Mike Baker
July 28, 2026 — 3:30pm
The criminology student convicted last year of murdering four University of Idaho students in their home is seeking to abandon his guilty plea and obtain a trial, claiming he is innocent and was misled into confessing to the high-profile killings.
In an interview with The New York Times, Bryan Kohberger, who is serving four life sentences, said he had filed a petition challenging his conviction, citing concerns about how the plea deal came together.
Bryan Kohberger in the Ada County Courthouse after his sentencing hearing for brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death in 2022. AP “My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn,” Kohberger said in a statement provided to the Times on Sunday night. He reiterated in a phone call from prison in Idaho that he had an “absolute claim of innocence”.
Kohberger had not granted an interview or made public comments before speaking with the Times. He declined to discuss any evidence or other specific details related to his claim of innocence, as well as the specific concerns he had about the plea process. It is rare for defendants to win post-conviction challenges.
The family of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the victims, said in a statement that Kohberger was like a “mosquito
Read More