Overlooked detail in Bryan Kohberger’s confession REVEALS chilling link to another repulsive killer who targeted female college students

Bryan Kohberger gave little away last week when he pleaded guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students, stabbing them to death in their off-campus home in November 2022.

His icy stare and one-word responses to the judge revealed very little. But now his signature – stiff and barely legible – afixed to his confession has been made public and it says far more about the madman’s mental state and character than was previously known, says graphologist Tracey Trussell.

In an exclusive report for Daily Mail, Trussell analyzed Kohberger’s handwriting and concluded that it displays, ‘a tremendous sense of arrogance, insincerity, self-centeredness, deceit and conceit’ and bares strikingly resemblences to the penmenship of another notorious killer: Ted Bundy.

Bundy and Kohberger also share another chilling similarity: they both targeted young female university students.

‘Handwriting reflects brain activity, so we are unconsciously expressing our whole unique psychological profile in symbols, on paper,’ said Trussell, the founder of the analysis firm Handright.

‘The shaky pen strokes, and particularly his difficulty in making curves, may be physical and potentially pathological, revealing a lack of coordination at best, or, more likely, disclosing a physical illness and/or emotional personality disturbance together with warped thinking patterns,’ she said of Kohberger’s script.

Additionally, ‘Kohberger’s signature is immediately interesting because the rhythm he produces is compromised and the currency or quality of his penmanship is poor for someone of his age,’ Trussell concluded. 

Kohberger (pictured) was studying for a PhD in criminology at Washington State University, located about eight miles from the house where he murdered Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen in November 2022. 

‘Kohberger’s signature is immediately interesting because the rhythm he produces is compromised and the currency or quality of his penmanship is poor for someone of his age,’ Trussell observed. (Pictured: Bryan Kohberger’s signature)

This is particularly odd considering Kohberger, 30, was considered an intelligent person by professors and classmates and was studying for a PhD in criminology at Washington State University, when he murdered Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen.

Scrutinizing each letter, Trussell noted that the ‘B’ and ‘K’ of his name are bent, arching forward.

‘This reveals pressure from his home life, or a fear of the past that he can’t shake off. There may, for example, be unresolved events,’ Trussell suggested. 

‘He may also have found his mother quite demanding, and now he’s out to impress. Whatever the truth, it highlights Kohberger’s mistrust, suspicion of others, and his own prejudices.’

His signature slants which Trussell claimed is indicative of someone who is ‘socially aggressive.’ And, looking to the size of his letters and the embellishments – he added a tick to the top of the ‘C’ in his middle initial and a squiggle beneath the letter – she pointed to someone who supposedly wants to be known.

‘They reflect his desire to have an audience – to be seen and admired,’ she said. ‘However, the wobbly pen strokes and disturbed rhythm reveal that he is far less sure of himself under wraps.

‘What’s more, the huge variations in the small letters on the baselines reveal an extremely moody disposition that he was unable to control.’

According to Trussell, Kohberger’s writing suggests he presents an ‘outer layer of confidence,’ but deals with ‘strong internal emotions, inhibition, anxiety and apprehension’ beneath the surface. 

Those ‘inner emotional constraints,’ she explained, could ‘translate into direct, vindictive and rebellious actions, and that once he has started on a course of action, he will stubbornly and persistently finish what he has initiated.’

The squeezed spaces within the letters A, O, E and G reflect the same chilling conclusion.

‘Kohberger is resistant to change and determined to complete the things he has begun,’ she said. ‘He’s also the type who would rather argue and fight than smooth things over.

‘There are many signs of dishonesty,’ she added. ‘The complicated ovals particularly reflect his inability to see things as they really are, which makes it hard to believe that he could ever be remorseful.’

Jeffrey Dahmer (pictured right) wrote with ‘straight, slashing downstrokes’ which suggested ’emotional self-sufficiency, a lack of sensitivity and empathy, control freakery and dangerous repressed aggression.’ Meanwhile, Ted Bundy (pictured left) had parts of his letters missing when he wrote – a trait shared by Kohberger.

Ted Bundy’s scrawl (pictured) is characterized by long, straight starting strokes that begin beneath the baseline – something which Trussell found ‘showcases deep hatred and unresolved anger.’

Trussell says Kohberger and infamous serial killer Ted Bundy – who, after confessing the killing 30 women, was executed by electrocution in Florida in 1989 – share striking similarities in their penmanship.

Bundy targeted young women in and around college campuses. His first known victim was 18-year-old Karen Sparks, a student at the University of Washington. Weeks later he killed 21-year-old Lynda Ann Healy, another UW undergrad. 

Diagnosed by famed psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley as a psychopath, Bundy had parts of his letters missing when he wrote – a trait shared by Kohberger.

‘Neglected forms, missing letters or letter parts are strong signs of emotional instability and dishonesty, reflecting anti-social attitudes and behavior,’ said Trussell. ‘There is often personal recklessness involved and a disregard for the consequences.’

Bundy’s scrawl is characterized by long, straight starting strokes that begin beneath the baseline – something which Trussell found ‘showcases deep hatred and unresolved anger.’

‘These people have baggage. They find it almost impossible to let go of things and tend to hold a grudge. They may have felt unloved in childhood,’ she suggested. ‘Once they get worked up, the ever-growing sum of all the injustices they have had to endure in life will come to the surface. Resentment can go from bitterness, to exploding into a violent rage.’

And Bundy’s lettering was relatively compact and eye-catching, ‘sucking the air out of the space on the page’ and suggesting he was a person with ‘no personal filter and no respect or consideration for others.’

‘They’re in your face – invasive and inclined to command and control other people – imposing themselves on others for their own selfish ends,’ said Trussell. ‘Their reasoning abilities will be poor and their perspective almost certainly diminished.’

Trussell is no stranger to analyzing the penmanship of the world’s most twisted men and determining what it reveals about them. She devoted an entire chapter in her book ‘Life Lines: What Your Handwriting Says About You’ to Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen, who murdered at least 15 young men between 1978 and 1983.

Like Bundy, Nilsen wrote with attention-grabbing lettering that was fuzzy and smeared, which, according to Trussell, demonstrated ‘uncontrolled urges’ and ‘selfish cravings.’

Thus far, Kohberger (pictured) has not offered an explanation for his actions – though theories abound – and the connection to his victims is still unknown.

Then, there was Jeffrey Dahmer, the Wisconsin man whose murder of 17 men from 1978 to 1991 was the focus on a 2022 Ryan Murphy Netflix show. Per Trussell, he wrote with ‘straight, slashing downstrokes’ which suggested ’emotional self-sufficiency, a lack of sensitivity and empathy, control freakery and dangerous repressed aggression.’

Meanwhile, the Zodiac Killer – the unidentified murderer who killed five people in the Bay Area in the late 1960s – had ‘disconnected’ handwriting, which Trussell said suggests an independent streak.

‘The writer wants to do things their way, without becoming involved or emotionally invested with others,’ she explained. ‘They struggle to form human relationships. Consequently, they feel lonely, locked into who they are with little appreciation nor understanding of others.’

Another sign of a so-called control freak? Extreme writing uniformity.

‘These types are unforgiving and cannot cope with any change – they calculate, scheme and plan everything to the nth degree,’ Trussell claimed, adding that the person may appear ‘civilized,’ but are ‘repressing inner turbulence.’

‘So, if and when they are confronted or affected by anything stressful, they tend to let go explosively.’

Trussell stressed, however, that these penmanship traits are not definitive proof of killer tendencies.

‘All handwriting movements have multiple meanings, both good and bad, and it is only when there are clusters of movements, either seen excessively or in poor quality handwriting, that warning bells will begin to sound,’ she said.

‘An accumulation of the features will reveal just how unhinged and violent a person really is.’