Bryan Kohberger declared his intention to withdraw his guilty plea on Monday, one year after he was convicted and sentenced for murdering four Idaho college students.
In a message shared with the New York Times, Kohberger said he wants to plead not guilty instead and let the reopened case move to trial. The defendant could be eligible for the death penalty if state prosecutors choose to go that route. As part of his guilty plea, he was protected from a possible death sentence.
Kohberger suggested he was misled into taking a “broken” plea deal while insisting that he is innocent.
“My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn,” he said.
“Thank you for all who believe in my innocence and continue to critically analyze the case,” he added. “I send my love to my family, who have never wavered in their belief in who I am, their belief in my innocence.”
The statement is a remarkable turn of events that would relitigate a criminal case that never went to trial.
After pleading guilty last July, Kohberger began serving four consecutive life sentences plus 10 years without the possibility of parole. He is being held at a maximum security prison located south of Boise, Idaho.
Prosecutors accused Kohberger of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students in November 2022. He was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary for breaking into an off-campus house, where the students were staying.
During a plea hearing last year, Kohberger admitted to the alleged crimes multiple times.
Notably, Kohberger waived his right to appeal the case in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. Still, he intends to seek post-conviction relief in court.
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In Idaho, defendants have one year following the expiration of a 42-day window to file a direct appeal of their conviction. In this case, Kohberger has until the first week of September to seek post-conviction relief.
“Why am I breaking my silence?” he told the New York Times. “A lot went wrong in those plea discussions. I really do want to be heard.”