BRYAN Kohberger would have grounds to sue over alleged leaked footage of him alone in his jail cell, an expert has claimed.
The clip was published and widely shared on Reddit and other social media platforms on Friday, appearing to show the Idaho student killer, 30, in his cell with bright red hands just weeks after his sentencing.
A still from the video allegedly showing Bryan Kohberger in his prison cell[/caption]
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse during his sentencing hearing in Boise, Idaho[/caption]
Pic shows: (L-R) Housemates Dylan Mortensen, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen (on Kaylee’s shoulders) Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Bethany Funke[/caption]
It comes after reports Kohberger suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and regularly washes his hands.
The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) issued a statement after the video circulated online, warning that it was a violation of their code if real – but was potentially fake or AI produced.
“While we cannot yet confirm the veracity of the videos, if verified, they are a clear violation of IDOC policy, and the parties responsible will be held accountable, up to and including termination,” it said.
“We caution that some videos may be fake or AI-enhanced.”
The IDOC confirmed it’s “investigating the matter.“
The U.S. Sun is chosing not to publish the full clip until its authenticity and origin is confirmed.
In the footage, a man is seeing walking from one side of the jail cell to another and is then seen placing an item on top of a makeshift rack.
Kohberger is supposedly seen in the video staring up at the shelf and looking around as he shows no emotion.
Criminal defense attorney John W. Day told The U.S. Sun that Kohberger himself would have grounds to sue if the video is real.
He also alleged that if the clip was filmed by a prison staffer and leaked online, they could also be fired and hit with a civil suit by their employer, he alleged.
Day said, “Kohberger himself could sue for invasion of privacy claims, but it’s hard to imagine any jury in the world would be sympathetic to a man who admitted to four killings.
“If it was a government employee, jail staffer, or law enforcement officer – they could most certainly be fired for violating prison or jail policies, and potentially prosecuted for misuse of public records, and/or breach of confidentiality, depending on the jurisdiction.
“Every jail in the country will have policies about misusing jail property and releasing information about inmates held at their facilities.
“No competent jail administrator would put up with an employee secretly taking video of a high-profile inmate and distributing it to the world – even if the inmate is a cold-blooded killer like Bryan Kohberger.
“It makes a jail or prison look unprofessional.”
Jail guards and officials are sued and/or prosecuted all the time for misconduct against inmates.”
Criminal defense attorney John W. Day
Day added, “Jail guards and officials are sued and/or prosecuted all the time for misconduct against inmates, but I haven’t found a case where there was a criminal prosecution over leaked video, not to say there are not cases out there.
“The main point is – jail administrators would be embarrassed and angry if a rogue employee filmed something like Kohberger in his cell and disseminated it to the public — it would highlight that the jail has no control over its employees.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the IDOC for further comment and Kohberger’s lawyer, but did not hear back.
The IDOC’s statement also added that staff had been warned about sharing infomation about the killer behind bars.
“On July 23 and again on July 25, IDOC leadership sent two emails to staff reminding them of our policies and expectations concerning professionalism and the appropriate use of technology and social media,” it said.
“Videotaping and publicly sharing security footage is prohibited conduct, and we will be reviewing all legal options, including criminal prosecution.”
They added, “The safety and security of our staff and incarcerated population remain our top priority.”
The full details of Bryan Kohberger’s sentence
On July 23, 2025, Judge Steven Hippler sentenced Bryan Kohberger to the following:
- Count 1: Burglary – 10 years fixed, zero years in determinate. $50,000 fine.
- Count 2: First-degree murder of Madison Mogen: Fixed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. $50,000 fine and civil penalty of $5,000 payable to the family of the victim.
- Count 3: First-degree murder of Kaylee Goncalves: Fixed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. $50,000 fine and civil penalty of $5,000 payable to the family of the victim.
- Count 4: First-degree murder of Xana Kernodle: Fixed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. $50,000 fine and civil penalty of $5,000 payable to the family of the victim.
- Count 5: First-degree murder of Ethan Chapin: Fixed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. $50,000 fine and civil penalty of $5,000 payable to the family of the victim.
The sentencings will run consecutively to one another.
JAIL SPECULATION
It is not clear where the video could have been filmed, as Kohberger has been in more than one jail.
But the IDOC’s statement appears to confirm it looks like the inside of the prison.
Kohberger is currently being held at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, but previously spent time at the Ada County Jail and the Latah County Jail.
Due to the size of his cell, many social media users have speculated it could have been taken at Ada County.
The Ada County Sheriff’s Office refuted the speculation in a statement on their Facebook page, however.
“We are aware of the video footage circulating online showing Bryan Kohberger in a cell. We can confirm it was not recorded at and does not feature the Ada County Jail,” they said.
Former criminology student Kohberger was handed four life sentences plus 10 years without the possibility of parole last month after accepting a plea deal over the murders of four University of Idaho students.
Kohberger is now known as inmate number 163214 and is allegedly housed in the medical unit.
He was due to go to trial in August for the fatal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022.
He was studying for a Ph.D. in criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, at the time of the murders.
Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home in Pennsylvania weeks after the tragedy as police closed in on him.
They had linked him to the crime scene using DNA recovered from a knife sheath, according to a probable cause affidavit.
His cell phone location data and surveillance footage of a car the same make and model as his own also helped investigators to allegedly place him at the scene.
Since he was convicted, authorities have publicly released hundreds of documents relating to his case.
One inmate recalled how Kohberger quickly immersed himself in TV coverage of his arrest when he was first locked up in early January 2023.
But they claimed he would change the channel if his family or friends were mentioned.
The man described the killer as “highly intelligent and analytical,” though lacking in basic knowledge about ordinary things such as cars.
“His eyes were… creepy, I guess, but other than that, he seemed like a pretty normal guy,” he added.
Kohberger’s compulsive cleaning habits were impossible to ignore, according to the documents.
He showered for an hour at a time, washed his hands constantly, and tore through three bars of soap a week, leaving his hands raw.
A second prisoner confirmed the obsessive routines, saying Kohberger insisted on fresh bedding and clothes every day.
Bryan Kohberger, 30, appears in a police booking photo after he was convicted in the 2022 stabbing deaths[/caption]
Kohberger is also seen moments after his arrest in a newly-released photo[/caption]
An inmate also revealed was a die-hard Yankees fan[/caption]
