Netflix documentary director suggests possible motive in Idaho murders case
The director of a Netflix series on the 2022 University of Idaho killings offered a theory that the perpetrator may have targeted the victims because of gender-based animus, while investigators say no evidence links him to extremist online groups.
A Netflix documentary about the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students has prompted its director to speculate on the perpetrator's motive. Skye Borgman, who directed the three-part series "The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare," told Fox News that the house where the murders occurred housed five women and that the suspect appeared to have observed the residence for weeks before the attack. She suggested the possibility that the suspect harbored a low regard for women and may have been influenced by the incel movement, a loosely organized online community.
Borgman said, "He watched the house; he was around the house in the days, weeks, and months leading up to the murders. So, it seems pretty likely that he had a very low regard, if not hatred, for women." She added that the theory is conjectural and noted the suspect's apparent difficulties in relationships with women.
FBI special agent Ed Jacobson, who participated in the investigation, told The New York Times that investigators have not found evidence linking the suspect to the incel movement and that the suspect was adept at concealing his online activity.
The suspect, Bryan Kohberger, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in July 2025 and received four consecutive life sentences without parole. In July 2028, he filed a petition to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming he was misled into confessing. The documentary remains available for streaming on Netflix.