Bryan Kohberger Spent Christmas Day Downloading Information on More Than 20 Serial Killers

Just weeks after four University of Idaho students were killed, Bryan Kohberger spent Christmas Day 2022 down loading information about more than 20 notorious serial killers, according to digital forensic evidence reviewed by investigators.

The discovery provides a striking look at Kohberger’s online activity in the weeks following the November 2022 murders in Moscow, Idaho.

According to forensic expert Heather Barnhart, who was brought in by the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office to examine Kohberger’s electronic devices, investigators recovered a large number of downloads from his Android phone.

The activity reportedly continued late into Christmas night and into the early hours of the following day.

A Long List of Serial Killers

The information recovered from Kohberger’s phone reportedly included material about more than 20 notorious murderers.

Among the names were Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Dennis Rader, Jeffrey Dahmer, Gary Ridgway, Ed Kemper, Rodney Alcala, Robert Hansen and Danny Rolling, also known as the “Gainesville Ripper.”

Investigators were particularly interested in Kohberger’s searches involving Rolling because of similarities between Rolling’s crimes and the killings in Idaho.

Rolling murdered five college students in Gainesville, Florida, in 1990. He entered homes through sliding glass doors and used a KA-BAR-style knife in the attacks.

Prosecutors said Kohberger killed four University of Idaho students after entering their home through a sliding glass door and using a KA-BAR knife.

Despite those similarities, investigators have not established that Kohberger specifically modeled his crimes on Rolling.

Danny Rolling Had Appeared in His Searches Before

The digital evidence reportedly showed that Kohberger had searched for information about Danny Rolling even earlier.

According to Barnhart, Kohberger downloaded information about Rolling on Nov. 19, 2022, approximately one week after the Idaho murders.

That discovery became particularly significant to investigators because Rolling’s crimes involved college students, home break-ins and a knife.

The forensic examination also showed that Kohberger continued following developments in the Idaho investigation.

He reportedly downloaded Moscow Police Department updates multiple times between late November and late December 2022. On Dec. 28 alone, investigators found four different versions of an update.

Investigators Say Kohberger Tried to Erase Digital Evidence

Barnhart told PEOPLE that Kohberger appeared to understand how digital information could be recovered.

Investigators reportedly found that he had cleared downloads from his computer and hard drive. However, some of the same information remained on his Android phone.

That mistake allowed forensic investigators to recover evidence that might otherwise have been difficult to locate.

The discovery became part of a broader examination of Kohberger’s digital activity as investigators attempted to reconstruct what he was doing before and after the murders.

What Happened After Christmas?

The digital activity continued as investigators closed in on Kohberger.

On Dec. 29, 2022, one day before his arrest, he reportedly searched for terms involving “psychopaths paranoid,” “wiretapping” and “serial killers.” He also searched for used cars after reading about the investigation into a white Hyundai Elantra.

Authorities arrested Kohberger in Pennsylvania shortly after midnight on Dec. 30, 2022.

He was later charged in connection with the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

Kohberger ultimately pleaded guilty in 2025 and received four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

His case has continued to attract public attention because of the extensive digital evidence investigators uncovered, including his searches for notorious serial killers in the weeks following the murders.

The Christmas Day downloads do not, by themselves, establish why Kohberger was researching those individuals. Investigators and forensic experts have discussed the activity as part of the broader digital record examined in the case.

📌 SOURCES

1. PEOPLE
   “Bryan Kohberger Spent Christmas Day After Idaho Murders Downloading Info on More Than 20 Serial Killers”
2. PEOPLE
   “Bryan Kohberger Grew Increasingly Paranoid in the Hours Before His Arrest”