- calendar_today August 10, 2025
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Bryan Kohberger, the convicted killer of four University of Idaho students in a 2022 off-campus home invasion, claims he’s being harassed and threatened by other inmates in prison. The 30-year-old former Ph.D. student in criminology, who is serving a life sentence with no chance of parole, has filed several grievances while incarcerated at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, asking to be moved from his current housing unit to a less rowdy one.
In the documents first obtained by People, Kohberger stated that he has been facing “minute-by-minute” verbal threats since arriving in J Block, a high-security wing for high-risk and high-profile prisoners, including those on death row. In the grievances, he gave specific and graphic details about the threats he has received, writing that one inmate reportedly told him, “I’ll b— f— you,” while another allegedly said, “The only a– we’ll be eating is Kohberger’s.”
In his notes, Kohberger stated that he first started receiving the threats two days after arriving in J Block. He filed another handwritten note to prison officials six days later, asking for an immediate transfer to a less rowdy section of the prison, B Block. “Tier 2 of J Block is an environment that I wish to transfer from if possible,” Kohberger stated. “I request transfer to B Block immediately. I wish to speak with you soon.”
Kohberger also made clear in his notes that he has not been involved in typical prison inmate behavior, such as “flooding” or “striking.” Flooding typically refers to the flushing of toilets or sinks in order to cause water damage, while striking can refer to not working or starting fights. Kohberger stated that he has not been involved in either activity and said he felt like he was being targeted in his current housing. Several guards confirmed that they had heard vulgarities directed at Kohberger but one added that he could not recall specific threats.
State prison officials have not said whether Kohberger would be moved. He was still listed as being housed in J Block, as of this week. The Idaho Department of Correction also has not offered any public comment on Kohberger’s grievances.
Kohberger wasn’t bothered by inmates in state prison alone. While he was previously housed in a county jail, Kohberger had been taunted by other inmates. He was mocked by other inmates during a video call with his mother, and while another prisoner put a braid in his hair and called him a “pussy” during a field trip outside, according to court filings. One prisoner called him a “f—ing weirdo” in an interview, later adding that he would have “shot” Kohberger if he didn’t think he would get in trouble.
Court filings also stated that Kohberger had displayed “awkward social tendencies,” including a “piercing stare” and “limited awareness of his own social behavior.” The combination of these factors, as well as his notoriety for his crimes, has made Kohberger a target for inmates. “High-profile offenders nearly always draw hostility,” one prison consultant stated. “For Kohberger, his personality and notoriety put an even bigger target on his back.”
Kohberger, who has noticeably lost weight in the past two and a half years since his arrest and conviction, has been placed in the Idaho Department of Correction’s most secure facility, housing some of the state’s most notorious inmates. That includes Chad Daybell, who is on death row. He has already had a difficult time there, where he continues to be on suicide watch, and experts fear his time in prison will mirror the life of Jeffrey Dahmer, the serial killer who spent years being harassed by fellow inmates before being killed by one in 1994.
For the time being, Kohberger has been moved into a cell with heightened supervision in J Block. It is unclear whether his grievances will prompt a move, but his prison notes serve as a window into the threat high-profile inmates face in prison. Kohberger has found his notoriety, coupled with his awkward behavior, as well as the heinous nature of his crimes, will haunt him behind bars, with life inside Idaho’s Maximum Security Institution looking just as hostile as the courtrooms in which he sat through his trial.
