When Bryan Kohberger’s name first made headlines for the brutal murders of four University of Idaho students, the world learned about the 30‑year‑old criminology student who turned into a killer. What few knew, however, was that someone had crossed paths with him on Tinder just weeks before the shocking crimes.
The woman, whose identity was kept private in police records, told investigators that their conversations began harmlessly. They bonded over horror movies and even discussed the tragic murder of someone from her hometown. At first, there was nothing that set off alarms.
But then, in what she described as a sudden turn in tone, Kohberger asked her a question she could never forget.
“He asked me what I thought would be the worst way to die,”
she recalled in her statement to police.
She answered that being killed with a knife would be terrifying. That is when the conversation took a darker twist.
“Like a Ka‑Bar?” Kohberger allegedly replied, referring to a large combat knife typically used by military personnel.
The woman admitted she didn’t know what a Ka‑Bar was at the time. Out of curiosity, she searched for it online. What she found unsettled her so deeply that she stopped all communication with him immediately.
Months later, Kohberger was arrested for the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Madison Mogen, who were found dead in their Moscow, Idaho home in 2022. Prosecutors later revealed he had purchased a Ka‑Bar knife, sheath, and sharpener in the months leading up to the killings.
Investigators discovered a Ka‑Bar sheath with Kohberger’s DNA next to one of the victims’ bodies, confirming the chilling link between his online remark and the weapon used in the murders.
The woman recognized his face on the news after his arrest and immediately contacted authorities. But when detectives followed up, she no longer had access to her Tinder account and could not provide her user ID. Tinder, contacted for verification, found no matching records.
Despite this, her account added another disturbing detail to the already grim case. Kohberger later pleaded guilty to four counts of first‑degree murder, avoiding the death penalty but receiving life in prison.
For the woman, that one haunting question lingers. It was an unnerving glimpse into the mind of a man who would go on to commit one of the most horrifying crimes in recent memory.
Featured Image Credit: (Youtube)
