A convicted killer is now trying to undo his own guilty plea, claiming he was tricked into admitting to a horrific crime.
Bryan Kohberger, the man who confessed to murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022, has filed a handwritten affidavit arguing that he should be allowed to withdraw his plea and get a brand new trial. According to court documents obtained by multiple outlets, Kohberger says his own legal team misled him and his family about key evidence before he copped to the killings.
The 31-year-old former criminology student alleges that “coercion, disinformation, false promises, and the withholding of exculpatory discovery” forced him into a bogus guilty plea last year. He specifically points to “clumps of hair” reportedly found in the hands of victim Ethan Chapin, which he claims could have helped his case.
Kohberger also says his lawyers scared him with what he calls “fabricated” horror stories about an “actual 8×8 death row cell,” reportedly suggesting that life in prison would be easier if he just pleaded guilty.
During his June 2025 plea hearing, Kohberger was asked multiple times if he admitted to the murders, and each time he said yes. That deal spared him from a possible execution by firing squad, but it also meant he never had to explain his motive for the brutal stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves, and Madison Mogen.
Prosecutors had piled up evidence including genetic material, surveillance footage, and testimony from surviving roommates. But legal experts note there is precedent for withdrawing a guilty plea if a defendant can prove they agreed to it because of bad advice from ineffective counsel.
The move has split the victims’ families. Kaylee Goncalves’ father, Steve, has publicly said they did not want a plea deal and wanted a trial to get answers. Meanwhile, the families of Chapin and Mogen supported the agreement, hoping to avoid a painful, drawn-out courtroom spectacle.
Now, with Kohberger claiming he was misled, the case could take another dramatic turn. Will a judge allow him to reverse his own confession?
