An upcoming Amazon Prime Video docuseries, One Night in Idaho: The College Murders, could offer new perspectives on the brutal 2022 slayings of four University of Idaho students.
Premiering on July 11, 2025, the four-part series will examine the case that culminated in Bryan Kohberger‘s guilty plea in June 2025. Kohberger will spend the rest of his life in prison for the stabbing deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
With Kohberger’s plea ending the anticipation of a public trial, the question of his motive has remained largely unanswered.
The docuseries raises the chilling possibility of an ideological connection between Kohberger and Elliot Rodger, another infamous killer.
Investigating the incel ideology link
The series suggests a chilling theory that Kohberger, who studied serial killers, may have been influenced by incel ideology—particularly that of Elliot Rodger—as well as possible links to the “Pappa Rodger” Facebook account. While these angles are central to the docuseries, investigators have not publicly confirmed them, so they remain speculative.
Rodger, responsible for a 2014 attack near UC Santa Barbara that killed six and injured 14, left behind a manifesto expressing misogyny and resentment over perceived rejection. His writings became a central text in the incel movement, an online subculture known for its violent and anti-woman rhetoric.
The docuseries will consider how Kohberger’s reported social isolation and difficulties interacting with women, combined with his academic exposure to Rodger’s crimes, might suggest a calculated act with ideological roots.
The “Papa Rodger” theory revisited
Bryan Kohberger was Papa Roger and you ain’t changing my mind. pic.twitter.com/SWcN9ntilG
— Duchess of Meme (@DuchessOfMeme) July 3, 2025
The docuseries also explores the theory that Kohberger may have been behind the mysterious “Pappa Rodger” Facebook account, which posted disturbingly accurate commentary about the Idaho killings while the case was still unfolding, such as referencing the knife sheath before that detail was made public.
The series notes that “Pappa Rodger,” sharing the same Rodger last name as Elliott Rodger, vanished from social media shortly after Kohberger’s arrest, and some observers pointed out that the account’s profile photo bore a striking resemblance to him.
It also introduces new digital and contextual clues, including unusual post timestamps and the account’s uncanny accuracy in predicting evidence, all of which fuel speculation that Kohberger and “Pappa Rodger” may be the same person.
With Kohberger now having pleaded guilty and accepted a life sentence without parole, it’s unknown if a public explanation of his motive will ever happen. One Night in Idaho: The College Murders provides the public with what could be the closest possible understanding of what drove Kohberger to commit these horrific acts and whether a violent subculture played a role in shaping his actions.
