TRUE CRIME NEWSBryan Kohberger Claims 'Actual Innocence' in First Public Statement Since Guilty Plea: 'Justice Was Not Served'
Bryan Kohberger is claiming 'actual innocence' despite pleading guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students.
July 27 2026, Updated 5:26 p.m. ET
Bryan Kohberger is claiming he is innocent more than a year after pleading guilty to the murders of four University of Idaho students.
In his first public statement outside of a courtroom since his arrest, the convicted killer said he is seeking to withdraw his guilty plea, insisting "justice was not served."
'My Actual Innocence Is My Truth'
The convicted killer said his plea agreement was based on 'false promises and blatant disinformation' as he seeks a new court case.
Kohberger, 31, made the remarks in a statement to The New York Times, revealing he has petitioned for a new court case in an effort to reverse the guilty plea that resulted in four consecutive life sentences.
"My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn," Kohberger said.
The former criminology student declined to discuss any specific evidence in the case, explain why he accepted the plea agreement, or elaborate on the murders themselves.
'Justice Was Not Served'
In his first public statement since his arrest, Bryan Kohberger insisted 'justice was not served.'
Kohberger argued the legal proceedings failed to bring justice, despite his own admission of guilt in court.
"Justice was not served," he wrote, adding that "unanswered questions seem to multiply with each piece of discovery unsealed."
He continued: "Circumnavigated by a broken plea, the trial never provided the public the clarity conducive to closure, and justice shall remain abjectly miscarried unless that plea is withdrawn."
It remains unclear what Kohberger is referring to when he describes the agreement as a "broken plea deal."
- Bryan Kohberger Confesses to Murdering 4 University of Idaho Students, Avoids Death Penalty in Guilty Plea Deal
- Bryan Kohberger Accepts Guilty Plea Deal for Brutal Murders of 4 Idaho College Students, Death Penalty Dropped
- 'Stalking His Prey': Megyn Kelly Draws Chilling Comparison Between Charlie Kirk Shooting Suspect Tyler Robinson and Bryan Kohberger
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Can His Guilty Plea Be Reversed?
Bryan Kohberger claims he has filed a petition to withdraw his guilty plea, though there is currently no public record showing the court has received it.
Although Kohberger said he has filed a petition to withdraw his guilty plea, there is currently no public record indicating that the court has received the filing.
The latest publicly available docket entry remains a sealed order regarding redactions filed on July 2.
Attempts to overturn a guilty plea are rarely successful, especially in cases where no new evidence has been introduced.
Kohberger is currently serving four life sentences without the possibility of parole at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho.
The Plea Deal That Spared His Life
Bryan Kohberger is serving four consecutive life sentences without parole.
On July 23, 2025, Judge Steven Hippler sentenced Kohberger to four consecutive life terms without parole after he pleaded guilty to the murders of Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.
He also received a 10-year sentence for burglary and was ordered to pay $270,000 in fines and civil penalties.
The four University of Idaho students were found fatally stabbed inside an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022.
