Bryan Kohberger's Professor on His Academic Interests and Shocking Arrest

Meeting Bryan Kohberger

• 💡 Dr. Katherine Ramsland met Bryan Kohberger in the fall of 2018 when he enrolled in D. Sales University's four-year psychology program, selecting the forensic track.
• 🎓 He was a student in her undergraduate forensic psychology, death investigation, and antisocial behavior courses, and later took her graduate behavioral criminology class.
• ✅ Ramsland initially perceived him as eager, polite, respectful, intense, and curious, with no reason to suspect anything other than a genuine interest in a forensic career.

Academic Interests and Red Flags

• 🧠 The "Dangerous Minds: The Psychology of Antisocial Behavior" course involved case analyses of serial and mass murderers, using Ramsland's books on BTK and "The Mind of a Murderer."
• ⚠️ Looking back, Ramsland notes that Kohberger's specific interests in studying offenders and their thought processes now give her pause.
• ⚖️ She acknowledges the inherent risk in forensic psychology programs of attracting students who may become offenders, though the vast majority become law enforcement professionals.

Ramsland's Reaction and Reflection

• 😮 Ramsland was "completely floored" and initially disbelieving upon hearing of Kohberger's arrest, wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt.
• ❓ She became more convinced of his guilt when his alibi, when revealed, was clearly insufficient, something he would have understood from his coursework.
• 💔 She expressed disappointment, anger, shock, and horror for the victims and their families, recalling her work with Dennis Rader and the devastation caused by such acts.

Studying Kohberger and Deception

• 🔬 Ramsland is willing to study Kohberger if he were amenable, believing she has unique questions and material to understand his developmental trajectory and triggers.
• 🎭 She notes that skillful individuals can fool experts by presenting as normal and hiding a "dark side," a challenge inherent in her field.
• 🧩 As a teacher, she admits to a cognitive disadvantage of giving students the benefit of the doubt, which she believes contributed to being fooled by Kohberger.