Kohberger claims innocence, moves to withdraw guilty plea in Idaho killings

Families of victims criticize Kohberger’s attempt to challenge conviction

Bryan Kohberger, a former Washington State University doctoral student in criminal justice, was convicted last year of breaking into a six-bedroom house in 2022 and killing four University of Idaho students. The victims — Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20 — were found dead with dozens of knife wounds. Goncalves also showed evidence of asphyxiation and blunt force trauma, according to the Guardian’s reporting on the case.

During his original plea hearing, a judge asked Kohberger, “Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?” Kohberger responded, “Yes,” according to United Press International. He was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 10 years for a burglary conviction in the same case.

Now, months later, Kohberger has filed a petition for post-conviction relief. In a statement provided to the New York Times, Kohberger wrote: “I hereby declare my intention to enter a not guilty plea, and welcome the State the opportunity to prove their case at trial, as well as to, again, file for the death penalty. My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn.”

According to the court docket, Kohberger is representing himself. It is rare for convictions entered on a guilty plea to be overturned, though courts have allowed challenges based on new evidence or claims of ineffective legal counsel, the Guardian reported.

Police found DNA matching Kohberger’s on a knife sheath left at the murder scene. Surveillance video showed a white Hyundai Elantra like Kohberger’s passing multiple times around the house where the murders were committed. Kohberger’s cell phone was turned off at the time the murders occurred, according to the Guardian.

Kohberger was arrested the month after the murders in Pennsylvania, where he was visiting his father for the holidays in late December. On his person and in the Kohberger family home, investigators found a pistol, two knives, black gloves, a black hat and a black facemask.

No motive for the killings has ever been established or provided by Kohberger, the Guardian reported.

The family of Kaylee Goncalves sharply criticized Kohberger’s attempt to challenge his conviction. In a statement provided to KXLY, the family said: “He chose not to leave his fate – or the facts of the case – to a jury. He never cried foul, never claimed he was uninformed or pressured, and never suggested there were problems with the discovery materials he and his counsel had reviewed for two years that should have been challenged. He admitted his guilt.”

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador said on social media: “My heart goes out to the families of Madison, Kaylee, Xana and Ethan, who have already endured unimaginable loss and now must face today’s deeply painful news. My office stands ready to do whatever is necessary to ensure justice is fully carried out.”

One of the survivors of the attack described witnessing a shadowy figure clad in black, according to the Guardian.