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'Every time I go on the air, I'm representing Jax State

New Peacock docuseries the latest on a long list of ways Forensics professor and true crime expert Joseph Scott Morgan promotes Jax State

by Brett Buckner

Jacksonville, AL (08/11/2025) — Joseph Scott Morgan, a professor at Jacksonville State University's Forensic Investigations Department, is a well-known true crime expert. His work on high-profile cases, including the Idaho Student Murders, has brought national attention to both his expertise and his university.

Being involved in a high-profile murder case, even peripherally, is unsettling for anyone. But for Morgan, it's all part of the job, even if it never gets easier. In addition to his duties teaching at Jax State, Morgan has become a familiar face and voice in the competing realms of true crime, appearing in TV series, talk shows - most notably alongside Nancy Grance in her numerous media ventures - documentaries, and podcasts.

"I understand that every time I go on air, I'm representing Jax State," Morgan said, "Really, I'm just a college professor in a small southern town that teaches forensic science. All this other stuff, as much as I enjoy talking about it, is because of that."

Most of Morgan's energy and expertise have been focused recently on Bryan Kohberger, appearing in the Peacock docuseries titled "The Idaho Student Murders." According to police, around 4 a.m. on November 13, 2022, Kohberger entered an off-campus house at 1122 King Road in Moscow, Idaho, and fatally stabbed four Idaho University students - Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

For the Peacock documentary, Morgan explained the value of various aspects of the case, including the touch DNA that was extracted from the K-Bar knife sheath that ultimately matched Kohberger. Produced by KT studios, which has spearheaded other projects Morgan has participated in, "The Idaho Student Murders" competed against another documentary on the same case produced by Amazon. And because it's with Amazon studio, they had unlimited resources," Morgan said. "Meanwhile, we're working on a shoestring budget. But I'm very proud of the work we did in bringing the real story to people."

Even before there was a suspect, Morgan had been talking about the Idaho murders constantly. "That's pretty much what I've devoted my time to, chatting about it to pretty much anyone who'll have me on," he said.

While Morgan was becoming an expert on the Idaho murders, its perpetrator, at the very least, was familiar with Morgan's work. Early one morning, while at home in Jacksonville, Morgan and his wife, Kim, were sipping coffee and enjoying the view out their large picture windows from the living room when he received a Tweet. Dateline had released the digital footprint of Kohberger's activities after the murders. Morgan appeared on a screen capture from the killer's phone. "Now that's chilling," he said. "I'd just as soon not have known that."

But that's not stopping Morgan's pursuits. "I'm going to see this damn thing through to the finish line. I'm not quitting on it." Fortunately, the end has come. On December 30, Kohberger was arrested in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. Though prosecutors initially sought the death penalty, on July 2, 2025, Kohberger entered a guilty plea to all charges and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 10 years for burglary.

But that's of little consolation for the families and those who've followed the case. "I'm very disappointed the way things have turned out," said Morgan, who had hoped for a trial. "But hey, it is what it is. He's going into a deep, dark hole where he'll never hurt anyone again."

The Idaho murders captured the public's attention, beyond those just fascinated by true crime. "I knew that it had the tiger by the tail from the beginning," Morgan said. "It was just so chilling because, at least on the surface, it seemed so random and that plays on people's fears. On the surface, it seemed random. It just didn't make any sense."

It also hit a little too close to home for Morgan. "When I got that information about when and where it went down, all I could think of was our kids at JSU," Morgan said. [My son] Noah was in his sophomore year, and, in those kids, I saw our students because Idaho University is not dissimilar to JSU. It's isolated. It's a regional university. You've got a lot of first-generation kids who go there. I saw those kids, and it struck a chord with me because it could have been Jacksonville."

'I get antsy'

When he's not appearing on TV or teaching, Morgan is likely working on his own podcast, "Body Bags," which he's been hosting since 2021. Unlike when he's called as an expert for someone else's show, with "Body Bags" Morgan can discuss crimes that either interest him or that he believes haven't gotten the media coverage they deserve, including topics such as Jonestown, the so-called "Fatal Vision" case of Jeffrey MacDonald, or the "mass murderer nobody outside of Birmingham has heard about, Damien Laron McDaniel III.

Morgan has been in discussions to turn his podcast into a TV series. However, with all the recent changes within the NBC production hierarchy, he isn't certain about the show's future. "NBC still holds our IP, and they haven't shown us the door yet," he said. "So, we're still in the midst of all of that." Morgan said that a "bunch" of footage has already been shot of him lecturing at Jax State. "And they want to come to Jacksonville and shoot the episodes for the show on campus," he said. "So that would be a big shot in the arm for the department and the university. We're hoping that that's still going to happen, but in this world that we're in now, you just never know."

Morgan doesn't have an issue with getting jobs; if anything, he has the opposite problem. "I like to keep moving, so I need someone to make me hit the brakes," said Morgan while waiting for a flight out of the Newark Airport. "Every now and then, Kim will look at me and say, 'Okay, you got to tell 'em, no. You just need to sit here and not do anything.' And I try, but I get antsy."

No matter where or in what format Morgan appears, he always mentions or includes links to Jax State's Criminal Justice and Forensic Investigation Department. "You can't buy that kind of publicity," he said. "I do everything I can to let people know about the great things happening at Jax State."

There's been plenty to brag about as the Jax State Forensic Investigations Department has been experiencing a tremendous number of advancements over the past year, starting with a move to the Ramona Wood Building, located on Trustee Circle next to Angle Hall. The new building features a courtroom, a digital forensics lab, a trace lab, a student lounge, a fingerprint lab, a crime scene house, and a cadaver lab. "We're training up that next generation of forensic scientists that are going to pass through JSU," Morgan said. "It's an extension of what the mission has always been. I'm very proud to be associated with Jax State."

About Jacksonville State University: Founded in 1883 as a state teachers' college, Jacksonville State University has grown from humble beginnings into the Alabama regional university with the highest percentage of accredited programs. Located in the Appalachian foothills midway between Birmingham and Atlanta, Jax State offers more than 150 courses of study, including over 40 online programs, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. To learn more, visit www.jsu.edu, call 1-800-231-JAX1, or e-mail jaxfacts@jsu.edu.

Media Attachments

Joseph Scott Morgan (right) in his Jax State studio with friend and colleague Nancy Grace

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