The convicted murderer of four University of Idaho students in 2022 now wants to rescind his guilty plea and seek a trial, which could put the death penalty back into consideration.
On July 22, Bryan Kohberger filed a Petition for Post-Conviction Relief to withdraw his guilty plea after having confessed to the King Road homicides just over a year ago. He was sentenced by Judge Steven Hippler to four consecutive life terms with no chance of parole.
In an interview with the New York Times, Kohberger claims the plea was “hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation.”
In his handwritten Petition for Post-Conviction Relief document published by the Idaho Statesman, Kohberger stated several reasons as to why he falsely admitted guilt.
Kohberger wrote that his guilty plea “was induced by unkempt promises,” and “because of threats asserted by petitioner’s legal counsel.” In effect, Kohberger believes his court-appointed attorney, Anne Taylor, did not represent him adequately, and he now seeks new counsel.
Kohberger’s guilty plea on July 2, 2025, in which he admitted killing Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin at a King Road house on Nov. 13, 2022, came with no chance of parole, and he waived his appeal rights in exchange for avoiding a trial that carried a possible death sentence.
Ada County court officials have not yet publicly responded to Kohberger’s petitionThe new court records for Kohberger can now be found on Idaho’s court records website.