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Bryan Kohberger now claims he's innocent and wants to withdraw his guilty plea - a year after he copped to butchering four University of Idaho students.

Kohberger, 31, claims he was duped into agreeing to a guilty plea deal because of  false promises and blatant disinformation,  he told The New York Times.

He said he filed a petition challenging his conviction and insisted on his  absolute claim of innocence,  the Times reported after a Sunday night phone call.

4 Bryan Kohberger at his sentencing hearing at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho on July 23, 2026. KYLE GREEN/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock

4 Final photo of the victims Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. Instagram/Xana Kernodle

A mountain of evidence ties Kohberger to the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

He was asked multiple times during his plea hearing in June 2025 whether he admitted to the crimes, and he said yes.

The deal gave Kohberger four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, but it spared him from the possiblility death by firing squad if he had been convicted by a jury.



It also meant he wouldn't have to explain in court why he committed the cold-blooded crime.

4 The house in Idaho where the four murders took place. Kohberger is serving time for the murders. James Keivom for NY Post

Critics said that the plea also meant Kohberger - a criminology Ph.D. student at the nearby Washington State University - did not have to explain why he targeted his young victims.

As for overturning his own admission: Idaho court rules say a valid plea agreement must show the  voluntariness of the plea. 

Likewise, landmark Supreme Court cases - including the 1985 Hill vs. Lockhart - set a precedent for throwing out guilty plea deals if defendants can prove they agreed to it because of bad advice from ineffective counsel.

4 Blood seeps from the house where the murders took place on Nov. 30, 2022. James Keivom for NY Post

Overturning the deal could be a victory for the families of Gon

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