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Fox News contributor Joshua Ritter reacts to the heart-wrenching impact statements from the Bryan Kohberger sentencing and newly released documents uncovering new details surrounding the murders.
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From the moment he entered the courtroom for his long-awaited sentencing for the quadruple murders of four University of Idaho students, Bryan Kohberger projected what experts described as a cold, robotic presence.
According to body language expert Susan Constantine, his frozen posture, sunken appearance, furrowed brows, and manic stare suggested a man attempting to control the courtroom with “covert hostility” masked as indifference.
His mask at times cracked in subtle ways as he was sentenced for the murders of Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen and listened to the emotional victim impact statements.
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Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death nearly three years ago. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)
Constantine told Fox News Digital that his body language communicated “emotional detachment” as he sat rigid in an orange jumpsuit and shackled ankles listening “intently” throughout the multi-hour sentencing.
Body language expert and defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden described Kohberger as “an empty vessel filled with hate,” telling Fox News Digital that despite his efforts to appear unbothered, his emotions at times betrayed him.
“Involuntary blinks, winces, breathing shifts, and occasional postural slumping,” Baden said.
Bryan Kohberger is seen in the Ada County Courthouse after his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death nearly three years ago. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)
In one photo, Kohberger was seen shaking hands with one of his defense attorneys, Elissa Massoth, who is facing him. Kohberger’s expression is tense and composed, his lips pressed into a tight line as he maintains a fixed, forward gaze.
Massoth, known for her work as a capital-qualified defense attorney, appeared professional and engaged at the moment, while Kohberger appeared rigid with his eyes piercing past her.
The victims of Nov. 13 University of Idaho massacre, from left to right: Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen. (Instagram @xanakernodle / @maddiemogen / @kayleegoncalves)
As victim impact statements kicked off Wednesday, his mask cracked in subtle but telling ways, like incessant blinking, leaning back, and tightened jaw movement, particularly when his ego was directly challenged by the families’ statements, Baden said.
In Alivea’s victim impact statement, Constantine observed Kohberger’s “rapid blinking” following each emotional jab.
Kaylee’s older sister delivered a scathing rebuke of Kohberger, saying that he was “not profound. You’re pathetic.”
Constantine said that Kohberger’s escalating blinking signaled “discomfort and ego disruption” as Alivea issued her “sharp and condiment tone with an edge of condescension and snarkiness towards Kohberger.”
IDAHO VICTIMS’ FAMILIES TO ADDRESS KILLER DIRECTLY AT KOHBERGER SENTENCING
Baden called Alivea’s statement the “star of the courtroom,” saying that she had “rattled the snake’s head off.”
Her takedown included rhetorical questions challenging his motive and intelligence.
“What were Kaylee’s last words?” she asked. “Do you feel anything at all—or are you exactly what you always feared? Nothing.”
“You didn’t create devastation. You revealed it, and it’s in yourself,” she said. “That darkness you carry, that emptiness, you’ll sit with it long after this is over. That is your sentence.”
The Goncalves family talks to the media after the Bryan Kohberger sentencing hearing on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. (Drew Nash/AP Photo)
As Kaylee’s mother expressed that Kohberger “stole her peace,” Kohberger remained stone-faced.
“When you murdered my daughter, you shattered others. You stole my peace. You altered my every waking moment,” she said.
Both Constantine and Baden pointed to Kohberger’s subtle shoulder tension and tightened jaw as Goncalves’ landed another emotional punch.
“I wish I could crown you with a jester hat,” she said. “Go to hell.”
Constantine and Baden said that Kaylee’s mother’s sarcastic jab at his “genius” status and calling him a “joke” assaulted “his constructed self-image.”
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Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves, gives an interview after the Bryan Kohberger sentencing on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. (Drew Nash/AP Photo)
Kaylee’s father, Steve Goncalves, physically moved the podium to confront Kohberger eye-to-eye. It was a “direct power reversal,” Constantine said.
“The world’s watching because of the kids, not because of you. Nobody cares about you,” he said. “In time, you will be nothing but two initials, forgotten to the wind.”
He called Kohberger a “joke” and described how easy it was to track him down.
“Police officers tell us within minutes they had your DNA. Like a calling card. You were that careless. That’s foolish. That’s stupid. Master’s degree? You’re a joke. Complete joke,” he said.
Steve Goncalves, father of victim Kaylee Goncalves hugs his daughter Alinea after speaking at the sentencing hearing of Bryan Kohberger at the Ada County Courthouse, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death nearly three years ago. (Kyle Green/AP via Pool)
As Goncalves “downgraded“ Kohberger from criminal mastermind to sloppy coward, Kohberger leaned back, the only full-body reaction noted by Constantine.
BRYAN KOHBERGER PLEADS GUILTY TO IDAHO MURDERS
“His full-body reaction [to Steve’s statement] was indicative of discomfort, retreat or shock,” she said.
Scott Laramie, stepfather of victim Madison Morgan speaks at the sentencing hearing of Bryan Kohberger at the Ada County Courthouse, for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. (Kyle Green/AP via Pool)
Laramie’s voice, though quieter, hit a nerve, Baden said. The body language expert noted that Kohberger winced and his “breathing changed” as Laramie spoke about Maddie.
Laramie said the tragic loss of their daughter has left a “vast emotional wound” that will “never heal.”
Jazmine Kernodle exits the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. Kernodle was in attendance for Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing for the murders of four University of Idaho students in November 2022. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Cara Northington, mother of victim Xana Kernodle wipes a tear at the sentencing hearing of Bryan Kohberger at the Ada County Courthouse, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho. (Kyle Green/AP Photo, Pool)
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Constantine noted Kohberger’s “emotional void” as Xana Kernodle’s older sister spoke, declaring: “Her light still shines, and her voice will echo louder than this pain. You didn’t take that from us. And you never will.”
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Baden noted a shift in posture as Xana Kernodle’s aunt offered an olive branch in forgiving Kohberger and offering to talk.
“For the first time, Kohberger slumped slightly, exposing his stomach chains, perhaps revealing fatigue discomfort, or unacknowledged remorse,” Baden noted.
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Fox News Digita’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a U.S. Writer at Fox News Digital.
You can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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