Fact Check Team: Bryan Kohberger tries to undo guilty plea after Idaho murder conviction
WASHINGTON (TNND) — Nearly a year after pleading guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students, Bryan Kohberger is asking a judge to let him undo the plea that sent him to prison for life.
In a handwritten petition filed this week, Kohberger claims he accepted the plea deal because of ineffective legal counsel, coercion and false promises made by his defense attorneys. The filing does not automatically reopen the case, but it begins a legal process that could determine whether his conviction remains final.
Why is Kohberger back in court?
Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the murders of four University of Idaho students: Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty. He was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
As part of the plea agreement, Kohberger waived his right to a direct appeal.
Instead of appealing, he is seeking "post-conviction relief", a separate legal process that allows convicted defendants to argue their constitutional rights were violated. One common claim is ineffective assistance of counsel, which alleges defense attorneys provided deficient legal representation that affected the outcome of a case.
In his petition, Kohberger alleges his attorneys pressured him into accepting the plea deal by withholding evidence, making false promises and exaggerating what life on death row would be like if he went to trial.
What evidence is Kohberger pointing to?
One of Kohberger's arguments centers on hair recovered from victim Ethan Chapin's hand.
According to court filings, investigators collected both light- and dark-colored hairs from the crime scene. DNA testing excluded Kohberger as the source of at least one of those hairs, but investigators were unable to identify who the hair belonged to.
Kohberger argues that evidence should have been more fully investigated before he agreed to plead guilty.
However, prosecutors' case included a broader body of evidence, including DNA recovered from a knife sheath found at the crime scene, cellphone location data, surveillance footage and other forensic evidence that investigators said linked him to the killings.
Can he actually withdraw his guilty plea?
Possibly—but legal experts say it will be difficult.
Because Kohberger already pleaded guilty and was sentenced, the burden is now on him to prove that his plea was not entered knowingly and voluntarily or that his constitutional rights were violated.
During his plea hearing, Kohberger told the judge under oath that he understood the agreement, had discussed it with his attorneys and was pleading guilty voluntarily because he was guilty.
Courts generally give significant weight to those sworn statements, making successful post-conviction challenges relatively uncommon.
Does this mean there will be a new trial?
The court must first determine whether Kohberger's petition presents sufficient legal grounds to move forward. A judge could dismiss the petition, order additional briefing, or schedule an evidentiary hearing to examine his claims.
The court has already appointed new counsel to represent Kohberger during the post-conviction proceedings.
If his petition is denied, his convictions and life sentences will remain in place.
If a judge ultimately allows him to withdraw his guilty plea, the case could return to trial. That would also restore the possibility of the death penalty, which prosecutors agreed to remove from consideration only after Kohberger accepted the plea agreement.
For now, the case remains in the post-conviction stage, and there is no indication that Kohberger's convictions or sentence have been overturned.