Bryan Kohberger guilty plea challenge filed in Idaho court
Bryan Kohberger is seeking post-conviction relief after admitting to the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Bryan Kohberger has filed a challenge to his guilty plea in the Idaho student murders case, months after he admitted killing four University of Idaho students and received four life sentences, NBC News reported.
Kohberger filed a petition for post-conviction relief Monday in Ada County District Court in Idaho, according to the court record cited by NBC News. The record indicates he is acting as his own lawyer.
The filing seeks to attack his conviction outside the standard appeals process. NBC News reported that the basis for Kohberger's petition was not clear from the available record.
Why is Bryan Kohberger challenging his guilty plea?
Kohberger told The New York Times in a statement Sunday night that he is innocent and claimed he was misled into admitting guilt. He said his plea should be withdrawn because, in his account, it was based on false promises and misinformation.
The claims in Kohberger's statement have not been tested in court through the new petition. NBC News reported that before the filing, Kohberger had not publicly indicated that he planned to try to change his plea.
A petition for post-conviction relief is a legal request asking a court to review a conviction after sentencing. It is separate from a direct appeal and can be used to raise certain challenges to a conviction or sentence.
What did Kohberger plead guilty to?
Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 in a deal that spared him a quadruple murder trial, according to NBC News. He admitted killing Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.
The four students were killed at an off-campus house on Nov. 13, 2022. NBC News reported that Kohberger, a criminology student, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and a burglary charge.
He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms for the murder counts, plus 10 years in prison for burglary, according to NBC News.
The case drew national attention from the first days after the killings, as investigators searched for a suspect in the deaths of the four students. Kohberger's guilty plea appeared to end the criminal case before trial, but the new filing now opens another legal fight over his conviction.
The Ada County District Court record shows the petition has been filed, but NBC News reported that the grounds for the challenge were not yet clear. Any request to withdraw the plea would have to be addressed through the court process.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.