The forensic psychologist who famously cautioned last year about Bryan Kohberger’s plea deal being a strategic part of a “long game” now suggests that prosecutors missed a pivotal chance. By not compelling Kohberger to fully disclose the Idaho student murders in his plea, they allowed him potential flexibility to reshape his narrative, even as he waived his right to appeal the sentence.
“It was a gross miscalculation by the district attorney’s office to proceed with this deal. We’re left seeing the victims enduring the ordeal once more, without any real resolution,” expressed Dr. Kris Mohandie, a police and forensic psychologist with expertise in violent behavior.
Having brokered a deal to avoid the death penalty, Kohberger now faces four consecutive life terms without parole, along with an additional decade in prison.
Despite the serious sentencing, Kohberger recently sought post-conviction relief, citing ineffective legal representation and claims of misleading counsel, all the while maintaining his innocence regarding the murders.
Law enforcement discovered his DNA on a knife sheath at the crime scene, in a bed with two of the University of Idaho students he confessed to killing during a change of plea hearing in July 2025.
Mohandie said prosecutors should have required Kohberger to provide a full account of the killings before accepting the plea, even if, as Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said after sentencing, they believed he would lie.
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing on July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. Kohberger pleaded guilty in exchange for being spared the death penalty for the stabbing of four University of Idaho students. Netflix’s documentary about the case, “The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare,” is now streaming. (Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Images)
“Well, that’s a lame excuse, in my opinion, because at least you’ve got him admitting something,” Mohandie said. “This way, he can pull back and say, ‘I didn’t admit to doing anything…I said nothing. There are no stories or statements related to me. And I was coerced into this. I had terrible counsel.’ It enables him to have a complete playing field for him to dance around. With now an infinite array of lies. So pin him to a story is part of why you do this.”
Mohandie said the absence of any detailed confession now gives Kohberger room to challenge the case while forcing victims’ families to relive the proceedings.
A watchman parked outside 1122 King Road on Dec. 11, 2022, four weeks after four students were stabbed to death inside. (Michael Ruiz/News Media)
“It was ill-conceived, it was poorly designed, and at the end of the day, you know the victims are being re-traumatized by all of this,” he said.
The psychologist also argued that Kohberger’s handwritten post-conviction petition and attempts to regain the spotlight for himself are consistent with the personality traits he has long associated with the convicted killer.
“First and foremost is his desire to get away with things and to outsmart the system, and I do believe that notoriety and fueling his notoriety, continuing to fuel that, is the secondary gain as well,” Mohandie said.
Illustrating that was Kohberger’s decision to call a reporter from prison before filing the petition, he said.
“He is a common archetype, if you will,” Mohandie said. “He’s not special, but he believes he’s special, which is the commonality among these people — the belief that you’re special when you’re not; the belief that you’re smarter than other people and can outwit them.”
Mohandie said that’s why he believes the public should resist looking at killers as fascinating figures.
“They are terrible people and monsters,” he said.