(News Nation) – Brian Kohberger’s mother described him as “my angel” in a newly released interview with authorities, insisting that “my son wouldn’t do it” after his arrest in the 2022 Idaho student murder.
The interview is cited in retired FBI agent Christopher Whitcomb’s new book, “Broken Plea: The Explosive Search for Truth Behind the Idaho Murders,” which draws on investigative files from prisons, court records and Kohberger’s writings.
In the book, Whitcomb reveals an interview with Kohberger’s mother, Marianne Kohberger, on the day he was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania.
Blood stains ‘distinct’ in Idaho college murders: Author of new book
“My son wouldn’t do it. I’d stake my life on it. There’s a mistake; there’s a mistake somewhere. And I believe that. And I know it in my heart,” she told FBI investigators.
She described her son as nonviolent, reserved and a “house guy” with few friends who focused on school and avoided drinking or partying, noting there were no concerns about his behavior before his arrest.
Kohberger is serving a life sentence after accepting a plea deal in July admitting to the murders of Kylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Zana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin at the University of Idaho.
Prosecutors tied Kohberger to the murder through DNA on the knife sheath, confirmed through a family match from the trash. They also cited cell data that placed him close to home and offline during the murders, as well as surveillance of his white Hyundai Elantra and sightings of a masked man by a roommate.
Brian Kohberger wrote letters to his dog and sister from prison
The book also details a series of abstract letters that Kohberger wrote to his family and pets from prison.
In a letter to his dog, Scout, he mentions an unseen “communication”, signing himself as “Brother”.
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Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for the brutal stabbing of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Poole)
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Brian Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse on July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for his sentencing hearing for the brutal stabbing of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Poole)
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Brian Kohberger is seen at the Ada County Courthouse after his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for the brutal stabbing of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Poole)
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Brian Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse, July 2, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Poole)
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Brian Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for the brutal stabbing of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Poole)
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Brian Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for the brutal stabbing of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Poole)
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Brian Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for the brutal stabbing of four University of Idaho students nearly three years ago. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Poole)
“Before, you and I, unbeknownst to you, ‘communicated’, I have no doubt that your heart was aware of what I wanted…” he wrote.
A letter to his sister reads, “Dear Amandayzz, In an abstract sense, and through instinctive abilities, the August influence can be adapted to the heart’s gravitation towards the green birds ahead…Always in your heart, Bernnzz.”
In a long letter to his family, Kohberger talks about “climbing new peaks” and finding clarity through a “single heart.” He signs with several nicknames, including “Buddy” and “Brother”.
“We have traversed many times-novel realms, finding that, while all may seem changeable/entropic, it is a constant from which clarity and serenity are always accessible,” he wrote.
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