Bryan Kohberger, who was convicted in the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students, is now asking a court to let him withdraw his guilty plea, according to The New York Times. The newspaper reported Monday that Kohberger has filed a motion claiming he wants to go to trial instead.
The New York Times states that Kohberger’s legal team submitted the request after he entered a guilty plea earlier in the case. In a statement reported by the Times, Kohberger said, “Actual innocence is my truth,” according to the Idaho Statesman, which also covered the development. CNN noted that Kohberger now says he wants to face a jury for the murders of the four students.
Kohberger was convicted in the stabbing deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in Moscow, Idaho. His original plea had waived his right to appeal, Fox News reported, but sources told the outlet that he plans to pursue post-conviction relief. The New York Times published the full text of Kohberger’s statement about abandoning his guilty plea.
The court will now decide whether to allow Kohberger to withdraw his plea. If granted, the case would proceed to a trial that could determine a new verdict.
