A Former ‘Teen Mom’ Producer Has a Surprising Tie to the Horrific Moscow Murders Case
The Teen Mom franchise has been associated with a lot of criminal behavior. There have been drug arrests, assaults, and even child abuse. Still, you wouldn’t expect a cast or crew member to have a connection to one of the most infamous murders in recent history. It is the case, though. A former Teen Mom producer has stepped forward to reveal they were a former classmate of Bryan Kohberger, the man convicted of committing the Moscow murders, a 2023 spree killing that left four college students dead.
Bryan Kohberger is responsible for the Moscow murders
Bryan Kohberger is now an infamous killer; a decade ago, he was an unassuming Pennsylvania teen. In November 2023, he broke into the home of a group of college students in Moscow, Idaho, and stabbed them to death. Victims Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, and Xana Kernodle lived in the off-campus house together, along with two other girls. The fourth victim, Ethan Chapin, was spending the night with his girlfriend, Kernodle.
The murders gripped the nation and launched the small town of Moscow into panic. For more than a month, Moscow police and the FBI investigated the killings and tried to calm the public. It was of no use. The public pointed fingers at other students and residents they feared could be the killer. They even glanced at the two female housemates who were unharmed in the attack. Then, in late December 2023, police apprehended Bryan Kohberger in his hometown of Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, which is located clear across the country. Kohberger was a PhD student at Washington State University at the time of the murders. He had returned to Pennsylvania for the holiday break.
Within hours, Kohberger’s name and picture were splashed across news stations and social media. For the people of Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, the news simply didn’t compute. Mandi, who worked as a producer on Teen Mom 2 and appeared on screen, knows the feeling. She went to school with him.
A former ‘Teen Mom’ producer remembers Bryan Kohberger as unassuming
Bryan Kohberger wasn’t always seen as a cold-blooded Killer. Mandi, a former producer for Teen Mom 2, agreed to sit down for an interview for Drop Dead Serious with Ashleigh Banfield. Mandi, who had previously worked with Banfield, explained that she grew up in the same town as Bryan Kohberger and attended the same schools. While Mandi knew his sister better, as they were the same age, she remembered Kohberger as quiet but unassuming.
Mandi said there was nothing that came to mind that would have served as a warning flag for Kohberger’s future behavior. She insisted there was “nothing wrong” with him during their school careers. She went on to mention that while “bullying” was a problem at the schools they attended, she did not recall any issues that Kohberger may have faced.
Mandi delves deeper into her feelings and her thoughts about the spree killer during the chat. The field producer’s podcast episode is just one of several pieces of media recently that attempt to garner a better understanding of what happened in Moscow and what led Kohberger to seemingly randomly choose the house on King Street to commit such an act. The professor who worked most closely with Kohberger at Washington State University spoke briefly of the “douche” that served as his teaching assistant. Amazon released a documentary on the slayings, and several books have been written about the killings that gripped the nation.
Where is Bryan Kohberger now?
Bryan Kohberger was apprehended in his hometown, the place producer Mandi is familiar with, just before the end of 2023. He was moved from Pennsylvania back to Idaho to stand trial days later. While he worked through the legal system, Kohberger was first held at Latah County Jail upon his return to Idaho. According to CBS, the former PhD student was then moved to Ada County Jail to await trial.
In July 2025, just before his trial was set to begin, Kohberger unexpectedly accepted a plea deal. According to court records, Kohberger agreed to plead guilty to four counts of first-degree murder. He also agreed to plead guilty to one count of felony burglary. The prosecution agreed not to pursue the death penalty in exchange for his plea. He was sentenced on July 23 to four consecutive life sentences and moved to the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, the only maximum security prison in the state, where he will live out his life. He has made several complaints since arriving.
