The families of four University of Idaho students killed in November 2022 are suing Washington State University, alleging the school failed to act on repeated warnings about Bryan Kohberger’s stalking, harassment and threatening behavior before the killings, according to court records.
The lawsuit, filed Jan. 7 in Skagit County Superior Court, was brought by the parents of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
It alleges WSU’s actions and inaction allowed Kohberger’s behavior to escalate unchecked in the months leading up to the murders.
According to the complaint, WSU recruited Kohberger from the East Coast to serve as a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology while he pursued a Ph.D. with a focus on sexually motivated burglars and serial killers.
The filing states WSU paid Kohberger a salary and provided free tuition, medical benefits and on-campus housing, all conditioned on his behavior and compliance with university policies.
Alleged behavior quickly raised alarms
The lawsuit alleges that almost immediately after Kohberger arrived in the Pullman-Moscow community, he developed a reputation for “discriminatory, harassing, and stalking behavior,” particularly toward women, and that his conduct instilled fear among students and staff.
According to the complaint, a fellow graduate student said early in the fall 2022 semester she began leaving her office door open because she believed “this guy was going to do something inappropriate with a student.”
That same student said Kohberger struck her as a “stalker” or “sexual assaulter type.”
Another graduate student described Kohberger as a “possible future rapist,” while multiple female students reported feeling unsafe during interactions with him.
The lawsuit states Kohberger was “noted to be obsessed with studying sexually motivated burglars and serial killers” and that faculty members were aware of growing concerns.
Blocking exits, following women, security escorts
The complaint details repeated incidents in which Kohberger allegedly stood close to women’s desks, loomed over them, and blocked their exits from offices for long periods of time.
One female graduate student reported that Kohberger trapped her in her office while attempting to talk about the Ted Bundy murders.
According to the lawsuit, Kohberger followed several female students and staff members to their cars after hours.
As a result, security escorts were arranged after 5 p.m., sometimes by professors and other times by the WSU Police Department.
Some staff members told others that Kohberger had been stalking them.
Graduate students also reported taking precautions to protect themselves.
Some kept office doors shut to keep Kohberger out, while others left doors open as a refuge if someone felt threatened.
In one classroom incident early in the semester, the complaint states Kohberger verbally attacked a female student so severely that she fled the room in tears, leaving her belongings behind.
He was described as “very angry, as if he had built up fury or rage.”
“911” email warning and hiding from him
The lawsuit alleges that WSU employees took steps to avoid leaving colleagues alone with Kohberger.
In one instance, a WSU employee told a colleague to email her with the subject line “911” if she needed immediate help during an interaction with him.
In another case, a WSU undergraduate fled into a bathroom to hide from Kohberger because she felt uncomfortable with his “scary” behavior.
One sophomore student reported that Kohberger followed her and that when she told her supervisors, she was advised not to be alone with him and was told she was not the first person to report problems.
Her supervisor later took her home so she would not have to walk alone or take public transportation, according to the complaint.
Faculty discussions and internal warnings
The lawsuit states that by mid-September 2022, WSU professors were discussing the “need to do an intervention with Kohberger” because of how he treated female students.
By September or October, one professor believed Kohberger was stalking people.
One student later learned that Kohberger had photos of her and other female classmates on his cell phone, according to the filing.
During a faculty meeting, one professor allegedly warned colleagues about Kohberger’s future behavior, saying:
“Mark my words, I work with predators, if we give him a Ph.D. that’s the guy that in that many years when he is a professor, we will hear is harassing, stalking, and sexually abusing … his students.”
That professor also believed Kohberger was already stalking people, the lawsuit states.
Complaints filed, no action alleged
According to the complaint, at least 13 formal complaints related to Kohberger were submitted to WSU’s Office of Compliance and Civil Rights.
However, the lawsuit alleges the employee responsible for acting on those complaints later reported she had neither met nor spoken with Kohberger.
Some students continued reporting concerns despite believing WSU would not protect them from retaliation.
One student said she was dissatisfied with how prior reports were handled but continued reporting because Kohberger’s actions made her feel unsafe.
The lawsuit alleges Kohberger’s supervising instructor expressed concern that removing him from employment could expose WSU to a lawsuit, elevating financial concerns above campus safety.
Escalation and aftermath
The complaint states Kohberger later pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary.
The lawsuit alleges that subsequent investigations revealed extensive online searches related to home invasions, serial killers, paranoia and pornography involving exclusively non-consensual sex acts, as well as repeated late-night drives past the victims’ home months before the killings.
The families argue that stalking behavior is a known predictor of escalating violence and that WSU failed to use its threat assessment tools, policies and authority to intervene before four students were killed.
They are seeking damages and a jury trial.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for WSU said, “Our hearts remain with the families and friends impacted by this horrific tragedy. Because this is a legal matter, we are declining further comment at this time.”