WA police chief shares why Bryan Kohberger didn’t get police internship

Bryan Kohberger to be sentenced on Wednesday

Bryan Kohberger, the man who pleaded guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022, is scheduled to be sentenced in court tomorrow.

Bryan Kohberger, the man who pleaded guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students, is expected back in court on Wednesday — this time, to officially learn his fate.

As the world waits for that sentencing hearing, FOX 13 Seattle is now hearing from one person who couldn’t talk with the media until now and he was one of the first members of law enforcement to interact with Kohberger before we all knew his name.

"He was not particularly personable, he didn't have a fluid way of communicating," Washington State University Police Chief Gary Jenkins said. He interviewed Kohberger for an internship for the Pullman Police Department. It was an interview that happened months before the world knew the name and now the actions of Bryan Kohberger. "One main thing that I was looking for in that position was someone who could develop trust and rapport with my staff," Jenkins said.

At that time, Jenkins was the Pullman Police Chief, and Kohberger didn’t get the internship. He’s now sharing his experience after Judge Steven Hippler lifted the gag order in the case.

The backstory:

On December 19, 2022, a little more than a month after Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were stabbed to death in an off-campus home, Chief Jenkins got a text from then-Moscow Police Chief James Fry to meet him at the Moscow Police Department.

That’s when he says he learned they had a suspect: Bryan Kohberger.

"The hair on the back of my neck stood up," Jenkins said. "It was a chilling moment."

The same man who Jenkins had previously interviewed.

Dig deeper:

He gave insight into the searches conducted on Kohberger’s apartment and his graduate assistant office on campus.

"We timed the search warrant to be almost simultaneous with the arrest and search warrant at Kohberger’s home in Pennsylvania," he said. "His apartment was very sparse, there was very little there, almost to the point where it appeared that the previous occupant had not intended to return."

When Jenkins hears Kohberger’s name, he thinks of a lot of different things, but one thing is prevalent at this point. "What comes to mind is, is a cold-blooded killer," Jenkins said.

Now that Kohberger has pleaded guilty to the murders, he hopes the families and the tight-knit communities of Moscow and Pullman can start healing.

"It's been a long road," Jenkins said. "It's been tough, but I think both communities have shown that they have come together and that they're both resilient and, hopefully that that's what will be the lasting impact of, you know, this, this horrible crime."

He told FOX 13 Seattle that he will definitely be paying close attention to Kohberger’s sentencing hearing.

"It’ll give the victims’ families an opportunity to express their feelings and give some input into this sentencing, and so I think that will be extremely important part of this case," Jenkins said.

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