After initially pleading not guilty, Kohberger changed his plea to “guilty” in order to avoid the death penalty. He was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences and another 10 years for burglary in July 2025.
“He’s extremely annoyed and frustrated,” McDonough continued of Kohberger’s alleged treatment while incarcerated. “He’s complaining to the authorities that he can’t sleep because of them.”
A former Washington State University doctoral student, Kohberger now lives in solitary confinement in the J block at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution. Due to the grisly nature of the murders and the media frenzy that followed the case in its immediate aftermath, McDonough added that fellow inmates could be looking for the opportunity to harm Kohberger.
“There’s some inmates that would want nothing more than to hurt him just to make a name for themselves,” he said, adding that because Kohberger is in solitary and not in immediate physical danger, it is unlikely that prison staff will do anything to stop his alleged tormentors.
