Reports indicate that Brian Kohberger made two calls to his mother shortly after the tragic deaths of four University of Idaho students at an off-campus residence.
Kohberger, who is 30 years old, called his mother, Maryann Kohberger, at 6:17 AM on November 13, 2022. According to People Magazine, case investigator Heather Burnhart provided this information.
Before the second call, he initially contacted her at 6:13 AM, and when she didn’t answer, he tried reaching his father, as Burnhart mentioned to the outlet.
Maryann eventually answered, and their conversation lasted for 36 minutes.
Investigators noted that Kohberger typically reached out to his father if his mother didn’t respond.
Burnhart mentioned, “He often texts, asking, ‘Dad, why didn’t Mom answer? Why isn’t she picking up?’”
Then, at 8:03 AM, Kohberger called his mother again, and that discussion extended for 54 minutes, according to Burnhart.
The timing of these calls hints that he was likely talking with her during a drive back toward the crime scene in Moscow. Kohberger spent about 10 minutes near the location around 9 AM, Bill Thompson, the Latah County Attorney, noted during the judicial hearing.
Just moments after that conversation, he called her again at 9 AM, which lasted 10 minutes.
In total, they spoke for around three hours that day across several calls, as reported.
They had another brief call lasting two minutes at 4:05 PM, followed by a lengthy 96-minute call at 5:53 PM.
Burnhart examined Kohberger’s phone and indicated that he had called his mother as early as 4 AM, using a Samsung Galaxy phone he purchased in June.
Interestingly, Kohberger powered off his phone during the murder, likely as a precaution, between 2:54 AM and 4:48 AM.
This revelation turned out to be critical for investigators, with Burnhart describing it as a “pretty great” moment.
“For him to turn it off, he had to consciously push a button, and the battery was fully charged,” Burnhart noted.
This detail undermined any potential argument from his defense that the phone simply died at the time of the murders.
Additionally, she pointed out that Kohberger lacked any texts from friends outside his family.
Last month, Kohberger was unexpectedly sentenced to life in prison regarding the off-campus murders that occurred on November 13, 2022, resulting in the deaths of Zana Carnodor, Kayley Goncarves, Madison Morgen, and Ethan Chapin.
Kohberger was led out of court in handcuffs during his sentencing while his mother, Maryann, and sister, Amanda, had no comment.
He is currently detained at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna.
