Bryan Kohberger has filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea for the 2022 stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students, according to court documents filed in July 2026.
He argues that his legal team coerced him and provided ineffective counsel.
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Kohberger previously pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the murders of Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Mogen.
He received four consecutive life sentences without parole. His plea deal removed the death penalty as a sentencing option.
Post-Conviction Relief Petition
His new petition requests post-conviction relief, a civil process allowing convicted individuals to challenge claims of legal violations despite waiving their right to appeal during plea agreements.
Judge Steven Hippler of Idaho’s 4th Judicial District explained that waiving the right to appeal does not eliminate all appellate rights.
He cited the 2019 U. S.
Supreme Court ruling in Garza v. Idaho, which upheld that appeal waivers do not bar all appellate claims.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the majority opinion that no appeal waiver serves as an absolute bar to all appellate claims.
Defendants may still challenge the validity of the waiver itself.
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In a handwritten affidavit, Kohberger claimed he was convinced to falsely confess through coercion, disinformation, false promises, and the withholding of exculpatory discovery.
He alleged his attorneys advised him to lie and that actual guilt was not a primary concern due to the threat of the death penalty.
Boise defense attorney Edwina Elcox expressed skepticism, noting Kohberger’s legal team was experienced and successfully negotiated removal of the death penalty.
She questioned the credibility of Kohberger’s assertion that his attorneys failed to inform him about a hair sample found in one victim’s hand.
Forensic analysis showed the sample was consistent with the victim's own hair rather than Kohberger’s.
Elcox said it seems an incredulous claim, emphasizing the defense team's thorough investigation.
The motion follows disclosures from the Netflix documentary "The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare," which revisited the case with police footage, interviews, and digital forensic evidence.
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The documentary did not resolve lingering questions surrounding the investigation or Kohberger’s motives.
