Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger's expunged 2014 criminal case allegedly involved exiting drug rehab and selling his sister's stolen iPhone for half its value at a mall kiosk for old electronics, according to a report.
Kohberger, then 19, was allegedly abusing heroin at the time.
Pennsylvania police declined to comment but confirmed the case had been expunged and the record "no longer exists."
Kohberger's dad, Michael Kohberger, told police that his son had just gotten out of rehab, swiped the phone of his sister Melissa, and paid a pal $20 to drive him to the mall, where he allegedly sold the phone for $200, ABC News reported.
Pennsylvania's publicly available court records show no signs of the case, which was reportedly expunged under a program for first-time offenders.
The Monroe County District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Kohberger eventually recovered from his addiction and was going to college, picking up boxing and running as well. He earned a master's degree in criminal justice and attended a semester at Washington State University in pursuit of a Ph.D.
But now he stands accused of the brutal stabbing deaths of four students at the University of Idaho, less than 10 miles away across state lines.
The 4 a.m. home invasion massacre on Nov. 13, 2022, killed Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.
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Two roommates were spared from the attack. One of them told police she saw a masked man with "bushy eyebrows" leaving out the back door after hearing crying and the sounds of a struggle.
Weeks after the attack, Kohberger drove back to his parents' house in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, with his dad riding shotgun.
As the Idaho student murders case grabbed national headlines, and police put out a request for help tracking down a white Hyundai Elantra, one of Kohberger's sisters allegedly grew suspicious, NBC's "Dateline" reported in May.
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Kohberger's relatives went outside to search his car, according to the report, but it had already been cleaned up.
Family members becoming so suspicious before an arrest is a red flag, according to John Kelly, the criminal profiler. It's very unusual for someone to begin to believe a family member might be a murderer without a good reason, he said.
"What happened in the past for her to think he's such a monster? A man without mercy who slashed those four kids?" he asked. It could have been his drug-laced past.
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"Don’t forget his sisters went into the mental health field too," Kelly explained. "Usually we don’t end up there by mistake. I have to believe that they saw some stuff."
Police seized the vehicle and everything inside when he was arrested there on Dec. 30.
Kohberger faces four charges of first-degree murder and a felony burglary count. A judge entered not guilty pleas on his behalf at his arraignment.
Kohberger is being held without bail at the Latah County Jail in Moscow, Idaho. His trial is scheduled for October and could take up to six weeks.
Prosecutors have filed notice stating they intend to seek the death penalty if he is convicted.
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