Bryan Kohberger‘s cold, emotionless expressions directed at victims’ families in court on Wednesday are being contextualized by an expert.
As we’ve been reporting, Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison four times over to conclude the years-long case involving the awful murders of four University of Idaho students in their off-campus home. And now, a body language expert is speaking out about Kohberger’s, uh, interesting reactions to the victims’ families when they delivered impact statements prior to the sentence being handed down.
Related: What REALLY Made Bryan Kohberger Finally Plea Guilty…
Speaking to DailyMail.com on Wednesday, body language pro Judi James started by noting how calm Bryan appeared through it all while everybody else in the courtroom was torn to shreds:
“The raw grief and distress displayed by the relatives of the victims was an impossible watch for almost everyone in the courtroom, apart from, emphatically and remarkably, Kohberger.”
She also broke down his “relaxed” position leaning back in his chair with his elbows “splayed out.” AKA, not the body language you would expect of somebody heading to prison for the rest of his life! James said:
“Sitting looking relaxed in his chair with his elbows splayed out on the arm of the chair in a gesture of confidence and desired visibility, the opposite body language ritual of a desire to hide, which would include crossed arms, self-diminishing behaviors and eye cut-offs, he appeared to listen with what looked like a detached but forensic interest.”
And then it got creepy. As the victims’ relatives made their statements, James picked up on how Kohberger was watching them speak “like a fascinated hawk.” Yeesh. She said:
“Kohberger’s eyes watched the relatives like a fascinated hawk. His eyes appeared to soak up every sob and every signal of distress.”
So, so, SO unsettling.
James continued from there, remarking on the killer’s “cold stare” through it:
“There was no flinching or glancing away here, apart from during the end of one address and the start of another, when he tilted his chair forward and looked down, returning with the same cold stare once the next person started to speak.”
She also picked up on something really subtle: that the murderer seemed to be making “micro-nods” during the speeches. James explained her interpretation of what those nearly imperceptible nods might have meant:
“Bizarrely, Kohberger seemed to be performing micro-nods in some places as though agreeing with the points being made, like one mention of a relative suffering from anxiety and grief from the tragedy. It looked like a mimicry of empathy that might have come from anyone but him in that moment.”
WTF!
The body language observer went on:
“Words used to describe him or the crimes, like ‘evil’ brought no visible response, as though perhaps illustrating one comment about him being an ’empty vessel.’”
At one point during the family impact speeches, victim Kaylee Goncalves‘ sister Alivea Goncalves demanded the killer “sit up straight” while she ripped him apart, calling him a “delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser,” among many other things.
Related: So Why Did He Do It? Well, Here’s One Super Disturbing Theory…
And so James was surprised when Kohberger showed absolutely no response to that. She said:
“Her comment ‘sit up straight when I talk to you’ brought no change of pose or movement from Kohberger but it did point up his rather relaxed pose to the courtroom and hinted at the effect it was having on the relatives.”
What a f**king creepy guy.
ICYMI, you can watch the full sentencing hearing (below):
At least he’ll spend the rest of his life behind bars…
[Image via Associated Press/YouTube]
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