Bryan Kohberger files a petition to challenge his guilty plea and conviction

BREAKING NEWSJul. 27, 2026, 6:59 PM UTCU.S. newsU.S. newsBryan Kohberger files a petition to challenge his guilty plea and convictionKohberger pleaded guilty last year to murdering four University of Idaho students and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse for his sentencing hearing in 2025, in Boise, Idaho.Kyle Green / Pool / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Corky SiemaszkoBryan Kohberger, the man convicted of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022, is seeking to abandon his guilty plea and wants his day in court.Kohberger, who pleaded guilty in July 2025 to avoid a quadruple murder trial and is currently serving four life sentences, filed a “petition for post conviction relief” Monday in the Ada County District Court in Idaho. A petition for post conviction relief is a way to challenge a conviction outside of the appeals process. The court record indicates that Kohberger is representing himself.It was not immediately clear on what grounds Kohberger was seeking the petition.But in an interview with the New York Times, Kohberger claimed he is innocent and was misled into confessing to the murders.“My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn,” Kohberger said in a statement to the newspaper on Sunday night. Kohberger admitted last year to killing the four students: Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20 — at an off-campus house Nov. 13, 2022. A criminology student, Kohberger took a plea deal and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences for four counts of first-degree murder and 10 years in prison for a burglary charge.Prior to the filing, Kohberger had not made any public statements suggesting he might change his plea. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleCorky S...