Bryan Kohbergerthe former doctor in criminology. The student charged with the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students was granted a plea deal to avoid the death penalty in June 2025. He was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. After the murders of Kaylee Goncalves21, Madison Mogen21, Xana Kernodle20, and Ethan ChapinBryan, 20, was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania on December 30, 2022. He is the youngest son of Michael Kohberger Jr. and MaryAnn Kohberger and has two older sisters, amanda and Melissa Kohberger.
Following Bryan’s arrest, his family issued a statement through their public defender, showing their support for Bryan, while also expressing sympathy for the victims’ families, according to The New York Post. “We have fully cooperated with law enforcement in an attempt to seek the truth and promote their presumption of innocence rather than judging unknown facts and making erroneous assumptions,” they said. “There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel and we pray for them every day.”
Here you will find everything you need to know about Bryan’s family.
Michael Kohberger Jr.
Both of Bryan’s parents were employees of the Pleasant Valley School District for many years. Michael was a maintenance worker for the school district from 2006 to 2019, according to The New York Post. Weeks after the murders, Michael had flown to Washington to travel to his home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, with his son, according to news week. In mid-December, father and son drove about 2,500 miles in the white Hyundai Elantra that police had told the public to look out for. Bryan had been staying with his family over the holidays, until his arrest on December 30.
Bryan’s parents were also subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury in May 2023, according to cnn. Sources told the news organization that an attorney for them attempted to have the subpoena dismissed, but was unsuccessful.
Following the Idaho murders, it was revealed that Bryan had been arrested in 2014 for misdemeanor theft for allegedly taking his sister’s phone, it was reported ABC News. It was Michael who contacted the police about the stolen property. Bryan served no prison time for the incident.
MaryAnn Kohberger
MaryAnn Kohberger also worked in the Pleasant Valley School District until 2020. She worked as a teaching assistant assisting students with special needs, according to The Mail.
In addition to her work at school, MaryAnn occasionally wrote letters to the local newspaper, Pocono Record. In June 2022, he wrote one that reflected on school shootings in the United States. She also shared a poem her daughter had written about the tragic shooting in Uvalde, Texas. “As I sat this morning, reeling from another school shooting, I found myself debating what actions should be taken to stop all this madness. What is the answer? Gun control measures? Mental health intervention?” MaryAnn wrote to the newspaper. “As I read the poem, I thought: Whatever the solution, I pray that we consider children before guns.”
Amanda Kohberger
Not much is known about Bryan’s older sister, Amanda. Following her brother’s arrest, both she and her sister Melissa were reportedly fired from their jobs in March 2023, according to The New York Post. While it’s unclear what Amanda did for a living, she was once an actress, with a single credit in the 2011 horror film. two days agoaccording IMDb.
Mel Kohberger
In a letter to Pocono RecordMaryAnn wrote that Mel worked as a mental health therapist in New Jersey.
As mentioned above, her mother also shared a poem she had written about the Uvalde Elementary School shooting, which left 19 students and two teachers dead and another 17 injured. Like her sister, Melissa was reported to have been fired from her job.
In January 2026, Mel broke her silence about her brother’s conviction during an interview with The New York Times.
“I’ve always been a person who has stood up for what’s right,” Mel told the publication, before insisting, “If I ever had a reason to believe my brother did something, I would have turned him in.”
