Inmate seeks to withdraw guilty plea in University of Idaho murders case

Bryan Kohberger, 31, has submitted a handwritten petition from Idaho Maximum Security Penitentiary requesting that a court permit him to withdraw his guilty plea in the murders of four University of Idaho students and face a trial. Kohberger alleges that his court-appointed attorneys misled him by promising more favorable prison conditions and by providing inaccurate information about life on death row, claiming these assurances influenced his decision to plead guilty.

In the petition, Kohberger contends that his attorneys failed to disclose or examine evidence that could have assisted his defense, citing an "unknown hair in Chapin's hand" as an example. He also states that his plea was not entered knowingly or voluntarily because it was "induced by unkept promises" and threats.

During a July 2, 2025 hearing, 4th District Judge Steven Hippler asked Kohberger whether he was pleading guilty because he was guilty, to which Kohberger answered affirmatively. The judge also noted that Kohberger had previously checked a box on the plea-agreement questionnaire indicating that no promises had influenced his decision.

Idaho law requires a defendant to demonstrate "manifest injustice" to withdraw a guilty plea, a high legal threshold that typically demands proof of coercion or serious constitutional error. Kohberger's legal team had previously negotiated the plea deal to avoid a death-penalty trial, arguing against capital punishment on several grounds, including challenges to DNA evidence and claims related to his autism diagnosis. The plea agreement resulted in four consecutive life sentences without parole, plus an additional ten years, and the prosecution agreed not to seek the death penalty.

The lead defense attorney, Anne Taylor, declined to comment on the petition when contacted.