needs of others before their own.

When police broke into her parents’ Pennsylvania home at night to arrest Brian after the killings, Mel learned of the arrest through Amanda. She recalled thinking it might be a prank at first, then feeling sick.

“She said, ‘I’m from the FBI, Brian’s under arrest,'” Meier told reporters. new york times. “I was like, ‘For what?’ “

Mel also focused on the impact being thrust into the national spotlight had on her family, especially given today’s “true crime culture.”

At the time of Brian’s arrest, Mel was in training for a mental health counselor position, a position she agreed to leave after her employer received numerous inquiries. People on the internet also discovered and dissected footage of Amanda performing in a 2011 stabbing-themed horror film.

Someone even reportedly published a book about the case using the author’s name, “Melissa J. Kohberger,” in what appeared to be an attempt to use Mel’s likeness to capitalize on the killing New York Times. Mel described it as “confusing” and “painful”.

“It’s like being a victim, but not really a victim,” she said.

Others have speculated that the Cobergs had known for a long time that Bryan had killed the students, something Meyer put to rest in the new interview.

“I’ve always been a person who speaks out for justice,” she told new york times. “If I had reason to believe my brother had done something, I would have turned him in.”

Mel also said that before the killings, she and her family were proud of Brian because he became a doctoral student in Washington State University’s criminology program after experiencing adversity. He experienced bullying and heroin addiction while growing up, the outlet reported.

“We’re all very proud of him,” Mel said, “because he’s overcome so much.”

She also gave some insight into the Koberg family’s current situation, explaining that they were sad that Brian couldn’t be with them over the holidays. But she tells us that line of thinking quickly turns to thinking about the victims’ families and their pain. new york times.

“This idea makes me so emotional that I can barely talk to you about it,” she told the outlet through tears.

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Mel also expressed regret about her past as a true crime fan as she was caught up in one of the biggest crime news stories in recent years.

“It’s human nature to be curious about dark things,” she told the outlet. “This is how we keep ourselves safe.”

“But I think we should try to come together and create a true crime culture that is more protective and compassionate to the families of victims,” ​​she added.

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