Bryan Kohberger motivated by Incel complex? Was Idaho murder suspect prompted to kill because of his inability to gain access to women and previous rejection and bullying which led him to targeting white educated female college students he sought?
A former FBI investigator has posited that University of Idaho murder suspect, Brian Kohberger may have been motivated to go on his killing spree by his history and social issues and a possible ‘incel complex.’
‘The murders may have been… an effort to assert some type of dominance,’ former FBI agent and security expert Pete Yachmetz told the nypost.
Kohberger, 28, was arrested late last month for the Nov. 13 stabbing deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, at an off-campus residence in Moscow, Idaho. Yachmetz believes the brutality of the crime and Kohberger’s history of social challenges may offer some hints to the alleged suspect’s possible motive.
‘I believe a continued stabbing of a victim indicates…an uncontrollable rage and extreme anger,’ Yachmetz said, noting that Kohberger has been described as ‘socially awkward with a long history of interpersonal problems.’
‘I think he may have developed a sort of incel complex,’ he surmised.
Young men aren’t having sex!
Nearly a third of men under 30 have not had sex. And a higher percent do not have as much sex as they’d like – not exactly surprising, but this kind of statistic is a sign of much deeper problems. pic.twitter.com/4KgqBALWbd
— Alexandra M. Hunt (@hunt4change) October 18, 2022
The term incel – involuntarily celibate– is generally used to refer to men who struggle to establish romantic or sexual relationships. The condition that used to afflict men who were socially awkward, disadvantaged in their appearances or height has with the advent of the internet, social media, and women’s sexual liberation and expectations — broadened in recent years, with reports describing up to one third of men under the age of 30 in Western societies never having had sex before.
Reflects one commentator on social media: ‘In general, females have it much easier than males as it relates to choosing and being chose. Females have inherent value because they’re the gatekeepers of sex, relationships, and children. A woman doesn’t have to be a super model to get male attention. As to us men, the obstacles are higher to climb over. Gotta be the right height, physique, financially stable, car, own crib, career, handsome enough, good in bed, etc. Women have to simply be attractive enough and feminine to get a man. That’s the harsh truth men deal with in life.’
The identity is ocassionally linked to misogynistic online forums and, in extreme cases, crime: In 2021, self-professed incel, Tres Genco was arrested for planning a mass shooting of 3,000 sorority sisters at an unnamed Ohio university. The 21 year old who pled guilty to his plot now faces years behind bars.
A report via Psychology Today noted last year that men who identify as incels often have poor mental health, and experience feelings of victimhood, inferiority, and loneliness. Perhaps what could be arguably stated is the increased sense of loneliness, frustration and sense of being disposable and discarded that many young men, incels or not that increasingly many men are feeling, with only the top 5-15% of men gaining access to women. A situation that is only expected to deteriorate in years to come as men continue to be held to almost un-attainable standards.
Yachmetz’s personal analysis of Kohberger echoed that of Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist who told CourtTV last week that she believed the suspect fit the incel profile.
‘I’ve been saying from the beginning that he’s an incel,’ Lieberman said, explaining that she was largely convinced due to Kohberger’s alleged ‘choice of victims,’ or decision to target mostly female college students.
Lieberman was also intrigued by evidence which suggested Kohberger returned to the crime scene in the hours after the murders.
Expert forensic psychiatrist believes Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger could be an incel.
What do YOU think? pic.twitter.com/VRJSYfEZwM
— Court TV (@CourtTV) January 6, 2023
‘Incels like to be known for when they kill people, or when they have a conquest like this,’ she said.
‘On the one hand, he wanted to commit the perfect crime and not be caught, but on the other hand, he did want to be caught, and be proud, in a sense, of what he did.’
Adding, ‘did you know the incel community has started a campaign to free Bryan Kohberger.’
At the time of the murders, Kohberger was a doctoral student in criminology at Washington State University, just 15 minutes from Moscow. While WSU classmates described him as ‘gregarious,’ peers from his Pennsylvania hometown remembered him as a loner who was bullied for his weight before spiraling into drug addiction and heavy heroin use.
One alleged middle school crush of Kohberger’s, former cheerleader, Kim Kenley, reportedly even contacted the FBI about her experience with him.
‘He would always say, ‘Oh Kim, I think you’re very pretty.’ Just like weird comments. And she’d say, ‘Oh my God, leave me alone,’’ Kenley’s mother, Sandra, told the dailymail.
‘She did not give him the time of day. When kids are little, they’re mean. They don’t say, ‘Oh my god, thank you, but no.’’
Another middle school classmate, who asked to remain anonymous, told the outlet that the popular cheerleaders ‘tortured’ Kohberger.
‘The whole clique of popular girls made fun of him in school. They were the cheerleaders and the ones that every kid had crushes on,’ they said.
Kohberger’s adolescent social isolation was also reflected in posts he reportedly made to online forums, writing in one 2011 entry that he felt ‘like an organic sack of meat with no self-worth.’
Hypotheses about the possible motive for Kohberger’s alleged crime come as investigators seek to establish a link between him and the four victims. After a brief hearing on Thursday, the suspect remains in custody in Latah County, where he is being held without bail.
Kohberger, who has not entered a plea despite facing four counts of murder and one of felony burglary, is next scheduled to appear in court on June 26 for a preliminary hearing.
