Kohberger Victims' Families Sue WSU: Did the University Ignore 13 Warning Signs Before Idaho Murders?
True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews
Tony Brueski
4.2 • 612 Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2026
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Bryan Kohberger was a teaching assistant at Washington State University when he allegedly stalked, harassed, and terrorized women on campus. At least 13 formal complaints were filed against him. Staff created informal "911" alerts to warn each other when he was around. Women requested security escorts just to avoid interactions with him. One professor allegedly predicted that if WSU gave Kohberger a PhD, they'd hear about him harassing and sexually abusing students down the road. None of it stopped him. On November 13, 2022, Kohberger drove eight miles to Moscow, Idaho, and murdered Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. Now the families of all four victims have filed a 126-page wrongful death lawsuit against WSU, alleging gross negligence, Title IX violations, and deliberate indifference to the danger Kohberger posed. They're arguing the murders were "foreseeable and preventable."
Today on True Crime Today, former prosecutor turned criminal defense attorney Eric Faddis breaks down the legal claims. What does the university have to prove in its defense? What will discovery expose? And could this lawsuit set a nationwide precedent for institutional liability when warning signs are ignored?
#BryanKohberger #KayleeGoncalves #MadisonMogen #XanaKernodle #EthanChapin #WSULawsuit #TrueCrimeToday #TitleIX #EricFaddis #Idaho4
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Hidden Killers Live with Tony Bruske, Stacey Cole, and Todd Michaels. |
| 0:08.0 | Brian Coburger is who we're going to talk about. You may have heard of this guy before. |
| 0:13.0 | He's serving four consecutive life sentences for the murders of Kaylee Gonzalez, Madison, Mogan, Zana Kurnudal, and Ethan Chapin. |
| 0:19.7 | The criminal case is closed, but the legal reckoning may just be starting. |
| 0:24.0 | On January 7th, the 26th of families of all four victims filed a 126-page wrongful death lawsuit |
| 0:30.4 | against Washington State University, the school that employed Koberger as a teaching assistant, housed him in graduate housing, and paid him a salary while he was allegedly stalking, harassing, and terrifying women on another campus. |
| 0:48.2 | According to the lawsuit, at least 13 formal complaints were filed against Koberger during his single semester at WSU. Women |
| 0:55.3 | requested security escort staff created informal 911 email alerts to warn each other when interactions |
| 1:02.6 | when Koberger felt dangerous. One professor allegedly told colleagues that if they gave Koberger |
| 1:08.3 | a Ph.D. They'd hear about him harassing and essaying students down the road. |
| 1:13.8 | The families are alleging gross, negligence, wrongful death, and title four violations, |
| 1:19.8 | arguing the murders were, in their words, foreseeable and preventable. |
| 1:24.2 | WSU has declined to comment beyond offering condolences. |
| 1:28.3 | Eric, Eric Fadish is with his defense attorney, former prosecutor. |
| 1:32.3 | Eric, the families, they're going after WSU on multiple fronts. |
| 1:37.3 | The Title IV violations, gross negligence, wrongful death. |
| 1:40.3 | Walk us through these claims. |
| 1:42.3 | What do they require the families to prove? And what do you |
| 1:46.7 | think gives them the strongest path to victory possibly here? Sure. So the federal claims regarding |
| 1:54.1 | education, it might be title of mine, but essentially what it's prohibits is an educational |
| 1:59.7 | institution from exercising knowing indifference to ongoing sexual harassment and actions consistent with that stalking, things like that. |
| 2:12.3 | And if that knowing indifference caused some damages, caused some harm, physical harm, a monetary harm, |
... |
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