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Bryan Kohberger, who was found guilty of killing four University of Idaho students in an off-campus home invasion in 2022, has filed a series of prison grievances alleging that he is being threatened and harassed by other inmates. The 30-year-old, a former Ph.D. criminology student, is serving a life sentence without parole at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution. He has requested to be transferred from his housing unit to a quieter, more secure wing of the prison.

Documents obtained by People first reported say Kohberger has received “minute-by-minute” verbal threats and other abuses since he was placed in J Block, a unit in the prison that houses inmates who require higher levels of supervision and present the most risk, including those on death row. Kohberger’s requests, filed as grievances to Idaho Department of Correction prison officials, cited graphic threats. One inmate allegedly told Kohberger: “I’ll b— f— you,” while another said: “The only a– we’ll be eating is Kohberger’s.”

The verbal threats started less than three days after Kohberger was moved to J Block and continued on and off throughout his time in the wing. On Sept. 27, less than a week after he first complained, Kohberger sent a handwritten note to prison officials again asking for a transfer to B Block, which he called quieter and “a more secure wing of IMSC.” “Tier 2 of J Block is an environment that I wish to transfer from if possible,” Kohberger wrote. “I request transfer to B Block immediately. I wish to speak with you soon.”

Kohberger has not engaged in the prison “flooding” or “striking” common to other inmates. Flooding can refer to a tactic of clogging toilets or sinks to cause water damage. Striking can involve refusing to work or pick fights. Kohberger said he has not engaged in that conduct and feels like he is being “singled out” in J Block. Guards confirmed they overheard other inmates making vulgar comments toward Kohberger, and one admitted he could not remember what those threats were.

State prison officials have not said whether he will be moved, and Kohberger’s public status as of this week still showed him in J Block. Idaho Department of Correction officials have not publicly responded to the allegations or his requests to be moved.

Inmate harassment and hostility toward Kohberger reportedly started long before he was sent to the state prison. A series of jailhouse texts showed Kohberger was relentlessly mocked while at a county jail. At one point, another inmate could be heard making fun of Kohberger during a video call with his mother, shouting “kiddo, what do you want?” when Kohberger asked the other to be quiet, according to The New York Times.

“F—ing weirdo,” one inmate told Kohberger during their time in jail. “If it wasn’t for this, I’d tear you apart.” Kohberger’s defense team was aware of his jailhouse treatment. Court filings in his murder trial described Kohberger as socially awkward, with a “piercing stare” that would often cause him to stare when he should not and miss social cues. Prison consultants say this behavior makes him an easy target for high-risk inmates. “High-profile offenders nearly always draw hostility,” one prison consultant wrote. “For Kohberger, his personality and notoriety put an even bigger target on his back.”

Kohberger’s looks have changed over the past 2½ years since his arrest and conviction as well. He has reportedly lost weight, and court documents show he has the physique of a former college soccer player. He has been placed in Idaho’s most secure facility, among some of the state’s worst offenders, including on death row like Chad Daybell. Kohberger will have to make a home among them, but so far it has not been easy for the 30-year-old. Prison experts say Kohberger is likely in a situation similar to Jeffrey Dahmer, the serial killer who was harassed for years by inmates and later murdered in prison in 1994.

Kohberger remains in J Block and under constant guard. It remains to be seen whether his complaints will change his circumstances, but his notes and writings in Idaho give an inside look at the potential dangers facing high-profile inmates. Kohberger, thanks to his crime’s brutality and his behavior and mannerisms that his defense team noted in court, is a marked man in prison. Inside Idaho’s Maximum Security Institution has been no kinder to Kohberger than the court of law. The threats Kohberger now faces could be with him for the rest of his life.