Idaho Murders Update: Bryan Kohberger Cites Hair Evidence in Bid To Reverse Conviction

Bryan Kohberger, sentenced a year ago to four consecutive life terms for murdering four University of Idaho students, has asked an Idaho court to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming in a handwritten filing that his own defense team withheld evidence and coerced him into accepting the deal.

Kohberger, 31, filed the petition for post-conviction relief Monday in Idaho’s Fourth Judicial District Court, according to records obtained by multiple news outlets. He pleaded guilty in July 2025 to killing Madison Mogen, 21, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022, and was sentenced to life without parole on each count plus 10 years for burglary, avoiding a possible death sentence.

What Kohberger Is Claiming

In the filing, Kohberger alleged his former attorneys used what he called coercion, disinformation and false promises to push him toward the plea, and separately withheld what he described as exculpatory evidence. He wrote that his “actual innocence” is his truth and that the plea, which he said was built on false promises, must be withdrawn. He also claimed he was told a death sentence was imminent and was given detailed, unsettling accounts of death row conditions, which he said were meant to pressure him into the agreement.

The Hair Evidence at the Center of the Claim

Kohberger’s petition centers on what he described as clumps of unidentified hair found in Chapin’s hand, hair he says his legal team never disclosed to him before he entered his plea. According to court filings, the hair was recovered from where Chapin’s hand was photographed in Kernodle’s bed, affixed to the bed frame by dried blood. A DNA expert hired by Kohberger’s own defense team had tested hair recovered from Chapin’s hand and found it morphologically consistent with Chapin’s own reference hair, according to court records. A forensic expert previously retained by Kohberger’s defense separately raised questions about mystery hairs recovered from the crime scene, though an attorney representing one victim’s family said the evidence does not exonerate Kohberger.

Prosecutors’ Response

The Latah County Prosecutor’s Office, in a statement issued Monday, said it was saddened that Kohberger continues to what it described as victimize the families and friends of those he killed, and said the office is prepared to defend what it called the well-deserved convictions and sentences. Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador said in a separate statement that his office is ready to do whatever is necessary to ensure justice is fully carried out.

Legal Path Forward

Kohberger waived his right to a direct criminal appeal as part of his plea agreement last year, but retained the ability to file a civil post-conviction petition, the avenue he is now pursuing. It remains unclear when the court will rule on the petition or whether a hearing will be scheduled.

Families’ Reaction

Family members of the victims, including Kaylee Goncalves’ mother, said they were disappointed but not surprised by the latest filing, according to reporting on the case.