(NewsNation) — Sometimes, people visit a crime scene to learn more about an investigation.
And then there are people with less noble motives.
Exclusive video shot for NewsNation’s “Banfield” showed multiple people visiting the Moscow killing house at 1122 King Road for a photo. One witness told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield that they’ve seen people filming TikTok dances in front of the house.
And now, a subReddit called “Brynation,” which consisted of Bryan Kohberger supporters, has been banned from the site. Kohberger, 28, is accused of killing Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle in their off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.
The accused killer also has a Facebook group called “Justice for Bryan Kohberger” with thousands of members. The description to join reads “It’s about whether or not you can prove you’re innocent. If you can’t prove you’re innocent, then you’re considered guilty. It’s been flipped: Now it’s guilty until proven innocent.”
Kohberger has also received love letters. A Facebook user named Brittney J. Hislope said she’s been writing and mailing Kohberger about a letter a day since his Dec. 30 arrest.
“On one hand, there’s healthy curiosity, but it can also become an obsession,” Scott Bonn, a serial killer expert, said during an appearance on “Banfield.”
Bonn said the phenomenon of people who “love” alleged killers is not new. He called serial killers like Ted Bundy the “ultimate fixer upper,” which is why some people find themselves drawn to them romantically.
“I wouldn’t say that these really extreme groupies are mentally ill, but I would say that there’s something missing there, something that draws them to this.” He speculated that such people might have “an emotional deficit, or a personality disorder where they have a hole inside of them,” Bonn said.
To stop “crime tourism,” the home will be demolished and a memorial and garden will be established, according to a memo from the president of the university.
In preparation, a crime scene cleaning company was there last week to do “trauma remediation.” The process involves biohazard waste removal and decontamination.
Kohberger could potentially face execution by firing squad if he’s convicted of killing four University of Idaho students and if proposed legislation clears the Idaho state legislature.