Bryan Kohberger allegedly took a selfie mere hours after the University of Idaho student murders took place. The image has been introduced in court documents—obtained by NBC News and viewed by E! News—in relation to a witness statement given by one of the surviving roommates that described the intruder in her home the night students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were killed. The selfie shows Kohberger, dressed in a button-down shirt and with Bluetooth earbuds in, standing in front of what appears to be a shower. In the image, he smiles at the camera as he holds a thumbs up.
The State, according to the court documents, intends to introduce the image of Kohberger which was “taken from his phone on November 13, 2022, only hours after the homicides at 10:31 a.m.” because of the witness—who is only identified as D.M.—who says she saw a male in the students’ home wearing a ski mask that only revealed his nose and eyes. “All I remember was seeing their eyebrows,” she told police, as recounted in the documents. “I don’t remember what their eyes looked like, but I remember their eyebrows. […] I just remember, like, bushy eyebrows. That’s all I could think about.”
According to the documents, the State also intends to share Kohberger’s driver’s license—which lists him at six feet tall—to compare against the witness’ description of “male; white; skinny/athletic build; a few inches taller than D.M. (5’ 10”); not someone she knew; with bushy eyebrows.” “Whether or not Bryan Kohberger can be described as having ‘bushy eyebrows,’” the document reads, “is a factual determination to be decided by the jury.”
The newly surfaced selfie comes amid both the defense and prosecution’s ongoing efforts to have certain evidence deemed either admissible or inadmissible ahead of the trial’s scheduled August 11 start date. Earlier this year, per NBC News, Ada County Judge Steven Hippler allowed for cell phone and email records, surveillance footage and Kohberger’s Amazon purchase history to be used in trial, as well as DNA evidence concerning the button of a knife sheath that police say was found near two of the bodies. Kohberger—who was charged with four counts of first degree murder—has entered a not guilty plea and could face the death penalty if convicted. For more on the chilling case, keep reading. (E! and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Who Were Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle?
Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, were University of Idaho students who lived in an off-campus apartment. On Nov. 12, 2022—the night before their bodies were found—Gonclaves and Mogen were at a nearby sports bar, while Kernodle and Chapin were at the latter’s fraternity party. By 2 a.m. on Nov. 13, the four roommates and Chapin were back at the three-story rental house. Goncalves was a senior majoring in general studies at the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. She was expected to graduate in December before heading to Austin, Tex., for a job at a marketing firm, her friend Jordyn Quesnell told The New York Times.
Mogen, who was studying marketing, was best friends with Gonclaves since the sixth grade. She had plans to move to Boise after graduation, family friend Jessie Frost shared with The Idaho Statesman. Kernodle was a junior majoring in marketing, the University said at the time. She and Chapin—who majored in recreation, sport and tourism management—had been dating since the spring, the roommates’ neighbor Ellie McKnight told NBC News.
Were There Any Survivors?
Two roommates, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, had been home at the time of the murders. In text messages that were unsealed March 6, 2025, Mortensen and Funke tried contacting their roommates on Nov. 13 after the former saw a masked man moving through the house, according to documents obtained by E! News. "No one is answering," Mortensen texted Funke at 4:22 a.m. "I'm rlly confused rn." She continued to reach out to their roommates, urging them to respond. "Pls answer," she texted Goncalves at 4:32 a.m. and again at 10:23 a.m. "R u up??" At 11:58 a.m., a 911 call was placed after Kernodle was found unresponsive, per an additional motion obtained by E! News.
A woman named A1 in the transcript described the current situation to the operator. "One of the roommates who's passed out and she was drunk last night and she's not waking up," she said on the phone. "They saw some man in their house last night."
Who Is Bryan Kohberger and How Was He Found?
Bryan Kohberger, who has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder, was a doctoral candidate at Washington State University. Over one month after the bodies of Gonclaves, Mogen, Kernodle and Chapin were discovered, Kohberger was taken into custody Dec. 30 in Monroe County, Penn. He was extradited to Idaho Jan. 4. As for how authorities connected him to the killings? DNA was found on a knife sheath that was left at the crime scene, prosecutors revealed in June 2023 court documents, per NBC News.
When the DNA didn't match anyone in the FBI database, authorities ran the DNA through public ancestry websites to create a list of potential suspects, according to the filings. After learning that Kohberger had driven to his parents' home in Monroe County, local officials then went through their trash and found DNA that tied him to that found on the sheath.
What Is Kohberger’s Defense Arguing?
At the moment, a motive for the attack has not been detailed and a gag order prevents many involved in the case from speaking publicly, NBC News reported. However, the unsealed documents provided some insight into their arguments. Kohberger's attorneys argued in a motion obtained by E! News to strike the death penalty that Kohberger—who could face the death penalty if found guilty on all counts, a judge ruled in November 2024—has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and that executing him would violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on "cruel and unusual punishment." His defense argued that Kohbereger "displays extremely rigid thinking, perseverates on specific topics, processes information on a piecemeal basis, struggles to plan ahead, and demonstrates little insight into his own behaviors and emotions."
"Due to his ASD, Mr. Kohberger simply cannot comport himself in a manner that aligns with societal expectations of normalcy," the motion said. "This creates an unconscionable risk that he will be executed because of his disability rather than his culpability."
Where Does the Case Stand Today?
Kohberger had a judge enter a not-guilty plea to the first-degree murder charges on his behalf after remaining silent at his May 2023 arraignment. Although his trial was set to begin Oct. 2, 2023, Kohberger waived his right to a speedy trial in August 2023. His new trial date—which will take place in Ada County, more than 300 miles from Latah County, where the killings took place—is set to begin Aug. 11, 2025.
Latah County Judge John Judge ruled in favor of the transfer request made by Kohberger's defense in September 2024 based on "presumed prejudice" if the trial remained in Latah County. Ada County Judge Steven Hippler—who is now presiding over the case—denied the defense's request to suppress key DNA and other evidence, including cell phone and email records, surveillance footage, past Amazon purchases and DNA evidence in the trial.
