Why Bryan Kohberger Prosecutors Added The Idaho Killer's Sister To Witness List For His Trial

The reason behind prosecutors in the Bryan Kohberger case adding his family members to their witness list has emerged.

It was detailed in a recently unsealed trial brief, which noted that they wanted to establish facts about the convicted murderer and his conduct during a specific period. Interestingly, Amanda, Kohberger's sister, was the only family member who made it onto the list.

However, she never got to take the stand, as the case did not go to trial due to Bryan Kohberger's surprise plea deal.

Back in July, prosecutors announced that Kohberger had reached a plea deal, which saw him agree to four consecutive life sentences for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, and Madison Mogen.

In October, it was then revealed that Kohberger swiftly agreed to the plea deal just days after prosecutors added his sister, Amanda, to their witness list.

Now, details about what the prosecution intended to ask Amanda have emerged in one of many court documents that were recently unsealed.

According to People Magazine, Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson had written in his trial brief to the court that he intended to call family members to "establish certain facts" before Kohberger moved to Pullman. Pullman is the city that is home to the university where Kohberger was pursuing his PhD in criminology.

The document also revealed that the family members were going to be asked about "facts regarding Kohberger's conduct when he returned home to Pennsylvania in December 2022."

This time period appears to be after the quadruple homicide was committed and before his arrest.

Further details about the "nature" of the testimony appear to have been disclosed in reports of interviews, as noted in the trial brief.

While it is unclear how many of Kohberger's family members were considered, Amanda was the only one who ultimately made it onto the list.

It is possible that this was due to the close relationship Kohberger shared with his parents, particularly his mother, whom he spoke to regularly on the phone for long periods.

On his part, Kohberger had also listed some of his family members as possible mitigation witnesses for the penalty phase of the trial.

However, due to his plea deal agreement, all trial proceedings were suspended, and his case moved on to the sentencing phase.

Kohberger is now residing in the J Block section of the Idaho Maximum Security Institution.

Since his arrival, the 31-year-old has made a number of complaints to the officials. His latest grievance, according to the Daily Mail, concerns the bananas served with some of his meals.

"They're not the kind that he likes," retired homicide detective Chris McDonough revealed to the outlet. "I'm not sure if that means they may have bruises on them, and he doesn't like that, or if there is a particular type of banana that he likes. But he's complaining about the food he's getting."

"You can't make this stuff up, right? The guy is a quadruple killer, and he's complaining about his bananas not being the type that he likes," the former police officer added.

Regarding the complaint, Kohberger may have to get used to such bananas or skip eating the fruit entirely.

"The prison is saying, well, deal with it," McDonough said of the matter.

Before he complained about bananas, Kohberger had slammed the food standards at his facility, with the strict vegetarian claiming he wasn't being given the appropriate food items.

"I have on several occasions not received all items of food on my tray," Kohberger allegedly said at the time.

"The nutritional standard is not being upheld unless I receive my full tray," the Idaho killer added, per People.

Although one might think Kohberger's complaints will stop in time, McDonough believes that the former PhD student will continue on this path.

"[Kohberger is] going to keep pushing the envelope and pushing the boundaries as far as he can get them," the Cold Case Foundation employee hinted.

He also suggested that Kohberger's antics are all about leveraging the notoriety he has garnered in the media for his crimes.

"It's about power and control," the ex-cop noted about Kohberger. "He was a nobody until he murdered four people… he was irrelevant to the world."

"And now he's Bryan Kohberger, who has slaughtered four people. And, because he didn't have to stand up in court and tell the world how brutal these crimes were, he holds the cards. And he's trying to leverage that," McDonough further remarked.