“There’s a Psycho Killer on the Loose”: Bryan Kohberger’s Sister Speaks Out in NYT Article

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
Episode: “There’s a Psycho Killer on the Loose”: Bryan Kohberger’s Sister Speaks Out in NYT Article
Release Date: January 6, 2026
Host: Ashleigh Banfield
Guest: Brian Entin, Senior National Correspondent, NewsNation

In this gripping episode, Ashleigh Banfield explores the recent New York Times interview with Melissa “Mel” Kohberger, the older sister of Bryan Kohberger—who confessed to the infamous 2022 Idaho student murders. The episode focuses on how Bryan’s family coped with the aftermath, the public suspicion they faced, and unique insights from Mel regarding her brother’s demeanor before and after his shocking crimes. Banfield and Entin analyze the human toll of being “guilty by association” and the puzzling disconnect between Bryan’s actions and his family’s perceptions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Shock and Family Reactions (03:00–05:53)

• Banfield introduces the episode by recalling the shocking arrest of Bryan Kohberger:
  • “A PhD student named Bryan Kohberger… basically had zero connection that we knew about to the four innocent kids that were butchered.” [03:00]
• The family’s silence generated suspicion and harsh comparisons to the parents of other notorious criminals.
• The long-awaited NYT interview with Mel Kohberger offers a first glimpse into the Kohberger family’s experience.
• Banfield: “What did Bryan Kohberger’s family know about him, if anything? And when did they know it, again, if they knew anything at all?” [03:45]

2. Public Suspicion and "Guilt by Association" (04:43–08:05)

• Brian Entin: “Obviously, this really wasn’t their fault. And in many ways, they have been vilified.” [05:05]
• Families of accused criminals endure relentless scrutiny and misinformation.
  • Example: An Amazon book falsely attributed to Mel Kohberger as an author, further muddying the waters [07:13]
• Despite this, Mel stayed silent out of respect for the victims’ loved ones, to avoid further trauma for them.

3. The Haunting Christmas Conversations (06:04–07:13)

• Memorable Segment: The family discussed the Idaho murders as an unsolved crime while Bryan—himself the perpetrator—sat among them during Christmas break.
• Entin reads from Mel’s quote:
  “Bryan, you’re running outside and this psycho killer is on the loose.” Bryan responds to his sister’s concern by promising to stay safe, all the while knowing the truth. [06:19]
• Entin: “He knew that he was the one responsible and yet was home and telling his sister, ‘Yeah, I’ll be careful.’ Very, very strange to think about that in that moment.” [06:41]

4. Mel Kohberger’s Compassion Toward Victims (08:05–09:13)

• Entin: Mel intentionally doesn’t center her family’s suffering, and instead honors the murdered students.
  • She keeps their birthdays saved in her phone to remember them individually.
  • “Which stood out to me…just shows, you know, the process they’ve been going through, too… but also remembering the victims, too.” [08:30]
• In court, the family's feelings were never shown outwardly.

5. The “Heart” Symbol and Familial Love (09:13–09:45)

• The drawing of a heart seen in front of Bryan at sentencing was Mel’s way of showing familial love.
  • Banfield: “It turns out Mel actually drew that heart for—just to remind him that he’s loved by his family…” [09:13]

6. The Blood Incident: A Puzzling Anecdote (09:45–10:49)

• Banfield recalls: Mel cut her finger on tin foil; Bryan was repulsed by the sight of blood, yet helped bandage it.
  • Banfield: “You’ve just caused one of the biggest bloodbaths in true crime history, and there you are with your sister in a little tiny cut with blood, grossed out by it.” [09:55]
• Entin: “It’s weird to think about when we know how gruesome the murders were…that she’s saying that he was grossed out by a cut from tinfoil. It almost makes you wonder if he had, like, almost two personalities.” [10:13]
• Banfield speculates on Bryan’s psychological state: “I think that personality in the house that night is like none other that he’s shown anyone else before.” [10:51]

7. The Impossible Questions & The Need to Understand (11:11–12:35)

• Banfield reflects on the universal desire to understand “outliers” like Bryan, for safety and closure.
  • “We still don’t have the answers. We still don’t know why he did it. We still don’t know who he is... It’s because you and I want to know when someone like him is nearby, right? We want to protect ourselves. We’re the flock, and we all make sense together. And then there’s people like Kohberger who are way out here, right? Way outside the flock.” [11:11]
• She confesses hope that Amanda, Bryan’s other sister, might speak out too.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Bryan, you’re running outside and this psycho killer is on the loose.”
  — Mel Kohberger (quoted by Brian Entin) [06:19]
• “He knew that he was the one responsible and yet was home and telling his sister, ‘Yeah, I’ll be careful.’ Very, very strange…”
  — Brian Entin [06:41]
• “She recognizes how brutal this has been for the victims’ family members and that’s why they stayed quiet, just to not traumatize these family members.”
  — Ashleigh Banfield [07:40]
• “She remembers the victims and honors the victims and even said that in her phone she has the victims’ birthdays saved…”
  — Brian Entin [08:22]
• “You’ve just caused one of the biggest bloodbaths in true crime history, and there you are…grossed out by it.”
  — Ashleigh Banfield [09:55]
• “It’s kind of hard to wrap your mind around. It almost makes you wonder if he had, like, almost two personalities.”
  — Brian Entin [10:49]
• “We want so badly to figure them out…Search their brains, figure out what is it? What made you do this?”
  — Ashleigh Banfield [11:17]

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• Bryan’s arrest and family background: 03:00–04:43
• Banfield & Entin on family suspicion: 04:43–05:53
• Christmas at the Kohbergers with Bryan home: 06:04–07:13
• Mel’s compassion for victims & keeping birthdays: 08:05–09:13
• Mel’s heart symbol at sentencing: 09:13–09:45
• The bloody finger anecdote & speculation on Bryan’s psyche: 09:45–10:49
• Banfield’s closing reflection on the unknowable “other”: 11:11–12:35

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Concluding Thoughts

• The episode offers rare, intimate insight into the Kohberger family’s experience—haunted by a crime they neither understood nor foresaw.
• Mel Kohberger’s interview reveals a family devastated and perplexed, striving to honor both the victims and their own humanity while under intense public scrutiny.
• Banfield underscores the chilling disconnect between the familiar and the unfathomable: even the closest kin did not recognize the monster among them.
• The search for answers remains ongoing, both for the family and for a public still trying to understand the unimaginable.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[A]

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[C]

Hey everyone, I'm Ashley Banfield and this is drop dead serious. In the weeks after the Idaho student murders back in 2022, investigators arrested somebody that stopped pretty much all of us cold. Was a suspect that made no sense, a PhD student named Brian Coburger. Guy from Pennsylvania. He was at the university next door and basically had zero connection that we knew about to the four innocent kids that were butchered. All of that is well known, but there's been a question ever since the authorities stormed his family's home in rural Pennsylvania just a little over a month since the bloodbath at 1122 King Road. And that is what did Brian Coburger's family know about him, if anything? And when did they know it again? If they knew anything at all. Brian was arrested that night in late December 2022 and for three long years during which Coburger confessed to killing those four kids, right? And was sentenced to life in prison. Coburger's family faced a ton of suspicion and speculation that somehow they had known what had happened all along and that they kept their mouth shut. They even got compared to Brian Laundrie's parents. They did keep quiet in public throughout Brian's entire detention, as well as his guilty pleas and that sentencing they stayed quiet. But now his older sister, Mel Kohberger, is speaking out. She did an interview with the New York Times. And in the interview, Mel Kohberger says that she and her mom and her dad and her sister Amanda were all dumbfounded and devastated to learn what the investigators suspected. And then, of course, what her brother eventually admitted to. Earlier on my NewsNation show, Banfield, I went over all of the revelations that Mel lined up in this interview with the New York Times. And then I talked to our senior national correspondent at NewsNation, Brian Enten. We talked about this jaw dropping interview, right, that Mel Kohberger gave to the Times, especially the description of one moment in the Co Burger kitchen when Mel cut her finger and her brother, Brian Kohberger was repulsed by the sight of blood. Brian Coburger repulsed by the sight of blood. One little cut on his sister's finger. What the hell is that about? I am going to play you this entire conversation in just a moment. And since Brian Enten was so invested and spent so much time out in Idaho, I was really looking forward to talking to him about this because I just, you know, I couldn't wait to dig into it. So much of it made sense and so much of it didn't. Here is my conversation about it with Brian Enten.

[D]

Brian, I hung off of every single word in Mel's interview with the New York Times. And I have to say my heart breaks for this family because so many families are vilified. I think they have an expression for it. It's like, I have to find it. I wrote it down somewhere, but it's basically like they're just guilt by association. What were your thoughts when you read this interview?

[E]

Yeah, I know the reporter, Mike Baker, he's an excellent reporter who interviewed Mel. And you're right. I mean, it's the first time we've heard anything from the Kohbergers throughout this entire process. We've seen them many times. We tried to talk to them outside court. They totally silent. Obviously, I think they're still trying to be respectful to the system. And I noticed, I was thinking about a lot of the things that she wouldn't talk about. Clearly, she didn't ever really say whether she thought her brother was actually guilty and she didn't want to talk about the court process. But it definitely gave us a glimpse inside how difficult this was for them, too. And like you said, I mean, you have to remember with, you know, with his sisters, with his family, you know, obviously this really wasn't their fault. And in many ways they have been vilified.

[D]

What was super creepy was Mel's description of the conversations that the family was having that Christmas.

[C]

Right.

[D]

Kills these kids, couple weeks later, crosses the country, comes home and spends a lovely Christmas with his family, during which time they're talking about the crime that happened back where he goes to school.

[C]

Right.

[E]

Remember, he was home for Christmas break. So the whole family was there and everybody in the world pretty much was talking about this case, apparently including them. Now, according to Mel, and she says she was concerned because Bryan Kohberger didn't lock his doors and was known to go out on these late night runs and drives and was almost like worried about him because there was this killer on the loose. I guess. Little did she know it was actually her brother. But I wanna read you a quote from the article she wrote. She said, brian, you're running outside and this psycho killer is on the loose. She remembers telling him, be careful. And he thanked her for checking on him and assured her that he would stay safe. Which is just so weird to think about that in that moment. And he's now admitted to the crimes. He knew that he was the one responsible and yet was home and telling his sister, yeah, I'll be careful. Very, very strange to think about.

[D]

I mean, listen, you and I have been at this rodeo enough times to know that when someone does something horrible, there's all this guilt by association. The family suffers. They're needled and prodded, and they're picked apart by, you know, the Internet. All sorts of false accusations are made. I think a book was even written, an Amazon book about the case came out with Melissa J. Kohberger as the author. Not true. She didn't. She did not write a book. It's a fraud. And it's just they could say so much about how hard it's been for them, but they don't. Mel says none of that because she said she recognizes how brutal this has been for the victim's family members and that that's why they stayed quiet, just to not traumatize these family members.

[E]

Yeah. And you could tell, kind of reading between the lines of the article, I think she was probably trying to be careful, too, to not try to come across too much like they were victims or like her family was a victim. And there was one part that really stood out to me where she said that she, you know, remembers the victims and honors the victims and even said that in her phone she has the victim's birthdays saved. So she remembers each victim on their own particular birthday, which. Which Stood out to me and just shows, you know, that I guess the process that they've been going through, too, with. With dealing with this. With dealing with this, knowing that it's. It's their brother, that it's her brother, that it's their family member, that it's their son, but also remembering the victims, too. And I'll tell you, I mean, seeing them in court, you know, I obviously knew that they had feelings and that they were victims in a sense in all of this, but they didn't show that side in court so much. They never really looked over at the victims families, and they never made any statements outside court. They never made any written statements. But now it' syou know, it's coming out that they felt pretty bad about this all along.

[D]

Well, and that heart that we all zoomed in on, that was in front of Bryan Kohberger during the sentencing. It turns out Mel actually drew that heart for. Just to remind him that he's loved by his family, which I understand this is a family. You cannot imagine what they're going through. I do want to ask you about this very unusual moment. It's the only thing that sort of gets close to crime, and that is that Mel cut her finger on foil, like a foil wrap in the kitchen, and it was bloody. And Brian made a comment about it. Describe what that was.

[E]

Yeah, remind me. I don't remember that part of the article. What did he say again, Ashley? Because I remember it was weird. It was home, right? For during Christmas. She cut her finger. And what did he say?

[D]

And he was, like, grossed out by the blood and still helped her to bandage it. And all I kept thinking was like, you've just caused one of the biggest bloodbaths in true crime history, and there you are with your sister in a little tiny cut with blood, grossed out by it.

[C]

I just couldn't.

[D]

I couldn't process that.

[E]

Yeah. And I'm remembering now. She said that she was surprised he was helping her so much because he had been so grossed out by blood in the past, but still helped her. Her in that moment, which. Yeah, I mean, you're right. It's weird to think about if when we know how gruesome the murders were and how many times he stabbed the victims and how bloody it was that she's saying that he was, you know, that he was. That he was grossed out by a cut from tinfoil. It's kind of hard to wrap your mind around. It almost makes you wonder if he had, like, almost two personalities.

[C]

Way.

[E]

You know?

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Oh, I think so. I think he. I think that personality in the house that night is like none other that he's shown anyone else before. Brian. Anton. I was so looking forward to talking to you about this because I've just been, like, ruminating on this interview all day. Thank you for this. I appreciate it. And Happy New Year, my friend.

[E]

Thank you. And I missed you, too. Yeah, with. You were off, so I'm glad you're back.

[C]

So I found that really insightful. I think we've all been in the dark. It's why this case was so perplexing to us. It's why none of us could stop thinking about it. I mean, it's why we were obsessing. We still don't have the answers. We still don't know why he did it. We still don't know who he is. Right? He's just sitting and rotting in a prison now for life without parole. But we still want answers. And it's because you and I want to know when someone like him is nearby, right? We want to protect ourselves. We're the flock, and we all make sense together. And then there's people like Coburger who are way out here, right? Way outside the flock. And they look like us and they sound like us, but they're not like us. And they're coming for us. And that's the reason we want so badly to figure them out. And when we catch one of them, right, we want to dissect them. We want to, like, do scientific experiments on them, right? Search their brains, figure out what is it? What made you do this? And how can we prevent ourselves from becoming your next victims? You people. You freakish people outside our flock masquerading as us. Mel helped a little, right? She told us what she could. Her own family, they're in the flock, and they're perplexed by what the hell happened. But, you know, there's Amanda. That's his other sister. She, too, told friends that she just couldn't believe what had happened. At first, she thought it was a prank. When they were told that Brian had been arrested, first thing was like, for what? Right? For what? So maybe Amanda will speak. I hope she'll speak with me. I. I've been trying to make contact with Amanda, to talk to me about what that family's gone through and. And what their lives are now and what they know about this man, about their brother, their son. I can't imagine what it's like to be them. Thank you for indulging me. Thank you for listening. And watching and being a part of this true crime community. As always, I'm Ashley Banfield. I will see you soon. And do remember, the truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead serious.

[F]

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