(NewsNation) — University of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger was known for his rampant sexism among those he worked with and had a reputation for grading female students harsher than men, multiple sources told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo.
The 28-year-old, who is accused of killing four college students, was studying criminology at Washington State University (WSU) where sources said he often made chauvinistic and condescending remarks toward women.
Kohberger allegedly told female colleagues that men were going to take their jobs because women aren’t as smart, according to someone associated with him at WSU.
The sources, who wished to remain anonymous, said Kohberger talked down to female students and graded them unfairly compared to men during his time as a teaching assistant. They claim multiple complaints had been made to the university regarding his conduct with both female colleagues and students. At some point, WSU held a harassment training seminar in the wake of those complaints.
He was ultimately fired from his teaching assistant role in December 2022, just one month after he allegedly killed four students in Moscow, Idaho. According to a termination letter obtained by NewsNation, Kohberger was dismissed after multiple altercations with a male professor and because he “had not made progress regarding professionalism.”
The letter made no mention of the allegations of misogynistic grading practices against Kohberger.
A source also told Cuomo that one of Kohberger’s associates at WSU thought her home was broken into in the fall of 2022. That associate allegedly spoke to Kohberger about the break-in, who suggested a home security system. The source believes law enforcement investigated the matter but was not aware of their findings.
Wednesday’s revelations are not the first time Kohberger has been accused of acting inappropriately toward women.
A brewery owner in Kohberger’s home state of Pennsylvania told NBC News that the 28-year-old had been known to make creepy comments toward female staff and customers. The staff even added notes to the bar’s computer system flagging Kohberger’s reputation when his ID was scanned.
Another woman told NewsNation in January that she had gone on a Tinder date with Kohberger several years prior to the four murders of which he is accused, and claimed he was pushy and kept touching her even though she didn’t want him to.
The 28-year-old’s motive for allegedly killing Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin remains unclear. He is facing four first-degree murder charges and is set to appear in court on June 26.