Psychiatrist breaks down Bryan Kohberger's possible motive in Idaho murders

Bryan Kohberger has changed his legal strategy in the Idaho murders case after withdrawing his guilty plea and indicating he wants the case to move forward to trial.

Kohberger now claims he was ‘convinced to falsely confess’ by his lawyers.

The decision means prosecutors may now have to present their case before a jury, while one major question surrounding the killings remains unanswered: what was the motive behind the attack?

Kohberger was charged with killing University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin in November 2022.

While prosecutors have detailed the evidence they say links him to the crime, no official motive for the killings has been publicly established.

Now, a forensic scientist has shared her own theory about what may have driven the killings.

A forensic psychiatrist has shared her own theory about what may have motivated the alleged attack. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)

What did the forensic psychiatrist say?

Speaking to the Daily Mail, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman offered her opinion on what she believes could explain the alleged attack.

Lieberman suggested the killings may have reflected long-term anger stemming from repeated rejection rather than anything the victims themselves had done.

“It is especially significant that Maddie and Kaylee look like a blonde cheerleader who rejected him in middle school,” she said.

"He already had this chip on his shoulder, and he was gathering all this anger… that made it harder and harder for him to meet a girl who wanted to go out with him.

“He took out the rage that he built up over the years, towards this first love and all the subsequent women who rejected him, with each bloody stab of the knife.”

The psychiatrist also suggested that people may have sensed what she described as underlying anger if they interacted with Kohberger socially.

Kohberger initially pled guilty in exchange for being spared the death penalty. He has now withdrawn his guilty plea. (Photo by Kyle Green-Pool/Getty Images)

She said: “If he met a girl, they would be turned off by him. Not just because of his looks and being a little awkward... they would be able to sense this anger and rage within him.”

Lieberman also argued that the nature of the attack suggested to her that it was driven by intense emotion.

She said she hoped her analysis could offer some perspective to the victims' families, adding: “Their children didn’t do anything wrong, and what happened is not because of anything their children did.”

The University of Idaho murders continue to attract widespread public attention following a Netflix documentary. (Photo by Ted S. Warren-Pool/Getty Images)

Has a motive for the Idaho murders been confirmed?

To date, prosecutors have not publicly identified a motive for the killings, and any explanation for why the victims were allegedly targeted remains unconfirmed.

The case has attracted widespread attention, including renewed interest following Netflix's documentary The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare, which explores the investigation and some of the theories that emerged online following the attack.

Among those theories was speculation that Kohberger may have been linked to the so-called 'Incel' movement. However, authorities have previously said they found no evidence to support that claim.