The Idaho Department of Corrections has issued a statement following what appears to be a complaint from convicted Idaho murderer Bryan Kohberger that he is being taunted while in prison.
“We are aware of Kohberger’s complaints about what he considers taunting. Incarcerated individuals commonly communicate with each other in prison. Bryan Kohberger is housed alone in a cell, and IDOC security staff maintain a safe and orderly environment for all individuals in our custody,” a spokesperson for the Idaho Department of Corrections said in an email statement.
The department did not detail the nature of the alleged complaints.
The department’s statement comes weeks after Kohberger, 30, was sentenced to four consecutive life terms for the 2022 murders of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
The sentencing followed Kohberger’s guilty plea to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. By admitting to the killings and waiving his right to appeal, he avoided the possibility of prosecutors seeking the death sentence.
Following his sentence, Kohberger was transferred from Ada County Jail in Boise, Idaho, to Idaho Maximum Security Institution located near Kuna.
The prison was built to house Idaho’s most dangerous and volatile criminals. As of last month, it was unclear whether Kohberger will serve the entire duration of his life sentence at that prison.
Bill Thompson, the lead prosecutor who negotiated Kohberger’s plea deal, told TODAY that even if Kohberger’s case had gone to trial, he believed the victims’ families would still be left without a sense of closure.
“We made a proposal on our terms, not his,” he said.
“I don’t know what was going through (his) head, what he wanted,” Thompson continued. “One way or another, he’s going to be in prison until he dies.”
