Bryan Kohberger, a former Ph.D. student in criminology at Washington State University, proposed a research project on the emotions of criminals and their decision-making processes during his studies in the fall of 2022. This academic pursuit took a dark turn when Kohberger was charged with the stabbing deaths of four college students in November 2022.

Recently, the Idaho State Police released nearly 700 pages of evidence, including Kohberger's homework assignments from his apartment in Pullman, Washington. These documents were made public following requests for records, including from various media outlets. The release comes after Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle, which occurred in the early hours of November 13, 2022. In July, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In one of his assignments, Kohberger wrote, "Not all criminal actions reflect a rational, instrumental process. Crimes of passion involve reactive violence, which manifests due to intense emotional arousal, confounding notions of an exclusively cold, criminal calculus." He expressed a desire to understand how emotions influence decision-making in crimes like burglary, suggesting he would conduct "in-person, semi-structured" interviews with inmates.

Investigators examined Kohberger's writings to gain insight into his mindset. Ed Jacobson, a former FBI Acting Supervisor, noted that while Kohberger's academic interests did not inherently make him a criminal, they provided context for understanding his actions. "Once we arrested him, the [Behavioral Analysis Unit] is out there. They're going through every bit of information we've gathered on this guy," Jacobson said.

Prosecutors intended to use Kohberger's academic work as evidence in court, arguing it demonstrated his deep understanding of criminal behavior and his ability to evade detection after committing the murders. Lead prosecutor Bill Thompson stated, "He had that knowledge and skill."

Kohberger also wrote extensively about issues within the American justice system, including "procedural injustice" and the prevalence of false confessions. He argued that many defendants plead guilty to crimes they did not commit due to a lack of judicial oversight and the pressure of plea deals. "Some people simply plead guilty to crimes they did not commit as to choose the lesser of two evils," he wrote.

In his writings, Kohberger highlighted the problem of "eyewitness misidentification" and suggested increasing video surveillance in public areas as a potential solution. He also critiqued the prosecutorial power that contributes to mass incarceration, referencing a 2005 murder case where a woman was coerced into accepting evidence against her. Kohberger described the prosecutor's actions as "highly unethical" and noted that the accused woman felt forced to comply to salvage her future.