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Bryan Kohberger, who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, has asked Idaho prison officials to relocate him after reporting he has been subjected to “constant” threats and harassment by other inmates.

Kohberger, 30, a former doctoral student in criminology at UI who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, is being held at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution (MSEI) while he serves out his sentence. He is housed in J Block, a unit at MSEI for “maximum management” prisoners that includes many of the state’s most dangerous and highest-profile prisoners, like death row inmates.

He has filed a series of handwritten grievances about the threats and harassment he has faced since being put in J Block. Kohberger reportedly told prison officials that he had been receiving “minute-by-minute verbal abuse.” One inmate allegedly threatened to “b— f— you,” while another reportedly said, “The only a– we’ll be eating is Kohberger’s.”

Kohberger first filed a grievance about the problem two days after he was placed in J Block, according to a second one he filed less than a week later. In the note, he requested to be transferred to B Block, which he referred to as a “quieter tier” where he would be safer. “Tier 2 of J Block is an environment that I wish to transfer from if possible,” he wrote. “I request transfer to B Block immediately. I wish to speak with you soon.”

Kohberger has reportedly not engaged in any behavior that would cause him to be moved from B Block to J Block. In his grievances, he said he has not “flooding” or “striking.” Flooding is prison slang for flushing paper into sinks and toilets to cause water damage, while striking can refer to inmates refusing work assignments, fighting, or engaging in other types of discipline.

Kohberger also said that two guards had confirmed hearing inmates using profanity against him, with one officer reportedly admitting that he “did not remember the exact” details of what he heard. As of this week, Kohberger was still in J Block, state prison records show, though officials have not said whether or not they will grant his request for transfer.

Threats from Behind Bars

Kohberger’s issues with other prisoners did not begin when he was placed in J Block. While he was being held at the Latah County Jail in the weeks after the murders, Kohberger was reportedly taunted by other inmates. One reportedly yelled an expletive-filled slur at Kohberger during a video call with Kohberger’s mother. Another had reportedly told officers that Kohberger was a “f—ing weirdo” and said he would have “beat him up” if it were not for the possible consequences.

Defense lawyers described Kohberger as socially awkward at trial, and court filings from his defense team describe him as having a “piercing stare” and lacking any awareness of the impact of his actions on others. One prison consultant said that the combination of Kohberger’s high-profile status as the convicted murderer of four University of Idaho students and the effect that his demeanor could have on fellow prisoners leaves him “virtually guaranteed” to be harassed.

“There are high-profile inmates nearly all the time. … I would bet that Kohberger has been more at risk than most for exactly the reasons you are outlining,” the consultant said. “The constant nature of the hostility will, in all likelihood, be another factor in his life behind bars. Notoriety and anxiety equals zero good in prisons.”

Prison consultants said that Kohberger’s notoriety, in combination with his apparent social awkwardness, left him at risk of becoming a “victim” at the hands of more powerful inmates, like Jeffrey Dahmer, who was killed in prison by another inmate in part due to the months of harassment he faced.

Kohberger’s weight has reportedly dropped since his arrest two and a half years ago. He currently resides at the same prison as Idaho’s most notorious murderers, like serial killer Chad Daybell, who is on death row at the prison.