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Judge grants Bryan Kohberger new attorney as he seeks to withdraw guilty plea

In a phone call from prison, Kohberger said that he had an "absolute claim of innocence."

In a phone call from prison, Kohberger said that he had an "absolute claim of innocence."

The judge in the case of convicted murderer Bryan Kohberger has granted his request for new legal counsel as he seeks to withdraw the guilty plea that resulted in four consecutive life sentences. 

Kohberger, a former criminology student, pleaded guilty to the 2022 stabbings of four University of Idaho students. He was sentenced last year without the possibility of parole. Kohberger has since filed a petition challenging his conviction over concerns about his plea deal.

“My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn,” Kohberger said in a statement. In a phone call from prison, he also said that he had an “absolute claim of innocence.”

A handwritten filing made public on Monday alleges that Kohberger received ineffective assistance of legal counsel. In the filing, he claims his attorneys failed to disclose or review exculpatory evidence and made certain promises about what his prison conditions would be like. On Wednesday, Judge Steven Hippler granted Kohberger’s request for a new lawyer.

In response to Kohberger’s continued legal battles, the family of victim Kaylee Goncalves said in a statement that Kohberger was like a “mosquito you just can’t seem to swat.”

“The real tragedy is this: If even a fraction of the energy spent trying to free a guilty man were directed toward honoring the victims, there would be statues of them on every corner, parks bearing their names, and days set aside to remember the lives they lost at the hands of a narcissist,” the family said.

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