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As we previously reported, Bryan Kohberger attempted to withdraw his guilty plea with a handwritten court filing on Monday.
Kohberger is currently serving four consecutive life sentences for the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students.
He pled guilty to the crimes in July of 2025, but is now seeking a new trial on the grounds that he was misled by his lawyers.
According to the New York Post, Kohberger’s attempt to overturn his plea is centering on a single piece of evidence: hair recovered from one of the victims.
In a petition for post-conviction relief, Kohberger argues that unidentified hair found in the hand of victim Ethan Chapin represents potentially exculpatory evidence that was not properly disclosed before he agreed to plead guilty.
Kohberger claims that information could have affected his decision to accept a plea agreement that spared him the death penalty.
Kohberger pleaded guilty in 2025 to the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, and Kaylee Goncalves and was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.
As part of his latest filing, Kohberger alleges his attorneys provided ineffective assistance and failed to fully explain evidence that he now says could support his claim of innocence.
He has also argued that he was pressured into accepting the plea agreement through misinformation and false promises.
Retired FBI agent Chris Whitcomb has said the recovered hair did not appear consistent with Kohberger’s characteristics and was never subjected to DNA testing.
Still, legal analysts say the hair evidence is unlikely to be enough on its own to undo Kohberger’s guilty plea.
Whitcomb has suggested that investigators ultimately determined the evidence was not significant to the prosecution’s case.
Other experts have described Kohberger’s latest argument as a long shot, given the extensive evidence presented before his guilty plea.
Court records cited in multiple reports also indicate that a defense-retained DNA expert examined hair evidence and concluded it matched Ethan Chapin rather than Kohberger.
Because Kohberger waived his right to a direct appeal when he entered his guilty plea, legal experts say he now faces a difficult path to obtaining relief.
To succeed, he would generally need to show that his plea was not entered knowingly and voluntarily, that prosecutors improperly withheld exculpatory evidence, or that his attorneys provided constitutionally ineffective representation.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told People that post-conviction petitions of this type are common but rarely successful, particularly after a negotiated guilty plea.
A judge has not yet ruled on Kohberger’s petition. Until then, his convictions and four life sentences remain in place.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
Bryan Kohberger Hopes ‘Clump of Hair’ Found In Victim’s Hand Will … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.