Bryan Kohberger flipped out on a female hotel clerk thinking he had been overcharged before flirting with the same employee, new report says

A new incident involving Bryan Kohberger has been released to the press. Months before the Idaho murders, Kohberger had booked a hotel in Pullman, Washington, via Expedia.

The documents from the hotel reflect that Bryan had reserved a room for June 30, 2022, when he became angry at the hotel receptionist for overcharging him. However, after she fixed the mistake, he became considerably nicer, even began flirting with her, as reported by TMZ.

The receptionist met Bryan Kohberger again the following day as well, in the hotel hallway. They talked about collecting knives and sheaths, as well as other self-defense weapons.

What no one could've known was that Kohberger would go on to murder four people several months later. In November 2022, he stabbed four college students - Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, and Xana Kernodle - killing them all in the process.

He also confessed to his crimes in court and has since received a life prison term without any potential parole. For his crime, Kohberger has barely avoided the death penalty.

According to an FBI tip line, Bryan had picked the hotel for temporary accommodation, which is how the police officers were able to trace it back.

Byran Kohberger was pursuing a PhD in criminology and criminal justice

According to Fox News, before Bryan Kohberger committed the four murders, he was himself a student of criminology and criminal justice, and was pursuing a PhD degree in it. Kohberger used what he had learned to prepare for the murders and had worn protective gear to prevent his DNA from being found on the property.

The only evidence found by the officers at the murder scene was a sheath of a knife, which was ultimately traced back to Bryan Kohberger. While he had left his own residence, he was ultimately found at his parents' home, from where he was arrested.

Kohberger's gun had also been seized at the time, but it wasn't found to be his murder weapon. After his imprisonment, Bryan's defense team reached out to the prosecutors for a plea deal.

Speaking about the deal, Moscow Police Chief Anthony Dahlinger told the media outlet:

"Just to dispel the whole plea thing as well, because I know every time somebody hears 'plea deal,' right, the whole word 'deal' makes everybody feel like they're getting off. The suspect's getting off somehow. They're not getting their full extent."

Then, highlighting how it was different in the Kohberger case, Dahlinger said:

"Now, the only thing that went off the table on this was the death penalty."

Dahlinger also explained that the decision of a death penalty was ultimately going to be taken by the jury, with only a unanimous vote making it official. In the end, Judge Steven Hippler ordered Bryan four consecutive terms of life in prison, with an additional 10 years for his felony burglary charge he faced.

Bryan Kohberger received his prison sentence last month, in the last week of July 2025, more than two years after his arrest in December 2022.