Brian Kohberger’s sister Mel breaks her silence on Idaho murder, family says there was no indication he was the killer

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• Brian Kohberger’s sister, Mel Kohberger, broke her silence in a new interview published on The New York Times It’s January 3rd

• Mel said her family had no clue that Brian was the killer, and had been told to be careful after learning of the November 13, 2022 murder.

• Mel also revealed that she had to quit her job because of the murder after her employer received a flood of inquiries.

In the three years since Brian Kohberger killed four University of Idaho students, his family has remained largely silent. Now, one of his sisters is speaking out.

Mel Kohberger, one of her two sisters, broke her silence about Brian – who was sentenced to four life sentences without parole in 2025 after pleading guilty to the murder in 2025 – in an interview published in The New York Times On January 3rd. Mel didn’t discuss the crime, he talked to Brian about his childhood, his family life since his confession, and more.

After first learning about the November 13, 2022 murders of Kelly Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, when an unknown suspect broke into their off-campus home, Mel said she told her brother to be careful.

“Brian, you’re running outside and this psycho killer is on the loose,” she told him. In response, she said he told her to be safe, and thanked her for her concern.

Mel explained to Brian The New York Times Socially awkward, sometimes abusive and prone to arguing with her, she never saw him as violent, citing an instance where he held her hand behind her back to defuse an argument between them. Her parents, Marianne and Michael, taught her, Brian and his sister Amanda Kohberger to be loyal, independent and put the needs of others before their own, she told the outlet.

When the police break into Brian’s parents’ Pennsylvania home the night after the murder, Mel learns of the arrest through Amanda. She thought it might be a joke at first, and then became nauseous, she recalled.

“She was like, ‘I’m with the FBI, Brian has been arrested,'” Mel said. The New York Times. “I was like, ‘For what?’ “

Mel also focuses specifically on the impact today’s “true crime culture” has had on her family, thrusting it into the national spotlight.

At the time of Brian’s arrest, Mel was in training as a mental health counselor, which she agreed to leave after her employer received a flood of inquiries. People on the Internet also found and dissected footage of Amanda starring in a 2011 horror movie that featured stabbings.

Someone even used the author’s name “Melissa J. Kohberger” to publish a book about the case, apparently trying to capitalize on the murder by using the likeness of the mail. The New York Times. The Mail described it as “failed” and “painful”.

“It’s like being a victim but not really being a victim,” she said.

Others theorized that the Kohbergers had known for a long time that Bryan had killed the students, which the Mail dismissed in a new interview.

“I’ve always been someone to speak up for what’s right,” she said The New York Times. “If I had reason to believe my brother had done something, I would have turned him in.”

Mel also said that, before the murder, he and his family were proud of Brian for becoming a doctoral candidate because of the adversity he faced in the criminology program at Washington State University. He faced bullying growing up, as well as heroin addiction, per the outlet.

“We were all proud of him,” Mel said, “because he had won so much.”

She also offered insight into the now Kohberger family, explaining that they feel sad that Brian can’t be with them during the holidays. But this line of thinking will immediately turn to thinking instead of her victims’ families and their suffering, she said The New York Times.

“The thought is making me so emotional that I can’t talk to you about it,” she told the outlet through tears.

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Mel also shared regrets about her past as a true crime fan, after being embroiled in one of the biggest crime news stories in recent memory.

“It’s human nature to be curious about dark things,” she told the outlet. “That’s how we protect ourselves.”

“But I think we should try and come together for a true crime culture that is more protective and empathetic to the victims’ families,” he added.

Read the original article on People