Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: KOHBERGER'S HIDDEN ESSAY REVEALS PLOT TO WALK FREE
Date: September 18, 2025

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Nancy Grace investigates the disturbing evidence and psychological insight surrounding Bryan Kohberger, the man convicted in the Idaho college murders. The discussion centers on shocking new details from Kohberger's private writings—essays allegedly revealing his calculated plan to escape justice by reversing his guilty plea. The episode features forensic experts, investigative reporters, and criminal attorneys, dissecting Kohberger's behavior, the brutality of his crimes, the evidence that was withheld, and chilling new stalking allegations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kohberger’s Disturbing Self-Images and Obsession with "American Psycho"

• Creepy Selfies: Newly uncovered shirtless, flexing selfies found on Kohberger’s phone are described in detail, exposing his apparent narcissism and psychological disconnect from the gravity of his crimes.

  • Nancy Grace: “Why am I having to look at Coburger without a shirt on, flexing and staring into the camera? Why is this happening?” (04:21)
  • Susan Hendricks: “They're cringe worthy… He didn't send these to anyone. They're for himself. It reminded me of American Psycho.” (04:50)

• Psychological Assessment:

  • Dr. Sherry Schwartz (Forensic Psychologist): The selfies and the meticulously arranged blue button-down shirts suggest a disturbed self-image and a desire for notoriety similar to “Christian Bale in American Psycho.” (12:00–13:30)
  • Chris McDonough: Links Kohberger’s posed, post-murder photos to a sense of self-aggrandizement and power-seeking, referencing the “Cub Scout salute” seen in one image as a demonstration of vanity after the murders. (18:34)

• Debate on Evidentiary Relevance:

  • Josh Colesrud (Defense Attorney): Argues selfies are not uncommon in 2025 and questions their evidentiary value unless directly tied to the motive or conduct. (16:28, 19:32)
  • Nancy Grace: “These selfies will come in…for motive, course of conduct, frame of mind, intent.” (20:27)

2. The Unimaginable Brutality of the Murders

• Grisly Details Revealed: Forensic and autopsy information is relayed in graphic terms, highlighting Kohberger’s extreme violence:

  • Jo Scott Morgan (Forensic Prof.): Describes the overlapping stab wounds to Kaylee Goncalves, explaining the forensic implications and what they suggest about the killer’s proximity and intent. (06:54, 09:58)
  • Susan Hendricks (on behalf of victims’ families): “Kaylee had been stabbed 24 times to her face and head…some of her teeth were missing, several were broken, and she had two subdural hematomas.” (08:11)
  • Nancy Grace: “Her teeth were stabbed out of her mouth.” (09:20)
  • Jo Scott Morgan: “It’s the most disgusting thing on the face of the planet.” (09:58)

• Emotional Impact: The parents’ fury and agony at learning detailed autopsy results only after the plea deal had been accepted.

  • Nancy Grace: “He looks like he just wants to take the camera and rip the head off.” (09:20)

3. The Hidden Essays: Kohberger’s Legal Plot

• Discovery of Essays: Thousands of pages from his apartment reveal Kohberger’s detailed writings about manipulating the justice system to overturn guilt pleas.

  • Nancy Grace: “He is writing at length about how procedural injustice in the American system has produced many false confessions.” (26:45)
  • Key Quotes from Kohberger’s Writings:
    • “False guilty pleas manifest due to a lack of judicial oversight…plea deals that seem to compel the defendant to enter them force the defendant to plead guilty under oath.” (26:45)
    • “Eyewitness misidentification is an issue.” (26:45)
  • Susan Hendricks: “He had planned this every single day. Even the plea he planned. I believe this was all that he thought about.” (29:11)
  • Josh Colesrud (Legal Expert): Explains potential avenues to appeal a plea: "Ineffective assistance of counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, or manifest injustice." (26:30)
  • Nancy Grace & Dave Mack (Crime Reporter): Note that the judge’s thoroughness during the plea was designed to prevent such post-facto legal maneuvers. (31:21–31:40)

• Legal Ramifications:

  • Kohberger’s essays are interpreted as a blueprint for pursuing a plea reversal—blaming the judge, the system, and prosecutors.
  • Colesrud: Predicts Kohberger's best chance at appeal will be a claim of prosecutorial misconduct (e.g., hidden evidence, controversial DNA technology). (36:41)

4. Sexual Motivation and Stalking Patterns

• Sexualized Motive:

  • Nancy Grace: Details how Kohberger searched for terms like “raping comatose women” and speculates that he expected to find unconscious women to assault at the crime scene. (20:27, 49:49)
  • Chris McDonough: “He wanted sleeping, comatose women to rape, based on his computer searches.” (52:38)

• Pattern of Stalking:

  • Susan Hendricks: Reports on two new women who allege they were stalked by Kohberger at Washington State University, involving harassment at work and unnerving encounters at their homes. (40:18)
    • “Worked at the university bookstore…he called her by name. Another worked in the criminology department. She caught eye contact with him out her window, meaning he was staring directly in…She ran and hid in the bathroom…nothing seemed to deter him.”(41:17)
  • Nancy Grace: Connects these incidents with a broader pattern of misogynistic and predatory behavior—documenting 13 complaints related to his intimidating or stalking female students. (38:40)
  • Dr. Sherry Schwartz: Emphasizes the significance of instinctive fear (e.g., a grown woman hiding in the bathroom to escape Kohberger), linking such behaviors to early warning signs of violent offenders. (46:50–47:20)

5. Academic Position as Predatory Cover

• Predator in the Classroom:
  • Jo Scott Morgan: “He saw this [PhD pursuit] as shooting fish in a barrel…instantaneous access to some of the most vulnerable people…” (49:14)
  • Chris McDonough: Argues that voyeuristic behavior and peeping escalates into more serious crimes, which aligns with Kohberger’s alleged trajectory from stalker to predator. (51:30)

6. Grief and Outrage of the Victims’ Families

• Delayed Disclosure:
  • Families were kept in the dark about key evidence—such as the extent of the wounds and Kohberger’s behavior—until the plea deal was done.
    • Susan Hendricks: “We learned about it after the plea, the day before the sentencing.” (38:32)
  • Outrage over the prosecutor’s decision to accept the plea deal without fully informing families.
    • Josh Colesrud: “Guy should have been punched in the face. He was a creep and he's a disgusting creep.” (38:36)
  • Nancy Grace: “This and more tonight. Kohberger behind bars, plotting his jailhouse exit legally.” (52:38)
  • Emotional statement by Steve Goncalves (Victim’s Father):
    • “My daughter was fighting up to her very last breath... she kept trying to get out of that bed and he was just drilling her...” (53:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kohberger’s Mindset:
  • Susan Hendricks: “He just wants to have power over people.” (03:05)
  • Jo Scott Morgan: “He saw this as shooting fish in a barrel…” (49:14)
  • Chris McDonough: “These pictures look like they just came out of the movie Zoolander…now the crime is finished, and now he’s trying to gain power.” (18:34)
• On Justice System Tactics:
  • Nancy Grace: “He is essentially hatching a plot to get his guilty plea reversed. He refers to lack of judicial oversight, blaming a judge for taking a plea that was a misguided plea.” (29:59)
• On Familial Impact:
  • Susan Hendricks (of victim's mother): “I feel sorry for the families who have to look at that…” (04:50)
  • Nancy Grace: “Her teeth were stabbed out of her mouth.” (09:20)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 2:06 – Episode Introduction: Kohberger’s hidden essay and new disturbing details.
• 4:21 – 5:16: Discussion of Kohberger's shirtless selfies and analysis by Susan Hendricks.
• 6:54: Forensic breakdown of the brutality of Kaylee Goncalves' murder.
• 8:11 – 9:15: Detailed victim autopsy reports and family reactions.
• 12:00 – 13:30: Forensic psychologist assesses Kohberger’s selfies and American Psycho fixation.
• 18:34: Chris McDonough’s insight on the psychological meaning behind post-murder selfies.
• 20:27 – 21:53: Debate over admissibility and interpretation of Kohberger’s evidence and searches.
• 26:30 – 31:40: Legal explanation of plea deals, potential appeals, and Kohberger’s plot, with direct quotes from his essays.
• 40:18 – 42:10: Reports and analysis of Kohberger stalking other female victims.
• 46:50 – 47:20: Dr. Schwartz on the significance of survivor instinct and red flags ignored.
• 49:14: Academic status as hunting ground for Kohberger's predation discussed.
• 52:38 – 53:22: Victim family outrage and parent statements.
• 53:34: Episode closeout (excluding ads).

Takeaways for Listeners

• The episode exposes Bryan Kohberger’s chilling effort to construct a post-conviction escape via appeals based on planned claims of judicial and prosecutorial misconduct.
• New evidence paints Kohberger as not just a cold-blooded killer, but a narcissistic, misogynistic predator with deep psychological disturbance and a pattern of stalking.
• The families’ pain is compounded by late disclosures and what they see as failures of the justice system’s transparency.
• Experts debate the admissibility of Kohberger’s appalling selfies and writings, but agree they reveal much about motive and state of mind.
• The possibility of additional, as-yet-unidentified victims is raised alongside warnings about missed warning signs and the progression from voyeurism to fatal violence.

[End of summary]