BOISE, Idaho (Court TV) — One year after he pleaded guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students, Bryan Kohberger says he’s changed his mind and wants to withdraw his plea.
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for stabbing four University of Idaho students to death. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)
Kohberger, 31, was sentenced to four life terms in prison for the deaths of Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Kaylee Goncalves, plus 10 years for burglary. The four students were found stabbed to death inside their off-campus rental home, blood covering the floors, walls and railings.
Kohberger did not speak at his sentencing, staying silent as several members of the victims’ families delivered scathing victim impact statements on July 23, 2025. But now, one year later, Kohberger has released a statement to The New York Times, saying that “justice was not served” when he pleaded guilty.
“Unfortunately, the truth shall never be derived from the State’s myopic narrative, a work of fiction which has yet to evolve since the PCA was released nearly 4 years ago, and its faulty premises were never challenged at trial,” Kohberger wrote. “Circumnavigated by a broken plea, the trial never provided the public the clarity conducive to closure, and justice shall remain abjectly miscarried unless that plea is withdrawn.”
Kohberger wrote that he “welcomes” the state filing for the death penalty, which was taken off the table in exchange for Kohberger’s guilty plea. “My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on my false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn.” The message does not elaborate on what “false promises” or “disinformation” have been raised in the case.
Prosecutors conceded after Kohberger pleaded guilty that there is no way to know why the four victims were murdered. But investigators have said that DNA left on a knife sheath found at the scene, along with cellphone data and surveillance videos, points to Kohberger as the sole person responsible for the murders.
Kohberger remains behind bars at Idaho’s only maximum-security prison. He has repeatedly complained about the conditions there, complaining about insufficient vegan food options, taking issue with the quality of bananas served and asking for help dealing with harassment from fellow inmates. He is housed in the same area as death row inmates, including Chad Daybell.
“Thank you for all who believe in my innocence and continue to critically analyze the case,” Kohberger said in the message, dated Sunday, July 26. “I send my love to my family, who have never wavered in their belief in who I am, their belief in my innocence.”
