By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-31 20:50:54 | Updated at 2026-08-01 21:24:44
1 day ago
Convicted quadruple murderer Bryan Kohberger thrust himself back in the spotlight this week with the sensational claim he is innocent and demanding a trial.
He did so despite pleading guilty in June 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary for his slaying of four University of Idaho students in their Moscow home in November 2022.
The remorseless killer, 31, has brought untold hurt to the families of each of the victims he stabbed to death: Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, who were all in their early 20s.
The conditions of his plea were that he has no right to appeal and no possibility of parole in return for avoiding the potential of death by firing squad.
Insiders say his latest move is a further taunt to them.
“He is trying to control the narrative, and that is right from his playbook. We know how manipulative he is, and, to some extent, reversing the plea puts him in the driver’s seat for the moment,” Vicky Ward, co-author with James Patterson of “The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy” — of which a new edition with updated details on Kohberger’s guilty plea has just been released — told The Post.
Sadly, that is where huge-ego-wielding Kohberger appears to think he deserves to be.
“As we write in the book, he was clearly an anti-social incel with very dark views about women. He was arrogant and had a greatly inflated view of his own capabilities,” Ward added.
Pennsylvania native Kohberger has never had to answer in court why he targeted his young victims and showed no remorse, speaking only in a cold monotone voice when confronted by the families of his victims in court.
Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee, has responded to his attempted reversal of justice with time-worn resignation.
“I spoke to Steve yesterday, and he told me it doesn’t feel great to be proven right,” Ward recounted, noting how “the Goncalves family were very nervous all along that Kohberger would find a way to circumvent the legal system, that he would coach wannabe killers in jail, that he would sell his story and enjoy the celebrity.”
Former criminology student Kohberger claimed he had been duped into agreeing to a guilty plea deal due to “false promises and blatant disinformation,” and filed a petition challenging his conviction, insisting on an “absolute claim of innocence,” he told reporters Monday. Legal analysts say he has little chance of succeeding.
Alivea Goncalves, sister of Kaylee, is not surprised by Kohberger’s brazenness, claiming she can read the killer like a cheap novel. After going through his new filing, Alivea told Vanity Fair, “I genuinely wanted to laugh. He’s arguing ineffective counsel, which could not be further from the truth. The last dice roll always appears to be the most dramatic, even though it’s no different from any of the others.”
She also expressed outrage over what his bid to recant his admission of guilt is doing to family members: “It sucks that the justice system allows a perpetrator to continue to re-victimize their victims. [Kohberger] should never, ever, ever have that power ever again.”
As far as the other families’ reactions to Kohberger’s change of mind, Ward added, “Steve told me that some parents have spoken to him and been in tears. I suspect that those are the Laramies,” referring to Mogen’s mother Karen and her stepfather Scott.
Ward explains that Kohberger’s attempt to shake things up is particularly gut-wrenching in light of the fact that some bereaved parents rationalized the plea deal as they anticipated never having to hear about Kohberger again.
“The Laramies were okay with it because [lead prosecutor Bill] Thompson assured them that there was absolutely no way Kohberger would ever see the light of day outside of prison,” she said.
Now, if Kohberger were to get his wish and is granted a trial, there would be a chance he could overturn his conviction. While there is a mountain of evidence against him, the prosecution “had DNA, but they did not have a murder weapon, and they didn’t have a motive,” Ward pointed out.
For Stacy and Jim Chapin, parents of Ethan, Kohberger’s hustle for a trial might likely be something that is best ignored. “My sense of the Chapins, and this is speculation, even though I know them very well, is that they will ignore this, roll their eyes and get on with their lives,” said Ward.
“Ethan is a triplet, and I think Stacy’s view is that she can’t bring Ethan back. But she will do everything in her power to help the other two, Hunter and Mazie, to rebuild their lives.”
Similarly, said Ward, the Kernodle family “just want the judge to quash this.”
As with most people who have followed the case, they are confident Kohberger is the murderer and he acted alone.
“There’s no doubt in my mind, having spent a lot of time talking to the police chief, that they got the right guy,” said Ward.
“But, in a way, I was not that shocked that he would do this. [Kohberger’s] a very antisocial, sort of a misfit, not somebody who does well around other people. I’m sure he doesn’t like being locked up in prison.”
If the judge were to allow him to go back on his plea, Ward acknowledges a best-case-scenario at trial could see Kohberger answer questions about his motives and detail what exactly went down in the home that became a bloody house of horrors.
However, Ward doubts that would actually happen, adding: “He’s not going to say he did it. He’s a pathological liar and sociopath. It’s like what we say in the new ending of the book. It’s unlikely that the families will ever have, quote unquote, ‘closure.’ ”
