Bryan Kohberger May Have Targeted Madison Mogen in ‘Fantasy’ Murder Spree, Says Forensic Psychologist

New autopsy findings in the murders of four University of Idaho students suggest that killer Bryan Kohberger had one specific target in mind.

Kohberger, 31, stabbed Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, to death after sneaking into the Moscow, Idaho, home they shared in November 2022.

However, forensic psychologist Dr. Gary Brucato – who played a key role in building the Columbia University Mass Murder Database, one of the most extensive studies exploring the psychology of mass killers – believes that his original plan was intended only for Mogen.

“This was a targeted psychosexual fantasy probably aimed at one individual in the house,” Brucato told the Daily Mail in an article published on Monday, February 23.

He continued, “But his intel failed him. So, when he got in there, he wound up committing a mass murder because he was not able to control everything as he expected. He overestimated himself and underestimated women.”

Investigators have previously said that Kohberger likely never intended to kill all of the students, and Mogen sustained fewer stab wounds than her roommates.

Plus, Kohberger headed directly to the bedroom where the best friends were sleeping on the third floor after he broke into the house. Goncalves was staying in Mogen’s room because she had just moved out.

“You punish the ones who see you – the people who interrupt your fantasy,” Brucato told the publication.

While autopsy reports show that Mogen and Goncalves both suffered multiple stab wounds, Goncalves also sustained injuries consistent with asphyxia and blunt force trauma to the head.

According to the autopsy findings, she sustained at least 38 stab wounds. The majority were to her head and neck area, with additional injuries to her chest and upper limbs. The report also documented penetrating injuries to her skull, trauma to her teeth and tongue, damage to major blood vessels beneath the collarbone and significant internal bleeding in the chest.

Mogen suffered 28 stab wounds.

Brucato also added that the extent of Goncalves’ injuries might hint that she was Kohberger’s intended victim, but he doesn’t agree.

“There is a school of thought that would say the person with more wounds might be the object of passion and therefore the target,” he explained. “But my belief is he went in and made a beeline for [Mogen], who was his target, and found [Goncalves] unexpectedly there.”

Instead, Brucato believes that Mogen’s fewer injuries indicate that Kohberger targeted Mogen first and became angry when Goncalves interrupted his plan. He thinks this led to Kohberger taking out his frustration on Goncalves.

In July 2025, Kohberger pleaded guilty to four counts of first degree murder in a deal to avoid the death penalty. He is currently serving four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.