BREAKING: BRYAN KOHBERGER’S FAMILY BACKS BID TO WITHDRAW GUILTY PLEA — ‘WE SEEK ANSWERS’ AS NEW LEGAL BATTLE BEGINS

The family of Bryan Kohberger is publicly supporting his attempt to withdraw the guilty plea that resulted in four consecutive life sentences for the 2022 killings of four University of Idaho students.

In a statement released Thursday, September 17, Kohberger’s parents and sisters said they support his decision to pursue post-conviction relief, while acknowledging the continuing grief experienced by the victims’ families.

The statement comes as Kohberger, 31, attempts to reopen a case that appeared to have ended more than a year ago with his guilty plea and sentencing.

KOHBERGER NOW CLAIMS HE WAS PRESSURED INTO PLEADING GUILTY

Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts connected to the killings of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.

The students were killed at an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed not to pursue the death penalty. Kohberger was subsequently sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, along with an additional 10-year sentence for burglary.

More than a year after entering his plea, Kohberger filed a handwritten petition seeking post-conviction relief and asking to withdraw his guilty plea so that he could pursue a trial.

In his petition, Kohberger claims his former attorneys provided ineffective assistance and pressured him into admitting guilt. He has also alleged that information potentially favorable to his defense was not properly disclosed or considered.

Those claims remain allegations made by Kohberger and have not been established by a court.

‘MY ACTUAL INNOCENCE IS MY TRUTH’

Kohberger has now asserted that he is innocent, despite telling the court in 2025 that he was pleading guilty because he was guilty.

During his plea proceedings, Judge Steven Hippler questioned Kohberger about whether his decision was voluntary.

Kohberger answered that he was pleading guilty because he was guilty.

His new legal effort therefore faces questions over the statements he made during the original plea process.

Under Idaho law, withdrawing a guilty plea after sentencing requires a defendant to meet a demanding legal standard. His petition argues that constitutional problems, including alleged ineffective assistance of counsel and other issues, justify reopening the case.

HIS FAMILY: ‘WE SEEK ANSWERS’

Kohberger’s family released a statement through their attorney, Martin E. Souto Diaz, saying their support for his legal challenge does not mean they are ignoring the suffering of the victims’ families.

They said their goal is to see the “complete and unvarnished truth” established through the legal process.

The family also said they continue to remember the four students and their loved ones while supporting Kohberger.

They described their objective as obtaining “justice and a conclusive resolution through the legal process.”

The statement represents the latest public indication that Kohberger continues to have support from members of his immediate family while incarcerated.

THE FOUR STUDENTS AT THE CENTER OF THE CASE

The victims were Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

Their deaths shocked the University of Idaho community and attracted international attention.

Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022 after an investigation that lasted several weeks.

Authorities had previously said DNA recovered from a knife sheath at the crime scene statistically matched Kohberger, while court records also documented cellphone activity placing his phone in the vicinity of the victims’ home on multiple occasions before the killings.

Kohberger ultimately avoided a capital trial when he accepted the plea agreement in 2025.

VICTIMS’ FAMILIES FACE ANOTHER LEGAL FIGHT

The new petition has also reopened painful memories for the victims’ families.

Kaylee Goncalves’ younger sister, Aubrie Goncalves, previously criticized Kohberger’s effort to claim innocence and withdraw his plea, saying the legal proceedings were reopening wounds for relatives who had already endured years of loss.

The latest legal developments therefore place two very different perspectives side by side: Kohberger’s claim that his plea should be withdrawn and his family’s desire for further legal proceedings, and the victims’ families’ continuing effort to preserve the finality of the case.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Kohberger’s request does not automatically mean that he will receive a new trial.

His petition must go through Idaho’s post-conviction process, where the court will determine whether his allegations meet the legal requirements for relief.

A status conference and evidentiary hearing have been scheduled for June 2027, according to PEOPLE. His legal team has also sought changes concerning the judge overseeing the proceedings, with another hearing scheduled for October.

For now, Kohberger remains incarcerated under his existing sentences.

His latest legal filing has transformed a case that appeared settled into a new courtroom battle — one that could take months or longer to resolve.

And as his family says it is seeking answers, the families of the four students continue to live with the consequences of what happened in Moscow nearly four years ago.