The families of four slain University of Idaho students are suing Washington State University, the school convicted killer Bryan Kohberger attended at the time of the murders.
The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Skagit County, Washington. The plaintiff have been identified as the families of University of Idaho students, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves.
According to The New York Times, the lawsuit claimed that Washington State administrators declined to take action against Kohberger, following complaints that he had been harassing female students at the school.
At the time of the murders, Kohberger had been working as a teaching assistant while studying criminology. During that time, he “developed a reputation for discriminatory, harassing, and stalking behavior,” the lawsuit stated.
The plaintiffs alleged that the school allowed the behavior to continue, which is in violation of Title IX.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Title IX is in place, in part, to prevent sex-based harassment and sexual violence.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, interviews with faculty and students at Washington State — about 10 miles from Moscow, Idaho, where the murders took place — revealed that at least nine complaints about Kohberger’s behavior were filed with the university.
One of the complaints led to “mandatory training class for all graduate students regarding behavior expectations,” according to court documents.
A professor who took note of Kohberger’s “highly problematic” behavior discussed with other colleagues whether to stop Kohberger’s funding, court documents stated.
Kohberger reportedly wanted to become a teacher himself one day, but the professor stated, “the guy that in that many years when he is a professor, we will hear is harassing, stalking, and sexually abusing of his, I thought it would be his, you know, his students at wherever university he ended.”
Court documents indicated that another WSU graduate student told investigators that Kohberger once “blocked her exit” when she tried to leave a discussion after class.
The same student said Kohberger’s demeanor changed after the murders — he appeared more disheveled and stopped bringing his phone to class, instead appearing with a laptop.
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In 2025, District Judge Steven Hippler sentenced Kohberger to four consecutive life sentences for the November 2022 murders.
All four victims were found fatally stabbed inside a now-demolished rental home off of King Road.
Kohberger also received a 10-year sentence for burglary, following a plea deal that took the death penalty off the table.
“The victims’ families have come together with a shared purpose to seek transparency, accountability, and meaningful reform,” attorneys for the families said in a statement.
“This effort is not about vengeance or speculation. This is about ensuring that institutions entrusted with the safety of young people take threats seriously and act decisively when warning signs are present.”
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[Feature Photo: Left, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves and right, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle/Instagram]
