PULLMAN, Wash – Families of four University of Idaho students want to hold Washington State University accountable for not acting on warnings about graduate student Bryan Kohberger.
Kohberger killed Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle in 2023. At the time, he was a graduate student studying criminology at WSU.
Documents made public after Kohberger pleaded guilty show several people complained about Kohberger’s behavior. He was actually fired from his role as a teaching assistant right around the time of the murders.
“Women feared for their safety around him, required routine escorts to their vehicles when he was present, and developed informal warning systems to protect one another when interactions with Kohberger were unavoidable,” attorneys said in a press release announcing the lawsuit.
“The lawsuit seeks damages from Washington State University for violations of Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sexual harassment and stalking in public universities, and for its negligence and failure to protect the community at large.”
The Goncalves family’s attorney Shanon Gray previously said he was filing suit on their behalf. This lawsuit was not filed by Gray, however. The families are represented by the firm Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala, a large personal injury firm with a history of representing sexual abuse victims.
In the press release the firm said, “The information now coming to light paints a disturbing picture of institutional inaction in the face of repeated and dire warnings. These failures were not the result of a lack of authority or available safeguards, but rather a breakdown in accountability and responsibility at critical moments. The victims’ families have come together with a shared purpose to seek transparency, accountability, and meaningful reform. This effort is not about vengeance or speculation. This is about ensuring that institutions entrusted with the safety of young people take threats seriously and act decisively when warning signs are present.”
The complaint for damages was filed in Skagit County Superior Court.
Kohberger pleaded guilty to the murders and is serving life without parole.
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