Mega Edition: Before Bryan Kohberger, Everyone Was a Suspect (8/20/26)

In the early stages of the Bryan Kohberger investigation, before authorities had publicly identified a suspect, the vacuum of information was quickly filled by rumors, amateur sleuthing and accusations aimed at people who had never been charged with anything. One of the most visible examples involved the man seen near Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen at a Grub Truck shortly before they returned home on the night of the murders. Online commenters scrutinized his movements, demeanor and relationship to the victims, and speculation about him spread rapidly across Reddit, TikTok and other platforms despite the lack of evidence tying him to the killings. Police eventually made clear that individuals seen in the food-truck video were not believed to be involved, but by then some people had already been subjected to intense public suspicion based largely on fragments of video and internet conjecture.

Another striking example involved University of Idaho professor Rebecca Scofield, who became the target of sensational accusations made by a TikTok personality who claimed, without evidence, that Scofield had been connected to the murders and had orchestrated the killings through a relationship with one of the victims. Scofield forcefully denied the allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit, arguing that the claims were entirely fabricated and had damaged her reputation and subjected her to harassment. The episode became one of the clearest illustrations of how wildly the speculation had spiraled before Kohberger’s arrest: strangers were constructing elaborate theories about food-truck patrons, professors, roommates, neighbors and acquaintances while investigators were quietly building an evidence-based case elsewhere. The early months of the investigation showed how quickly a high-profile unsolved crime could turn into an online free-for-all, with ordinary people effectively placed on trial by social media long before law enforcement announced who it actually believed was responsible.


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