BOISE, Idaho, Aug. 13 (Meridian News Online) — Bryan Kohberger is asking an Idaho court to let him withdraw his guilty plea to killing four University of Idaho students, a move that could reopen a case that ended with life sentences instead of a death-penalty trial.
Kohberger pleaded guilty in 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in the deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. The killings took place Nov. 13, 2022, at an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. Kohberger received four consecutive life sentences without parole for the murder convictions, plus 10 years for burglary. The agreement also included a waiver of appeal rights and provisions for restitution, according to ABC News’ review of the agreement.
The victims’ families, including Goncalves’ parents, Kristi and Steve Goncalves, have said they would accept a new trial if a judge allows Kohberger to withdraw his plea. They believe prosecutors could again seek the death penalty. That is the family’s position, not a decision by the court or prosecutors.
What is Kohberger asking for?
Kohberger filed a handwritten petition seeking to reopen the case and reverse or withdraw his guilty plea, according to court documents reported by CNN. He has alleged that his plea was affected by threats, false promises, incorrect information and ineffective assistance from his defense team.
He also alleges that his lawyers failed to disclose or review evidence that could have helped him. Those claims have not been established by a court.
In a statement reported by CNN, Kohberger said his plea was based on false promises and blatant disinformation
and wrote that his actual innocence is my truth.
The filing does not mean that the plea has been withdrawn. The available information does not show that a judge has ruled on the request, set a hearing or appointed new counsel.
Why does the plea matter?
A guilty plea ended the need for a murder trial. It also determined the punishment under the agreement: life in prison without parole rather than a possible death sentence.
If a court grants Kohberger’s request, the case could return to a pretrial stage. Prosecutors could then have to decide how to proceed, including whether to seek the death penalty under Idaho law. The available records do not show what prosecutors will do or whether they have agreed that the plea should be withdrawn.
The plea agreement is important because it set out the terms under which Kohberger admitted guilt and gave up certain appeal rights. A court would have to decide whether his allegations meet the legal standard for undoing a plea after sentencing.
What do the Goncalves family members say?
Kristi and Steve Goncalves have described the plea challenge as another painful turn in the case. In an interview on the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast, Kristi Goncalves said she still asks herself each morning whether the loss will ever end.
The first thing every single morning I often ask myself: Is this going to be forever? Will this eventually end?
she said, according to Fox News’ account of the interview.
Steve Goncalves said Kristi sometimes hopes she will see Kaylee in her dreams. The family has also criticized Kohberger for pleading guilty and later seeking to undo the plea.
In a statement reproduced by CNN and the BBC, the Goncalves family said Kohberger chose not to leave his fate – or the facts of the case – to a jury.
The family also said it was confident he would receive the death penalty he avoided by pleading guilty if the case goes to trial.
That outcome is not guaranteed. It would depend on future court rulings and decisions by prosecutors.
Where the case stands
The case remains an Idaho criminal matter tied to the killings in Moscow, in Latah County. Kohberger’s petition is a legal challenge to his plea and sentence, not a ruling that clears him or changes the convictions.
The available reporting does not identify a hearing date, the court’s full case caption, the current prosecutor’s position or the identity of Kohberger’s current defense lawyer. Until the court rules, the existing guilty pleas and sentences remain in place.
