Accused University of Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger acted like someone who was “𝒄𝒂𝓊𝓰𝒉𝓉 doing something wrong” upon learning the possible fate that awaits him — but otherwise showed a level of calm most comparable to infamous assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, body language experts told The Post.
Victims’ grieving loved ones and the media alike came face to face with the alleged quadruple murderer Monday, when Kohberger returned to court for the first time in months for his long-awaited arraignment.
Body language experts told The Post how dissecting his most minute behaviors — from the use of his tongue to his controlled reactions and the tone of his voice — can paint a picture of his mindset.
“It’s not until we hear the judge confirm with Kohberger that he understands the ‘maximum penalty’ for each death that we see the highest spike in stress, which is when he quickly pushes his tongue on the lower right side of the inside of his cheek,” said longtime body language expert and best-selling author Janine Driver.
Such a behavior change is “often seen when someone is 𝒄𝒂𝓊𝓰𝒉𝓉 doing something wrong.”
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Bryan Kohberger, accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, listens during his arraignment hearing in Latah County District Court on May 22, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho.AP
Driver was one of two body language experts who analyzed Kohberger’s behavior during the Monday morning arraignment hearing at Latah County Court in Moscow, Idaho.
Kohberger remained stoic, stone-faced and quiet other than when prompted by Judge John Judge.
His attorney, Anne Taylor, announced her client was “standing silent,” at which point not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.
Judge then named each of the four victims — Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle — while outlining the charges during the brief hearing.
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Victims Kaylee Goncalves, Maddie Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle with their surviving roommates in the last known photo of them together.kayleegoncalves/Instagram
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A police officer stands by a memorial in front of the off-campus home where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.James Keivom
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Apparent dried blood stains seen on the Moscow home’s foundation under the bedroom where Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found stabbed to death on Nov. 13.Kai Eiselein
That’s when Kohberger’s stress can be seen in the form of “pulsating that’s happening on the right side of his face and his cheek,” Driver said.
She pointed to no other noteworthy responses to the names being called — but said that could be intentional.
Kohberger “looks down at the paper on the table in front of him,” Driver said, referring to the action as a possible technique called “eye blocking.”
“Eye blocking is like a screen saver on a cellphone — it blocks others from seeing our private information and secrets.
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Bryan Kohberger’s mugshot.Monroe County Correctional Facil/AFP via Getty Images
Kohberger is accused of killing 21-year-olds Mogen and Goncalves and 20-year-olds Chapin and Kernodle at an off-campus home on Nov. 13 last year.
The 28-year-old former criminology student was indicted last week on charges of felony burglary and four counts of first-degree murder over the killings. Prosecutors are expected to announce in the coming weeks whether they will seek the death penalty.
‘Zero’ emotion
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Bryan Kohberger listens during his arraignment hearing in Latah County District Court on May 22, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho.AP
Judge asked Kohberger several questions during Monday’s hearing, including if he understood his rights amid the 𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝑔𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓸𝓃𝓈 against him. He responded “yes” and “yes, I do.”
“He is very polite to the judge and looks at him,” Driver notes. “His voice is clear and his tone does not leak sadness or fear.”
Traci Brown, a world-renowned body language expert and author, noted Kohberger’s rigidity upon entering the courtroom.
“He didn’t swing his arms at all,” she told The Post. “He doesn’t move his head at all.”
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Body language experts told The Post how dissecting the accused killer’s most minute behaviors — from the use of his tongue to his controlled reactions and the tone of his voice — can paint a picture of his mindset.AP
She said he showed “zero” emotion. He “didn’t protect himself,” she added, and often didn’t show “any stress signs at all.”
“Usually when people walk into a courtroom, they’ll have their hands in front of them a little bit or clasp their hands in a certain way like he did nothing to protect himself from him,” Brown went on.
“He didn’t sit in his chair and fidget. He didn’t scratch his head, he didn’t tap his fingers on the table. He didn’t, maybe smooth down the pants on this legs. Nothing.”
Brown compared Kohberger’s relative lack of stress signs to Lee Harvey Oswald — who infamously assassinated President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
“The gravity of the situation is lost on him, I think,” Brown told The Post. “He’s going through the motions of what’s going on there, but he’s not emotionally connected to it.”
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