Convicted killer Bryan Kohberger says a clump of hair and bad legal advice should erase his guilty plea. Most legal experts – and many true crime commentators – aren’t buying it.
Nevertheless, it appears Bryan Kohberger has decided that four consecutive life sentences without parole (plus 10 years) aren’t as appealing as they sounded when they helped him avoid Idaho’s death chamber. So he decided to handwrite a do-over request to the court.
Yes, about a year after pleading guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students – Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin – Kohberger now insists he’s innocent and wants his plea deal tossed out.
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He told the New York Times, “My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn.”
His latest court filing claims his attorneys pressured him into pleading guilty, withheld potentially exculpatory evidence, and misled him about what life in prison would actually be like – including not being able to get adequate bananas. At the center of the argument is hair found in Ethan Chapin’s hand that Kohberger says should have been investigated more thoroughly before he admitted guilt.
The problem for Kohberger is that courts generally don’t let defendants hit the “undo” button simply because they regret the deal they made. To withdraw a guilty plea after sentencing in Idaho, he must show a “manifest injustice” – a much higher legal standard than simply arguing he changed his mind.
During his plea hearing, Kohberger repeatedly told the judge under oath that he was pleading guilty voluntarily because he was, in fact, guilty. He also acknowledged he understood he might never be allowed to withdraw that plea later.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told People that petitions like this are common but rarely successful, noting Kohberger waived his direct appeal rights when he accepted the plea agreement.
The skepticism surrounding Kohberger’s chances isn’t limited to prosecutors and legal analysts.
Crime Weekly podcast hosts Stephanie Harlowe and former police detective Derrick Levasseur have described Kohberger’s defense team as experienced and unlikely to have overlooked major issues before advising him to plead guilty. While acknowledging courts will have to review the filing, they have suggested the chances of successfully unraveling the plea are extremely low absent genuinely new, compelling evidence.
That lines up with the broader legal consensus. Most analysts say Kohberger’s petition amounts to a long shot, with several describing it as little more than grasping for any available thread now that life behind bars has become a permanent reality for the slimebucket.
An attorney who spoke with Chris Cuomo on NewsNation on Monday said, “This is not an uncommon motion. We see these all the time from prisoners who are sitting around, and they want their 16th
minute of fame. The chances of him having this granted are so low and remote, I would equate it to Bigfoot finally riding a unicorn. It’s not going to happen.”
At least one of the victims’ families doesn’t appear especially rattled by Kohberger’s latest legal maneuver. Kaylee Goncalves’ father, Steve Goncalves, said the family is prepared if the case somehow ends up back in court. He also said he would welcome the chance to face Kohberger at trial and watch him get the death penalty, even as he has called another round of proceedings an unnecessary drain on time and taxpayer dollars. That said, many people across the country would probably argue that if another trial somehow led to the death penalty instead of four life sentences, it would be time and money well spent.
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