The parents and sisters of Bryan Kohberger have publicly affirmed their support for him as he faces charges for the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students. Kohberger, a former criminology doctoral student, was taken into custody at his family’s Pennsylvania home in late December of that year.
In a statement released through his legal counsel, the family expressed profound sorrow for the victims’ families while asserting their commitment to the judicial process. “We continue to cooperate fully with authorities in the pursuit of truth and uphold the principle of innocence until proven guilty,” the statement read in part. “Our hearts are broken for all affected, and we hold them in our daily thoughts.”
Kohberger’s parents, Michael and MaryAnn, are both former employees of the Pleasant Valley School District in Pennsylvania. Public records indicate Michael worked in maintenance for over a decade, while MaryAnn served as a paraprofessional assisting special-needs students until 2020.
The case has drawn the family into the legal proceedings. Both parents were subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury in 2023. According to previous reports, an attempt to contest the subpoenas was unsuccessful.
Details that have emerged about the period following the crimes add complexity to the timeline. It has been reported that just weeks after the stabbings in Idaho, Kohberger’s father traveled to Washington state and drove back with his son to Pennsylvania in a vehicle matching the description sought by investigators.
Kohberger’s two older sisters have also been impacted. Following their brother’s arrest, it was reported that both lost their employment in early 2023. One sister, Melissa, had been working as a mental health therapist, while the other, Amanda, had a prior credit in a film production.
The family’s history includes a prior legal incident involving Kohberger. As a teenager, he faced a misdemeanor theft charge related to a sister’s cell phone, an episode that resulted in a police report but no jail time.
In a personal writing published in a local newspaper months before the murders, MaryAnn Kohberger reflected on national tragedies, specifically school shootings. “I pray we consider the children before the gun,” she concluded in the piece, which pondered solutions to societal violence.
Kohberger remains at the center of one of the most closely watched homicide cases in recent years, with his family maintaining a stance of support from the sidelines as the judicial process continues.
