In a surprising development, Bryan Kohberger, who had previously confessed to the brutal killing of four Idaho college students, is seeking to retract his guilty plea. The convicted murderer now seeks a courtroom trial to contest his guilt.

Now 31, Kohberger is currently serving four consecutive life sentences. He announced his latest legal maneuver during an interview with The New York Times, asserting that he possesses an “absolute claim of innocence.”

“My actual innocence is my truth,” Kohberger declared in the interview, adding that his initial plea was influenced by “false promises and blatant disinformation.” He insisted it “MUST be withdrawn.”

Last July, Kohberger admitted guilt to the November 2022 slayings of University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, both aged 21, along with Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, both 20.

His plea led to a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Though Kohberger admitted responsibility for the killings as part of a plea deal that spared him the death penalty, he has never publicly explained why he targeted the four friends. 

He declined to comment on specifics about the alleged evidence that he says will exonerate him, the Times reported.

He also reportedly refused to talk about the concerns he has surrounding the plea process. 

Mogen, Kernodle, Goncalves and Chapin were found stabbed to death on November 13, 2022, in a rented off-campus house in the small, rural town of Moscow.

Prosecutors say that Kohberger, who was masked, snuck into the home and brutally murdered the students. 

Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador called Kohberger’s U-turn ‘deeply painful’ for the victims’ families and said he was standing by them.

A spokesperson for the Goncalves family called Kohberger ‘the mosquito you just can’t seem to swat.’

The spokesperson added: ‘(Kohberger) appeared in court for a hearing before a judge, accompanied by his four lawyers. He chose not to leave his fate – or the facts of the case – to a jury.

‘He never cried foul, never claimed he was uninformed or pressured… He admitted his guilt.’ The spokesperson added that they wished Kohberger had been given a death penalty trial and suggested he now wants more attention.  

Kohberger, a graduate student in criminology at nearby Washington State University, was arrested in Pennsylvania, where his parents lived, roughly six weeks later.

A Q-tip from the garbage at his parents’ house and genetic genealogy were used to match Kohberger’s DNA to material recovered from a knife sheath found at the home, investigators said. 

They also used surveillance camera footage to help locate a white sedan that was seen repeatedly driving past the home on the night of the killings.

Cellphone location data also showed that Kohberger had been in the neighborhood multiple times before the attack. 

Kohberger’s attorneys got the trial moved to Boise after expressing concerns that the court wouldn’t be able to find enough unbiased jurors in Moscow.

But Judge Stephen Hippler rejected their efforts to get the death penalty taken off the table and to strike critical evidence – including the DNA – from being admitted in trial.

In exchange for Kohberger admitting guilt and waiving his right to appeal, prosecutors agreed not to seek his execution. Both sides recommended that he serve four consecutive life sentences without parole.

After his arrest in December 2022, Kohberger’s initial court-appointed lawyer said that the murderer was ‘eager to be exonerated.’

The defense spent more than two years challenging the evidence against hi before accepting the surprise plea deal just weeks before he was set to go to trial.

Kohberger acknowledged he committed the ‘willful, unlawful, deliberate’ murder of the victims ‘with premeditation and with malice aforethought’ as part of this agreement. But it didn’t force him to provide a narrative or say why he did it.

It’s unclear why Kohberger killed the four students and spared two roommates who were home at the time.

Investigators also never found a connection between Kohberger, the four victims or the two surviving roommates.

Judge Steven Hippler suggested in court that he too wanted to know why Kohberger did it, but he cautioned against continuing to wonder.

‘By continuing to focus on why, we continue to give Mr Kohberger relevance, we give him agency and we give him power,’ the judge said at the defendant’s sentencing. 

‘The need to know what is inherently not understandable makes us dependent upon the defendant to provide us with a reason, and that gives him the spotlight, the attention and the power he appears to crave.’

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates. 

On a poignant Monday, Savannah Guthrie issued a direct plea geared towards her mother’s kidnapper, marking over six distressing months since her 84-year-old mother went missing without a trace from her residence in Arizona.

In an emotional plea posted to her Instagram account, Savannah Guthrie appealed directly to whoever is responsible for Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping, saying that her family is “in agony” and “will never stop looking for her.”

“Today, I speak to you with a clear message,” Savannah voiced with intensity. “It has been an excruciatingly long time since our mother was taken away. Our family endures unending pain, a nightmare from which there is no awakening. Despite our efforts, our situation remains unchanged. Our search and yearning for her are relentless, leaving an unfillable void in our souls. We are reminded daily of life’s harshness and lack of compassion,” she expressed.

With hope, Savannah continued, “I’ve seen your attempts at making things right. I implore, no, I beg you, to choose righteousness now. Guide us to her. Reveal where she can be found. I am convinced it’s never too late to set things right. Let’s bring closure to this ordeal, for everyone’s sakes. Regardless of our past journeys and choices, I believe there’s always a way back. Please, do the right thing.”

In a concerning trend, children are disappearing from major urban areas, with cities in California showing the most significant declines.

A recent analysis by the Wall Street Journal reveals that over the last decade, the number of children residing in cities has decreased by 6% nationwide. This drop reflects a growing movement among families to abandon city life in favor of more affordable and spacious living environments.

San Jose, at the heart of Silicon Valley and known for its exorbitant real estate prices, leads this trend, witnessing a formidable 20% reduction in its under-18 population. This ranks San Jose highest among U.S. cities experiencing such significant declines in youth population.

More strikingly, San Jose has seen a 34% decrease in its population of children under the age of five within the past decade, as highlighted by the report.

Los Angeles also reflects similar shifts, with its population of children under 18 dropping by 16% from 2015 to 2024.

Of the 25 cities that have lost the most children in that time frame, six were in California.

San Diego has lost 14% of its children while Fresno, Sacramento and San Francisco have lost 5%, 4% and 3% respectively, according to the analysis, which examined cities with more than 500,000 residents.

Falling birthrates — a nationwide trend, with the number of births falling by 9% over the past decade — are only one factor driving the disappearance of kids from major cities.

The Covid pandemic accelerated the flight of families choosing to leave cities in search of more space and affordable living, the report noted.

“Families had more exit options and they took them,” Connor O’Brien, a fellow at think tank the Institute for Progress, told the WSJ.

A handful of large cities, particularly in the Sun Belt, have bucked the trend and increased their share of kids.

The number of children in Fort Worth, Texas, and Jacksonville, Fla., increased by 11% over a decade, followed by Washington, D.C. and Seattle, which have each increased their kid populations by 10%.

Patrick Clancy says his ex-wife told him she was experiencing thoughts of hurting their kids and herself

In the unfolding legal saga surrounding Bryan Kohberger, new details have emerged regarding his intentions after pleading guilty to the horrific murder of four University of Idaho students during a pre-dawn intrusion. Sources closely linked to the case reveal that Kohberger plans to seek post-conviction relief.

Central to Kohberger’s post-conviction strategy is his claim of inadequate legal representation, which he argues significantly impacted his defense.

The New York Times initially broke the story following a direct call from Kohberger to a journalist, during which he made his first public statement outside of court, asserting an “absolute claim of innocence.” He contacted the media in what seems to be an attempt to control the narrative around his case.

Expressing his discontent with the legal process, Kohberger declared to the publication, “My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn.”

Kohberger is serving four consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole plus another 10 years for the Nov. 13, 2022 murders of Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves after pleading guilty in July 2025.

As part of the plea deal, he waived his right to an appeal.

This is a breaking news story. Stick with News Media for updates.

Senator Mitch McConnell won’t be attending the upcoming political event in Kentucky, as revealed in a statement from his office on Monday. The Republican leader is focusing on his recovery after a fall on June 14 that required hospitalization.

“I’m diligently working to resume my full Senate duties and responsibilities in Kentucky, following the rigorous physical therapy schedule outlined by my doctors. Regrettably, I’ll have to miss this Saturday’s Fancy Farm gathering in Kentucky,” McConnell stated, referring to the state’s yearly political event and cookout.