Bryan Kohberger's Teacher, Who Taught Him About Serial Killers, Speaks Out

A serial killer expert who taught the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students told Newsweek she is not making any statements to the media at this time.

Bryan Kohberger, 28, was arrested early on Friday morning at his parents' house in Pennsylvania. Investigators believe Kohberger broke into a rental home in Moscow and killed Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. They were found stabbed to death at a house in Moscow, Idaho on November 13.

Kohberger is a Ph.D. student and teaching assistant in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University, located about nine miles west of the University of Idaho.

He graduated from Northampton Community College in Pennsylvania with an associate of arts degree in psychology in 2018. He then received a bachelor's degree from DeSales University in Pennsylvania in 2020 and completed graduate studies in June 2022, the university has said.

At DeSales University, he was taught by Katherine Ramsland—a renowned forensic psychologist who has authored dozens of books including How to Catch a Killer and The Mind of a Murderer.

"I'm making no media statements at this time," Ramsland told Newsweek on Monday, without elaborating further.

Kerri Rawson, the daughter of BTK killer Dennis Rader, tweeted after it was reported that Kohberger was taught by Ramsland that "Ramsland has, or did have a close academic relationship and friendship" with her father. Ramsland co-wrote Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer with him.

Rawson said she thinks that Kohberger's studies may have led him to make contact with her father.

"I have ongoing concerns, knowing how common it is for criminology students, true crime fans, and others to correspond regularly with my father, that Kohberger could have been in contact with my father at some point, but require proof of this, which currently I do not know of," she wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

Rawson told NewsNation in an interview that her "stomach turned" when she learned that Ramsland had previously taught Kohberger.

"I literally physically got ill knowing that there was now a connection back to Ramsland and she connects to my father. It was just a lot," she said.

"Obviously we know he studied my father in criminology classes. He probably studied him heavier since he had Ramsland as a professor but we need to find out if there's a deeper connection."

Chief public defender Jason LaBar, who is representing Kohberger, has said his client plans to waive his upcoming extradition hearing so he can be quickly transported to Idaho.

Kohberger "is eager to be exonerated of these charges and looks forward to resolving these matters as promptly as possible," LaBar said.