Bryan Kohberger, convicted of the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, has been appointed a new public defender as he seeks to withdraw his guilty plea. Kohberger, 31, petitioned the court to revoke his plea, stating he was "convinced to falsely confess" by his previous legal team. He is now represented by Greg Rauch, a public defender from Moscow, Idaho, who was appointed to the case Monday morning.
Kohberger admitted last July to the November 2022 murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. He had agreed to four consecutive life sentences without parole in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty. However, in a recent interview with The New York Times, Kohberger asserted his "absolute claim of innocence."
In his handwritten petition, Kohberger alleged that his former attorneys—Anne Taylor, Elisa Massoth, and Bicka Barlow—failed to inform him of potentially exculpatory evidence, including a hair found at the crime scene that DNA analysis later determined did not belong to him. Rauch stated he had not yet spoken to Kohberger, reviewed the petition, or examined the case file but expects to do so soon.
The Idaho Attorney General's office, represented by Raul Labrador, described Kohberger's attempt to change his plea as "deeply painful" for the victims' families. A spokesperson for the Goncalves family characterized Kohberger's actions as a bid for attention, asserting that he had previously admitted guilt in court without claiming duress or lack of information.
Mogen, Goncalves, Kernodle, and Chapin were found stabbed to death in their off-campus Moscow home on November 13, 2022. Investigators identified Kohberger, then a criminology graduate student at nearby Washington State University, as the perpetrator. He was arrested roughly six weeks later in Pennsylvania. Evidence used to link him to the crime included DNA from a knife sheath found at the scene and surveillance footage of a white sedan matching his vehicle observed near the residence on the night of the murders. No direct connection between Kohberger and the victims or surviving roommates has been established, and the motive remains unclear.
If Kohberger's plea is successfully revoked, the death penalty could again be an option. Judge Steven Hippler previously cautioned against dwelling on the motive, suggesting that focusing on "why" gives Kohberger undue attention and power.