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Bryan Kohberger, convicted in the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students, has dismissed his legal team and asked a court to set aside his guilty plea. He says his former lawyers pressured him into a false confession and hid evidence that could support his claim of innocence.
Case background
Prosecutors say the attack took place in an off‑campus home where the victims were sleeping. The four students who died were Madison May Mogen, Kaylee Jade Goncalves, Xana Alexia Kernodle and Ethan James Chapin. Kohberger, a former criminology PhD student, was later convicted and received four consecutive life sentences plus an additional ten years.
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Motion to withdraw the plea
Kohberger has filed paperwork seeking to withdraw the plea he entered to avoid the death penalty. In that motion he asserts he is innocent and says his previous attorneys persuaded him to plead guilty despite his denials.
He also alleges his defence team failed to disclose what he describes as an “exculpatory discovery.” That claim has surfaced alongside a recently published book, which questions aspects of the investigation.
Questions raised by a new book
The book, Broken Plea, suggests the inquiry into the murders may have been mishandled. It raises the possibility of evidence tampering at the scene and urges further investigation into whether someone else might have been involved.
Kohberger has not publicly detailed the material he says was withheld. He told the court that police did not disclose or review evidence during plea negotiations that, in his view, could have affected his decision.
Allegations about counsel’s advice
In his filings Kohberger contends his lawyers told him his plea “need not be truthful,” despite his “vehement denial of actual guilt.” He also says they described life under multiple life sentences in terms that made the deal appear more attractive.
According to his motion, those promises included immediate contact visits, freedom of movement and employment—representations he now calls misleading.
Earlier defence strategy
Before the plea, Kohberger’s team had challenged DNA evidence collected at the scene and proposed that a different suspect could be responsible. They also argued his autism affected culpability and that imposing the death penalty would breach international norms.
Sentence and financial penalties
Under the plea agreement, Kohberger was handed four consecutive life terms plus ten years. He was also ordered to pay fines and restitution totaling $270,000 (approximately €234,000).
The court will now consider Kohberger’s motion to withdraw his plea and the allegations about counsel and evidence. No ruling has been reported at this stage.
