As we previously reported, Bryan Kohberger attempted to withdraw his guilty plea with a handwritten court filing on Monday.
Kohberger is currently serving four consecutive life sentences for the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.
He pled guilty to the crimes in July of 2025, but is now seeking a new trial on the grounds that he was misled by his lawyers.
According to the New York Post, Kohberger’s attempt to overturn his plea is centering on a single piece of evidence: hair recovered from one of the victims.
In a petition for post-conviction relief, Kohberger argues that unidentified hair found in the hand of victim Ethan Chapin represents potentially exculpatory evidence that was not properly disclosed before he agreed to plead guilty.
Kohberger claims that information could have affected his decision to accept a plea agreement that spared him the death penalty.
Kohberger pleaded guilty in 2025 to the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves and was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
As part of his latest filing, Kohberger alleges his attorneys provided ineffective assistance and failed to fully explain evidence that he now says could support his claim of innocence.
He has also argued that he was pressured into accepting the plea agreement through misinformation and false promises.
