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Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:43:05 -0700
whiteguyinchina from private IP, post #15002922
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Bryan Kohberger Hoped to Return to WSU And Wrote Letter Begging For His Job to Be Reinstated After Idaho Murders
https://people.com/bryan-kohberger-wrote-letter-begging-for-job-to-be-reinstated-after-idaho-murders-12146184
His letter to WSU, which was filed as part of the federal civil suit his victims’ parents filed against the university, makes it clear that he wanted to
return to Pullman to continue his studies but needed his T.A. position to do so.
“Upon being accepted into the Criminal Justice and Criminology PhD Program at Washington State University, I believed that my journey towards
self-actualization (involving goals of contributing positively to society through research) was reaching its next step,” Kohberger wrote in his appeal.
He went on to say that he was “further impressed by the financial aid package” he was provided because without it he did not have the funds possible to
attend WSU.
“At the time, my family and I rejoiced as we looked forward to the future — so much so that I invested all my funds into making my dream of pursuing my
studies at Washington State University a reality,’” Kohberger said.
That all changed when Kohberger lost his position at the school.
Kohberger had been placed on an improvement plan less than three months into his role following an “altercation with the faculty [he supported] as a T.A.”
and a letter from the same faculty member detailing how Kohberger had “failed to meet expectations” in his position, according to a copy of his termination
letter obtained by PEOPLE.
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Bryan Kohberger Hoped to Return to WSU And Wrote Letter Begging For His Job to Be Reinstated After Idaho Murders
Bryan Kohberger appealed his termination by Washington State University just days before he was arrested and charged with the murders of 4 students
By Chris Spargo Published on September 29, 2026 11:29AM EDT
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Bryan Kohberger arrives for a hearing in Latah County District Court on September 13, 2023 in Moscow, Idaho.
Bryan Kohberger arrives for a hearing in Latah County District Court on September 13, 2023 in Moscow, Idaho.
Credit : Ted S. Warren-Pool/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
Bryan Kohberger was attempting to return to Washington State University after the University of Idaho murders, according to a letter he wrote appealing his
termination by the school from his position as a T.A.
He was arrested and charged with murder before receiving a response to his appeal and on that same day, WSU suspended him effective immediately
Kohberger wrote in his appeal that he could not afford to return to WSU without his T.A. position because he depended on the money and insurance the role
provided him with
Bryan Kohberger was informed that he had been terminated from his Teaching Assistant position with the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at
Washington State University in a letter dated Dec. 19, 2022.
Two days later, on Dec. 21, 2022, Kohberger responded with a letter of his own addressed to the Dean of Graduate Studies at WSU appealing his termination, a
copy of which was obtained by PEOPLE.
That letter made it clear that Kohberger had every intention of trying to return to WSU — where he remained enrolled in his graduate program despite his
termination — until his arrest.
He would never hear back about that appeal because, nine days later, he was arrested and charged with the murder of four University of Idaho students —
Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.
That very same day, a letter was hand-delivered to Kohberger at the Monroe County Correctional Facility informing him of the decision by WSU to impose an
emergency suspension due to the allegations that he committed four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
Bryan Kohberger, charged in the murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022, appears for a hearing at the Ada County Courthouse on July 2, 2025, in
Boise, Idaho. Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty in exchange for being spared the death penalty.
Bryan Kohberger.
Kyle Green-Pool/Getty
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intriguing unsolved cases.
Now, approximately four years after Kohberger moved out to Pullman, Wash., to begin his studies, he is serving four life sentences at an Idaho prison while
seeking to overturn the guilty pleas he entered to those murder charges in July 2025.
It had been unclear if Kohberger planned to return to WSU after he drove back to Pennsylvania for the holiday break in 2022, with court filings revealing that
his dorm room had been largely cleared out and his shower had no curtain.
His letter to WSU, which was filed as part of the federal civil suit his victims’ parents filed against the university, makes it clear that he wanted to
return to Pullman to continue his studies but needed his T.A. position to do so.
“Upon being accepted into the Criminal Justice and Criminology PhD Program at Washington State University, I believed that my journey towards
self-actualization (involving goals of contributing positively to society through research) was reaching its next step,” Kohberger wrote in his appeal.
He went on to say that he was “further impressed by the financial aid package” he was provided because without it he did not have the funds possible to
attend WSU.
“At the time, my family and I rejoiced as we looked forward to the future — so much so that I invested all my funds into making my dream of pursuing my
studies at Washington State University a reality,’” Kohberger said.
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That all changed when Kohberger lost his position at the school.
Kohberger had been placed on an improvement plan less than three months into his role following an “altercation with the faculty [he supported] as a T.A.”
and a letter from the same faculty member detailing how Kohberger had “failed to meet expectations” in his position, according to a copy of his termination
letter obtained by PEOPLE.
At a meeting a month into that plan it was acknowledged that Kohberger had made progress, but two days later there was another altercation with the same faculty
member, and 10 days after that a letter was signed by the department chair informing him of his termination.
That letter ended by stating: “The termination of your Teaching Assistantship does not affect your enrollment as a PhD student in the program.”
Bryan Kohberger's childhood home in Effort, Pennsylvania.
Bryan Kohberger’s childhood home in Effort, Pennsylvania.
Kevin Fixler/Idaho Statesman/Tribune News Service via Getty
Kohberger wrote in his appeal, however, that this would not be possible for him without his job.
“Without this assistantship, I am left without health insurance, income, and security for the upcoming months,” he wrote. “In fact, it is not possible for
me to continue my education at Washington State University’s graduate school if this decision holds.”
Kohberger said that there had been no effort to speak with him about what happened prior to the decision to fire him and wrote: “Hearing all sides of the
story is imperative and failing to do so reflects that my supervisors did not do their due diligence in investigating this alleged incident. Without proper
fact-finding, the process of rightful termination of employment is inherently tainted and biased towards one party’s recollection.”
Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:43:32 -0700
whiteguyinchina from private IP
Reply #15625302
This guy just oozes loserdom
Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:45:41 -0700
whiteguyinchina from private IP
Reply #17556028
The language is so cringe
Impressed by the financial aid package
I have grown fond of my cohort members, professors, and cougar family.
Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:11:35 -0700
marlon from private IP
Reply #15583690
Why did he go after those kids anyways, what was the motive for
Wed, 30 Sep 2026 18:01:45 -0700
whiteguyinchina from private IP
Reply #12468323
Guessing some weirdo super killer fantasy
I am not sure he admitted to it in either case
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