Was Bryan Kohberger in the Military? Idaho Suspect's Career History

After a United States Marine Corps knife sheath was found at the scene of the Idaho murders with DNA evidence linked to suspect Bryan Kohberger, questions have been raised about whether the man charged with the murders of four university students in Moscow, Idaho had involvement with the military.

Kohberger, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student, was arrested at his family's home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania on December 30, after investigators linked him to the deaths of Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves.

The University of Idaho students were found dead in an off-campus residence the three women shared on November 13 last year. Law enforcement said they had been stabbed repeatedly.

Kohberger agreed on Tuesday to be extradited from Pennsylvania to face charges in Idaho. He appeared in court in Latah County on Thursday morning.

His public defender in Pennsylvania has previously said Kohberger maintains his innocence.

Ahead of his court appearance, the state of Idaho released several court documents related to this case, including a probable cause affidavit outlining the evidence investigators have uncovered that they believe links Kohberger to the fatal stabbings.

Included in that document is an account by Corporal Brett Payne, of the Moscow Police Department, of finding a knife sheath on Mogen's bed.

"The sheath was later processed and had a 'Ka-Bar' 'USMC' and the United States Marine Corps eagle globe and anchor insignia stamped on the outside of it," Payne said in his affidavit. "The Idaho State Lab later located a single source of male DNA (Suspect Profile) left on the button snap of the knife sheath."

A Ka-Bar knife is a fixed blade used by U.S. Marines and the Navy as a combat and utility knife but is commercially available.

On December 28, the Idaho State lab found that the DNA on the sheath matched a DNA profile taken from trash from Kohberger's residence, Payne wrote. "At least 99.9998 percent of the male population would be expected to be excluded from the possibility of being the suspect's biological father," he added.

Kohberger was pictured training in law enforcement class in a high school yearbook while in 10th grade, according to images published by Fox News on Wednesday. In the image, Kohberger can be seen doing a push-up in uniform alongside other classmates.

In excerpts from the 2011 Pleasant Valley High School yearbook, it says "Kohenberger [sic] used the skills he learned to help him reach his goal to one day serve in the Army Rangers," an elite branch of the Special Operations Forces.

However, it appears Kohberger did not take his aspirations for a career in the military further. A U.S. Army spokesperson told Newsweek that Kohberger was "not found in our system" when asked whether he had trained for or was in the Army Rangers.

Kohberger's academic career after high school shows a keen interest in law enforcement. He studied at DeSales University in Pennsylvania at both undergraduate and graduate level, reading psychology and criminal justice.

Kohberger then moved to Washington State University—a campus of which is located in Pullman, a short distance from Moscow—last year to take up a Ph.D. in criminology, and at the same time applied for an internship at the Pullman Police Department.

Kohberger posted a survey on Reddit in which he asked participants to provide details on "how emotions and psychological traits influence decision making when committing a crime", according to Payne's affidavit.

Update 01/06/23, 11:53 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the U.S. Army.