Before Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison for the gruesome murders of four University of Idaho students, he battled a brutal drug addiction. During a recent sit-down with the New York Times, his sister Mel Kohberger revealed that Bryan, 31, was bullied as a teenager and regularly struggled deeply with his sense of self worth. Following these experiences, he developed an addiction to heroin that sent his life into a downward spiral. Mel recalled one instance when Bryan went so far as to steal her cell phone to pawn it at a mall so that he could use the money to buy drugs. Despite his struggles, he eventually went into treatment for his addiction and set his life on a new path. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from DeSales University in 2020, and two years later, he went on to receive a Masters degree in Criminal Justice at the same school. In Fall 2022, he took his education a step further when he enrolled in Washington State University as a Ph.D criminology student. "We were all so proud of him because he had overcome so much," Mel said of her and her family's feelings towards Bryan at the time. However, his life took another sharp turn when he was taken into police custody in connection with the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, after only completing one semester as WSU. The four students were found dead at their shared home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022 - a crime Mel claimed she had no idea her brother was connected to prior to his arrest. Bryan Kohberger's Sister Breaks Her Silence After Gruesome Idaho Murders "I have always been a person who has spoken up for what was right," she told the New York Times earlier this month. "If I ever had a reason to believe my brother did anything, I would have turned him in." Nearly three years later, Bryan accepted a plea deal - seemingly in an attempt to avoid the possibility of receiving the death penalty - and signed a confession admitting to the quadruple murders. At his July 2025 sentencing hearing, while the families and friends of his victims shared their final statements with him in court, he could be seen sitting quietly with a sketch of a black heart surrounded by streaks of color. The Most Disturbing Takeaways From Unsealed Idaho College Murders Documents At the time, the Mirror reported a headline that read: "Bryan Kohberger keeps creepy drawing close during sentencing for quadruple killing." However, Mel has since confirmed that she had been the one to draw it for him so that he could keep it with him and know that he was "loved." Bryan is currently incarcerated at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho. He has yet to publicly confess the reasons behind the violent murders. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).