Bryan Kohberger Moves to Withdraw Guilty Plea

Bryan Kohberger has petitioned to withdraw his guilty plea in the Idaho student murders, claiming bad legal advice and 'false promises.'

Kohberger filed a petition for post-conviction relief with the Ada County District Court, according to ABC News, seeking to undo the plea agreement he accepted in July 2025 just weeks before his trial was set to begin. The plea deal removed the death penalty in exchange for guilty pleas to four counts of first-degree murder and a burglary count. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms plus ten years for burglary. ABC News reports he is currently representing himself on the docket.

Kohberger deliberately chose a plea over trial, and the Goncalves family pointedly noted he 'chose not to leave his fate — or the facts of the case — to a jury.' ABC News reports the family believes he now 'hates' the life sentence he secured and 'wants another chance to roll the dice.' For a case that ended with a clean plea deal, this reversal reopens one of the most closely followed true-crime cases in years.

Per ABC News, Kohberger claims he pleaded guilty due to 'bad legal advice' and 'false promises,' alleging 'ineffective assistance of counsel' and that he was 'convinced to falsely confess.' Newly unsealed court documents reported by The National News Desk (via WCTI and KEYE) show his former defense team had raised concerns before the plea about his ability to understand adverse rulings — though the filing did not argue he was legally incompetent. That filing came after Judge Steven Hippler denied a request for more preparation time, including an expert evaluation on Kohberger's decision-making; he pleaded guilty six days later.

Any effort to withdraw a guilty plea after sentencing faces a high legal bar, as The National News Desk reporting notes, and the court would need to find a valid basis to grant relief. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador said his office 'stands ready to do whatever is necessary to ensure justice is fully carried out.' If Kohberger somehow won a hearing, the Goncalves family said it would amount to 'a ride, perhaps different food, photos taken, and the spotlight once again fixed on him.'

Kohberger's new attorney, Greg Rausch, is pursuing post-conviction relief and separately challenging Judge Hippler's continued role in the case, according to The National News Desk reporting carried by WCTI and KEYE. A hearing on the request to remove Hippler is scheduled for October 15. The case's evidence — including DNA from a knife sheath 'statistically' matching Kohberger and phone data placing his device near the victims' house at least 12 times before the murders — remains the backdrop to every argument he now makes.