Bryan Kohberger’s prison responds to complaints about inmates ‘taunting’ him

Date:2025-08-15 14:13:05 Category:News Views:1 Comment:0

(NewsNation) — The prison where Bryan Kohberger is serving his life sentence for killing four Idaho students says he is safe despite his complaints about inmates taunting him since his arrival.

“We are aware of Kohberger’s complaints about what he considers taunting,” the Idaho Department of Corrections told NewsNation in a statement.

Bryan Kohberger likely in victims’ home before murders: Prosecutor

“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.”

Bryan Kohberger’s life in prison

NewsNation learned that Kohberger was being “tormented” by his fellow inmates, who are taking turns shouting through the air ducts all day and all night to keep him from sleeping or hearing himself think during the day.

“The inmates apparently were waiting for him,” said Chris McDonough, director of the Cold Case Foundation and a retired homicide detective.

“They are now making his life absolutely miserable. They’re utilizing the vent system. They’re kicking the doors. They’re taunting him. And they’re basically torturing him through using psychology,” he said. “And my goodness, he’s complaining.”

Kohberger, who was sentenced to life in prison after accepting a plea deal, is being housed in solitary confinement outside of Boise. He was moved to the “J Block” one week after being sentenced.

That block of the prison houses the worst of the worst outside of being on death row.

Bryan Kohberger police application discussed internally after murders

“It’s really a prison within a prison,” said McDonough. “The guards, the most they can do is write it down or tell him, ‘Hey, there’s nothing we can do. You’re not in physical harm.’

“He’s in an isolation situation. Those around him can’t get to him physically.”

Inside the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, Kohberger and other inmates spend 23 hours a day inside their cells. The type of housing is meant for prisoners who could be injured by inmates in the general population or who could hurt others.

Prisoners get an hour outside each day in a courtyard surrounded by cement. Some inmates are placed in cages in the outdoor area because they are so dangerous.

Bryan Kohberger avoids death penalty with plea deal

Kohberger accepted a plea deal weeks before he was set to go to trial for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

He killed the college students inside their off-campus apartment in Moscow on Nov. 13, 2022.

The deal took the death penalty off the table in exchange for a guilty plea. The former graduate student was handed four life sentences last month.

NewsNation got a rare look inside the Idaho supermax prison where Bryan Kohberger will spend the rest of his life.
Cells inside the Idaho Maximum Security Institution.
Inmates spend 23 hours a day inside their cells, with food and water fed through small slots in their doors.
They are allowed to sit at tables outside their cell but are either cuffed to the table or placed inside a cage, where they can use tablets for visitation.
Most inmates can buy a tablet to have in their cell for $100 that contains music, email, and movies, and they can also buy a TV, which has basic cable.
Brian Entin visited the cellblock and saw inmates doing something called fishing, which is when they use strings from blankets or a T-shirt to send notes under their door.
Prisoners get an hour outside each day in a courtyard surrounded by cement, but some inmates are placed in cages in the outdoor area because they are so dangerous.
An outdoor cage at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution.