Convicted killers like Bryan Kohberger are human beings with severe psychiatric problems.

If we wish to better comprehend the evil deeds of such criminals, it is essential to study their psychology.

Not every person who commits such horrific crimes is necessarily a psychopath or sociopath.

What compels accused or convicted murderers like Bryan Kohberger, Lindsay Clancy, Luigi Mangione, and Tyler Robinson to kill? Are there any commonalities that can help us to better comprehend their evil deeds? In this part (Part 1) of a series on criminal forensic psychology, let us begin with the deeply disturbing case of Bryan Kohberger.

Mr. Kohberger, a former doctoral student in criminal justice, is currently serving four consecutive life sentences in a maximum security prison after pleading guilty to and being convicted of the horrific killings of four students from the University of Idaho in 2022. (See my prior post.) However, he is now again claiming to be innocent of these murders and seeks to formally withdraw his original 2025 guilty plea claiming it was made under duress and with incompetent legal counsel.

While this appeal, according to legal experts, is highly unlikely to succeed, there is now some information available regarding his psychiatric or mental health history that could shed more light on what might have motivated these extremely evil deeds, thanks to a recently unsealed neuropsychological evaluation conducted for the defense team, which reportedly stated that Kohberger was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, OCD, DCD (developmental coordination disorder, typically associated with ASD), ADHD, ARFIC (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder sometimes associated with anxiety disorders, ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, and other eating disorders), anorexia nervosa, unspecified depressive disorder, and opioid use disorder now in sustained remission.

I have never personally evaluated nor met Mr. Kohberger, and cannot ethically diagnose him without having done so. But, as a practicing forensic psychologist with extensive experience working with both........

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