Bryan Kohberger, convicted of murdering four University of Idaho students, has filed a petition to withdraw his guilty plea, asserting his innocence and demanding a trial. Kohberger, who previously admitted to the November 2022 killings, made these claims in an interview with The New York Times.
He stated, "My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn." Kohberger pleaded guilty in July of the previous year to the murders of students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. He was subsequently sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole in August 2025.
Although Kohberger admitted responsibility for the murders as part of a plea deal that spared him the death penalty, he has not publicly elaborated on the alleged new evidence that he claims will exonerate him. He also reportedly declined to discuss specific concerns he has regarding the plea process itself.
The four students were found stabbed to death in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho. Investigators allege that Kohberger, wearing a mask, infiltrated the home and committed the murders. Kohberger, a criminology graduate student at nearby Washington State University, was arrested approximately six weeks later in Pennsylvania.
Evidence used to link Kohberger to the crime included DNA recovered from a knife sheath found at the scene, matched through genetic genealogy. Investigators also utilized surveillance footage of a white sedan seen near the residence on the night of the murders, as well as cellphone location data placing Kohberger in the neighborhood multiple times prior to the attack. No blood or DNA was found in Kohberger's vehicle following his arrest.
Kohberger's defense attorneys had previously moved the trial to Boise due to concerns about jury impartiality in Moscow. However, their efforts to remove the death penalty option and exclude key evidence, including DNA, were rejected by the court.
As part of the plea agreement, Kohberger waived his right to appeal in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty. Both sides recommended the sentence of life without parole. At the time of his arrest in December 2022, his initial court-appointed lawyer indicated that Kohberger was "eager to be exonerated."
The defense had spent over two years challenging the prosecution's evidence before accepting the plea deal shortly before the trial was scheduled to begin. In admitting guilt, Kohberger acknowledged the "willful, unlawful, deliberate" murder of the victims with "premeditation and with malice aforethought." However, the agreement did not compel him to provide a motive for the killings. The connection between Kohberger and the victims, as well as the two surviving roommates, has never been established. The judge presiding over the sentencing noted the persistent public and judicial desire to understand the motive, cautioning against granting Kohberger further relevance or power by continuing to speculate on his reasons.