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Bryan Kohberger’s Sister Speaks Publicly for First Time, Explains Black-Heart Drawing

Melissa Kohberger says her family was unaware he was the killer, describing personal fallout from the case’s unrelenting public scrutiny.

Overview

  • Melissa Kohberger says she drew the black heart her brother was seen holding at his July 2025 sentencing as a signal that his family had not disowned him.
  • She recalls warning Bryan after news of the Nov. 13, 2022, stabbings, telling him a “psycho killer” was on the loose, and says she was nauseated when she learned of his arrest weeks later.
  • She reports leaving a mental-health counselor training role after a surge of inquiries and says someone published a book under the name “Melissa J. Kohberger,” which she called painful and confusing.
  • Rejecting online speculation, she says the family had no clue about Bryan’s crimes; prosecutors maintain he planned an attack months earlier and bought a KaBar knife, while his motive remains unresolved.
  • Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty in 2025 and is serving life without parole in Idaho’s maximum-security prison, where he is held in restrictive housing, with separate reports alleging attempts to contact other inmates or killers.