July 27, 2026, 6:59 p.m. UTC
Kohberger pleaded guilty last year to the murders of four University of Idaho students and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences.
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his 2025 sentencing hearing, in Boise, Idaho.Kyle Green / Pool / Getty ImagesBryan Kohberger, the man convicted of murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022, is looking to drop his guilty plea and wants his day in court.
Kohberger, who pleaded guilty in July 2025 to avoid a quadruple murder trial and is currently serving four life sentences, filed a “petition for post-conviction relief” in Ada County, Idaho, District Court on Monday. A petition for post-conviction relief is a way to challenge a conviction outside of the appeals process. Court records indicate Kohberger is representing himself.
It was not immediately clear why Kohberger was seeking the petition.
But in an interview with the New York TimesKohberger claimed he was innocent and had been misled into confessing to the murders.
“My true innocence is my truth, and the plea, based on false promises and blatant misinformation, MUST be withdrawn,” Kohberger said in a statement to the newspaper Sunday evening.
Kohberger admitted last year killing the four students: Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20 – at an off-campus house on November 13, 2022.
A criminology student, Kohberger accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences for four counts of first-degree murder and 10 years in prison for burglary.
Prior to the filing, Kohberger had not made any public statements suggesting he might change his plea.
It’s a development history. Please check again for updates.
