Bryan Kohberger’s Family Files to Change Guilty Plea, Then Shares Their Perspective on the University of Idaho Murders Case

The family of accused Idaho serial killer Bryan Kohberger has released a statement vehemently supporting his attempt to withdraw his guilty plea for the 2022 University of Idaho murders.

In a statement first reported by ABC News, the family emphasized that their stance does not come from a place of disregard for the victims' families, but rather from a desire to see a "proper trial.”

The Kohberger family said they strived to balance their love for Kohberger and respect for the victims — Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

They noted that their support stems from a "need to see that the complete and unvarnished truth is told," adding that unanswered questions "can only be addressed through a proper trial, as opposed to an improper plea.”

The family emphasized that they do not want their defense of the accused killer "to compound the unimaginable grief the families have borne so courageously,” noting they continue to carry the victims, their families and the entire Moscow, Idaho, community in their hearts and daily prayers.

Accepting a plea deal, Kohberger, 31, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary to avoid the death penalty. He was subsequently sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole.

However, Kohberger filed a petition for post-conviction relief over the summer, claiming his original defense team manipulated and pressured him into a false confession while withholding exculpatory evidence.

“Over a year later, it is self-evident that, in State v. Kohberger, justice was not served," the family told The New York Times on July 26. "Unanswered questions seem to multiply with each piece of discovery unsealed, and the public demands the truth."

Kohberger’s family was reportedly present for many of the discussions leading up to that original plea.

"Circumnavigated by a broken plea, the trial never provided the public the clarity conducive to closure," they wrote, "and justice shall remain abjectly miscarried unless that plea is withdrawn."

Under Idaho law, Kohberger faces a steep legal hurdle: he must formally prove his counsel was ineffective to void the plea and force a new trial.

While the victims’ families haven’t responded to the Kohberger family statement, Steve Goncalves (father of victim Kaylee) slammed Kohberger’s claim of "actual innocence," calling him "the mosquito you can't seem to swat.”

The Goncalves family expressed that they are entirely unfazed by his attempt to force a trial, stating, "An actual trial this time? Let's go! We are confident he will get the death penalty that he escaped by pleading guilty the first time around.”