Bryan Kohberger has filed a court motion to withdraw his guilty plea in the November 2022 fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students.
He claims ineffective assistance of counsel and coercion by his legal team.
>>> Edinburgh Fringe 2026 Unveils Diverse Theater and Music Lineup
Kohberger admitted guilt in July 2025 to avoid the death penalty, receiving four consecutive life sentences without parole.
The motion, filed on July 27, 2026, follows new disclosures from a Netflix documentary released on July 29, 2026.
New Evidence and Allegations
The documentary revealed digital forensics data and online forum posts detailing Kohberger's psychological struggles and internet history prior to his arrest.
Kohberger alleged that his attorneys made false promises regarding prison privileges and failed to discuss potentially exculpatory evidence during plea negotiations.
“My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn,” Kohberger said in the court filing.
Legal experts note that under Idaho Rule of Criminal Procedure 33(c), withdrawing a plea after sentencing requires proving a manifest injustice during post-conviction civil proceedings.
Samuel Newton, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Idaho College of Law, explained that Kohberger must show his plea was involuntary or that he received ineffective assistance of counsel.
Newton added that Kohberger faces a high legal threshold to overturn his conviction, and the appeal waiver is why he is using the post-conviction route instead of an appeal.
Digital forensic analysts from Cellebrite disclosed in the documentary that Kohberger's phone contained only 18 contacts and showed web searches for terms including “psychopaths paranoia,” “wiretapping,” and “serial killer.”
