Idaho Murders Suspect Was A 'Brilliant Student,' Professor Says: 'One Of My Best Students'

A former professor of the Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger has expressed shock over the news about the alleged killer, saying he was a brilliant student and was among the smartest students she's ever taught.

DeSales University Professor Michelle Bolger told Daily Mail in an exclusive that she was in absolute shock after hearing the news about Kohberger.

"He's a brilliant student. I'm shocked as s--t at what he's been accused of. I don't believe it, but I get it," Bolger said.

The 33-year-old Associate Professor admitted she has only met Kohberger in online classes.

"He was an online student in the criminal justice master's degree program and graduated in June 2022," Bolger told the outlet.

"He seemed normal to me, but then again, I only knew him from teaching him online. I didn't know anything personal about him. I believe he worked full-time like most of our graduate students do."

According to the professor, she has not slept since hearing about Kohberger, noting that she never saw a "dark side" to the accused quadruple killer.

She said she only taught him one class but called him a great writer and a brilliant student.

"He was always perfectly professional when I had any interactions with him. In my 10 years of teaching, I've only recommended two students to a Ph.D. program, and he was one of them. He was one of my best students – ever. Everyone is in shock over this."

Bolger said she was one of the professors who helped Kohberger with his graduate thesis proposal.

"I was one of the professors who helped Bryan with his proposal on his graduate thesis, his capstone project. He did put out a routine questionnaire for his thesis. It looks weird, I understand from the public view. But in criminology, it's normal."

She continued, "It's a criminology theory called script theory, it's a normal theory on how and why criminals commit their crime, etc."

Kohberger, however, did not use the data from the unusual questionnaire, the professor noted.

The 28-year-old suspect is currently in jail in Pennsylvania, awaiting extradition to Idaho, where he has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in connection to the deaths of the University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.

The four victims were stabbed in their beds last Nov. 13.

Investigators are yet to discover the suspect's motive and the murder weapon. Kohberger's Hyundai Elantra, which was reportedly in the area when the students were killed, is currently impounded.

According to ABC News police sources, authorities were able to identify Kohberger through DNA using public genealogy databases.