Idaho 4 Killer Bryan Kohberger's Mom Told FBI Agents She Urged Her Son to Buy a Knife — Months Before He Slaughtered Four College Students
Bryan Kohberger's mother is still in his corner.
April 28 2026, Updated 1:40 p.m. ET
Bryan Kohberger's mother, Maryann, did her part in explaining why her killer son owned the same knife prosecutors claimed was used to slaughter four college students in Idaho, Breaking Celebrity News can reveal.
Following Kohberger's arrest, Maryann was told by FBI agents that Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Xanda Kernodl were brutally stabbed to death in a vicious, bloody crime.
Maryann Kohberger Defends Son's Knife Purchase
Kohberger's mother, Maryann, offered up a strange excuse as to why her son owned a knife.
According to transcripts uncovered by author Christopher Whitcomb for his book, Broken Plea: The Explosive Search for Truth Behind the Idaho Murders, Maryann offered up why her son had the knife in question.
"Maryann recalled a conversation in which she suggested Bryan obtain something to defend himself in the event of a bear attack while Bryan hiked in the western US," the FBI report noted, Whitcomb revealed.
The agents on hand also revealed Maryann was unaware if Kohberger had "purchased anything for this purpose and was unaware of Bryan specifically purchasing a knife for this purpose."
The 31-year-old killer is believed to have purchased the military Ka-Bar knife and a brown leather sheath from Amazon in March 2022, just eight months before the murders.
Knife Sheath Found in Victim's Bed
Kohberger's mother claimed she urged her killer son to buy a knife to protect himself from a 'bear attack.'
While the knife was never found, the sheath became a major focus for prosecutors before Kohberger pleaded guilty. Whitcomb suggested the judge would have thrown out the sheath from evidence, as the "chain of custody would have led to significant problems for the prosecution in presenting evidence of any kind of DNA..."
The sheath was found on Mogen's bed following the crime, and included trace amounts of Kohberger's DNA on it. Despite the damning discovery, Kobherger's mother still insisted her son could never hurt a fly.
"What's going through my mind right now is that this is a really, really bad mistake, what's going on, like what's happening here," the baffled mom told FBI agents at the time. "We know what our, you know, who our children are, you know."
Bryan Kohberger Branded an 'Angel'
Kohberger's mother also labeled her son an 'angel,' despite his crime.
Maryann also branded her son an "angel" and claimed he "could never ever" stab to death four young students.
"There's a mistake, something is wrong somewhere," she insisted again in an exchange with the agents, Jessica Mahoney, Matthew Mark Phillips, and Eric Bailey. "And that's what I believe. And that's what I know in my heart."
"He's my angel," Maryann added, and noted that the pair were close as Kohberger didn't have any luck with the opposite sex.
"He doesn't have any girlfriends right now," she had revealed, and as far as any romantic interests, Kohberger had "a couple, not a lot" in the past.
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Victim Xena Kernodle was stabbed 67 times by Kohberger.
Earlier this year, unsealed court filings revealed more details of the vile crime, including details from an autopsy report on Kernodle, with evidence suggesting she continued fighting even after being stabbed 67 times.
Authorities also suggested evidence left behind from the horrifying struggle could be why Kohberger accepted a plea deal to avoid the trial and the death penalty.
Kohberger was sentenced to life behind bars at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution (IMSI).
It was previously reported that Kohberger has been ruffling feathers with the prison staff, as he whined he is "extremely annoyed" and losing sleep due to his fellow inmates yelling at him through the vents into his cell.
